* the holding of the Fifth Buddhist Council and recording of the Tipitaka texts on 729 marble slabs in 1871;

* the holding of the Sixth Buddhist Council in 1954;

* the establishment of two State Pariyatti Sasana Universities in 1986;

* the establishment of the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University in 1998;

* the crafting of the world's largest marble image - the Abhhayalabha Muni - in 2001-2002;

* the emergence of eleven Tipitakakovida Sayadaws who can commit 8,026 pages of Tipitaka texts to their memories;

* the renovation of ancient Buddhist monuments;

* the establishment of independent Ministry of Religious Affairs to take care of the interests of 500,000 monks and nuns; and

* the restoration of temples in Bagan, which is the richest archaeological site in Southeast Asia.

Now, Myanmar has set up a new milestone in the history of Buddhism by holding the World Buddhist Summit from 9 to 11 December 2004 in the Great Mahapasana Cave, Yangon. As Myanmar, where nearly five hundred thousand monks and nuns reside and the people of which are devout Buddhists, occupies central position in the Theravada world, the Myanmar delegation announced at the Third World Buddhist Propagation Conference held in Phnom Penh in 2002 that Myanmar would host the World Buddhist Summit in 2004.

This World Buddhist Summit was held with the following objectives:

(1) To promote friendship, mutual understanding and cooperation among the Buddhist countries

(2) To maintain Buddhist teachings and practice among the Buddhist countries

(3) To promote Buddhist education based on the studies of Buddhist scriptures in nations of the world

(4) To help and to create the peaceful world by the Buddhists, and

(5) To propagate the original teaching of the Buddha in the world

Preparations for the World Buddhist Summit began in early 2003. A working plan was drawn up with the formation of the Advisory Board of Mahatheras, Steering Committee, Working Committee and eleven subcommittees.

The Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar acted as the Chairman of the Steering Committee and the Minister for Religious Affairs as the Chairman of the Working Committee. Many coordination meetings were held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister. A secretariat was formed to take prompt action relating to the World Buddhist Summit.

Preparations included the major renovation of the venue of the World Buddhist Summit, the Great Mahapasana Cave, which took almost two years and cost a lot of money. So was the landscaping and the greening in the precincts of the Kaba Aye Pagoda. The cave was constructed in 1954, and major renovation was required for holding the World Buddhist Summit. Repairing the roof, ceiling and walls were undertaken together with the installation of new air-conditioning, lighting and audio-visual systems. The walls had to be covered with acoustic tiles. The wall facing the audience was decorated with gold and lacquer. The six pillars inside the cave were gilded and decorated with jade tiles. A jade Buddha image with wooden pedestal was also placed on the main platform inside the cave for public veneration. Two main entrances to the great cave were decorated with jade tiles. The Ministry of Forestry and private firms took responsibility for the landscaping and gardening around the cave.

Buddhist leaders from world Buddhist associations and many observers from different parts of the world were invited. Myanmar organizing committee provided the cost of transportation, meals and accommodations and sight-seeing for the VIPs and special guests. Many observers came to attend the World Buddhist Summit at their own expense. The Government of the Union of Myanmar gave every possible help to the honoured guests including local accommodation and transportation.

In addition to foreign guests, many Mahatheras and religious leaders inside the country were invited to attend the World Buddhist Summit. Mahatheras included State Ovadacariya Sayadaws, members of the State Sangha Mahanayaka Committee, members of the Central Working Committee of the Sangha, Tipitakakovida and Tipitakadhara Sayadaws, Rectors of the State Pariyatti Sasana Universities and of the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University, abbots of monasteries, monks from State Sangha organizations and monks from Sangha universities. Members of pagoda trustees and of religious and public organizations and persons who had received religious titles also were invited. Among the special guests were Sayagyi SN Goenka, a world meditation master, and his disciples. Despite a few temporary and minor problems, the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Myanmar succeeded in holding the World Buddhist Summit as the sole sponsor. The result, as you have witnessed, was a very successful Buddhist Summit held on a grand scale with the attendance of many Buddhist friends from all over the world.

This World Buddhist Summit would be a landmark in the history of Buddhist like the Sixth Buddhist Council. It took place in our land of Dhamma where peace and stability prevail and where nearly 500,000 monks reside and nine outstanding Mahatheras who can commit the whole Tipitaka texts to their memories are still alive. Sangha organizations at different levels are well established under the direction of the State Sangha Mahanayaka Committee. The Ministry of Religious Affairs with more than 2,000 staff is taking care of the interests of the members of the Sangha throughout the country.

Prime Ministers and Sangharajas from the Theravada countries graced the event with their presence, and honoured guests and observers from 38 countries participated in this Summit. True to its name, the World Buddhist Summit was attended by broadly represented Sangha from all the continents. It reaffirms Myanmar's central position in the Theravada world and Myanmar's commitment to Buddhist unity under the banner of the original teachings of the Lord Buddha. This summit will bring the timeless teachings of the Buddha to bear upon the worldwide problems of violence, terrorism and instability, and contribute to relaxation of tensions.

The present World Buddhist Summit surpasses the previous Buddhist summits in many ways:

* In the previous Buddhist summits, almost all the delegates were from Asia countries. In this Summit we invited Buddhist delegates from all over the world including Mexico, Jamaica, Czech Republic, Romania, etc. Foreign delegates and observers who attended the Summit almost numbered eight hundred, which is the highest attendance in the history of Buddhist summit. With the Myanmar monks and laypersons, the participants numbered well over two thousand.

* The previous summits were held in newly constructed buildings, whereas this Summit was held in the holy Mahapasana Cave which has both historical and religious significance. The Great Mahapasana Cave was the venue of the Sixth Buddhist Council, in which 2,500 monks assembled to edit the Tipitaka texts in the 1950s. It was also where the Buddhist leaders and Heads of State assembled to celebrate the 2500th Anniversary of the Buddha Sasana.

* The previous Buddhist summits were sponsored by NGOs. The present World Buddhist Summit, on the other hand, was solely sponsored by the Government of the Union of Myanmar. A huge amount of Government budget was allocated for the major renovation of the Great Mahapasana Cave, landscaping and gardening around the cave, transportation and accommodation, Dhamma gifts, medical cares, sightseeing and entertainments for the delegates. Many NGOs and public organizations gave voluntary labour and invested their time and money.

* In the previous summits, only thirty to a hundred participants attended a group discussion. Here in this Summit, the attendance varies between 100 and 400. Panel Discussion Groups were divided into four, namely: panels for "Buddhism and Its Relevance to the Present World," "Buddhist Education," "Promotion and Propagation of Buddhism" and for "Buddhist Meditation and World Peace." The subjects were discussed in depth and there were lively exchanges of ideas and intellectual debates. The discussions were chaired by learned Mahatheras well-versed in the scriptures and fluent in English.

On behalf of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the State Sangha Mahanayaka Committee, 500,000 monks and Myanmar citizens, the Working Committee would like to thank all those who helped us in our endeavours to promote Buddhist unity by contributing their time, money and labour for the successful holding of the World Buddhist Summit. We would also like to record our gratitude to the Sangharajas and Heads of States as well as all the delegates and observers for taking part in this great event and thus helped us fill a glorious page in the history of Buddhism. We would also like to share our merits with all the sentient beings.