This will be his first visit to Malaysia.

Considered as one of the most influential Buddhist teachers in the world today, Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh was nominated for the Noble Peace Prize and subsequently led the Buddhist delegation to the Paris Peace Talks during the height of the Vietnam War during the 1960s.

He will speak on the theme of the Conference which is “Living in Harmony: When Things Fall Apart”. The Conference is aimed at the ordinary Buddhists – the man in the street – who wish to seek practical advice on what they need to do in order to live in harmony - to be able to lead peaceful and stress-free lives.

The line-up of speakers at the conference includes Malaysia’s own Venerable Wei Wu from Than Hsiang Temple, Penang, who is best known for setting up Malaysia’s first International Buddhist College, and many welfare projects such as kindergartens and orphanages throughout the country.

Speakers from the West include Dr Joan Halifaz, an internationally-acclaimed medical anthropologist and Zen master, Venerable Tejadhamma, a pioneer in hospice work in Sydney, Australia, Dr David Loy, scholar practitioner from the US and co-founder of Buddhist Global Relief, Venerable Thubten Chodron,a well-known author and teacher from Washington, Dr Tan Eng Kong, a Malaysian-born practicing psychiatrist and psychotherapist, and Anchalee Kurutach who has been involved in refugee work and survivors of torture for over twenty years in her native Thailand as well as in the US.

Being an international conference, WBC is expected to attract more than 1,000 participants from both Malaysia and overseas.

Three leading Buddhist organizations, Buddhist Gem Fellowship, Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia and Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia, supported by eight other Buddhist organizations, will be organizing the World Buddhist Conference (WBC) from September 25-26, 2010 at the Istana Hotel, Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur.

According to Benny Liow, a key member of the organising committee, the message of the conference is encourage participants to see life in its proper perspective.

"Even if misfortunes or calamities were to affect us - be it in our business, career, or private relationships - we should not lose hope or adopt a pessimistic and fatalistic view of life. The Buddha had taught us that we can indeed remain happy in the midst of misfortunes or “when things fall apart” if we understand how our mind works and apply techniques to calm it," he adds.

Registration to attend the Conference is now open. Early Bird fee (before June 30, 2010) is RM 300 and RM 180 (Full-time students), and Normal Fee (July 1, 2010 onwards) is RM 360 and RM 250 (Full-time students). Participation for Sangha members is free but prior registration is required. Meals and refreshments are included in the registration fee.

If you go:

For details, please access the conference website at http://www.wbc.my.

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