Eighteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

Diverse situations make great heroes and memorable identities. Buddhism has a long and interesting history. After 2500 years of Buddhist era, in light of various influences, but without significant cultural exchanges, Buddhists around the world find ourselves situated in Mahayana and Theravada branches without much interaction. In this realm, Professor Malalasekera, a man of many facets, a notable philanthropist scholar in Sri Lanka and an internationally reputed icon on Buddhism, is distinctive. This paper takes the initiative to review his noble work towards sustaining Buddhism and serving many people by uniting all Buddhists and bringing them to a common platform to exchange their ideas, experiences, and practices in order to achieve eternal happiness and peace. According to the secondary data published in journals, books, paper articles, interviews and reliable websites, his writings such as Encyclopedia of Buddhism (Editor-in-Chief); first material to emerge in western language on Buddhist tradition, Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names; exploration of the Pāli words, Pāli Literature of Ceylon; Buddha and his teachings; Buddhism and the race question, present universal messages to all human beings. As the founding president of the World Fellowship of Buddhists and All Ceylon Buddhist congress, Professor Malalasekera initiated ‘Vesak’; an International celebration and optional holiday for Buddhists. These actions and his identity as the catalyst of global Buddhist cultural renaissance are considered in this paper.