Since 2013, Fo Guang Shan (Singapore) has conducted three Buddhist Youth Forums. The forums aimed to promote academic exchanges between Buddhist youths and inspire them to research on the positive effects and application of Humanistic Buddhism on the modern society. Through increased awareness and understanding of Humanistic Buddhism, the forums envision the propagation and continuation of Buddhism by young Buddhists; enhancing one’s morals and eventually, building a conducive and harmonious nation and society.

The number of papers submitted over the past forums increased significantly, with a remarkable improvement in the quality of work. In view of Singapore’s local culture, the Buddhist Youth Forum has been embracing a bilingual approach and has been holding both English and Chinese presentations and dialogue sessions concurrently. This allows participants of different nationalities and educational backgrounds to engage and learn from one another on the same academic platform. Being an international forum, we have had presenters and observers from different parts of the world, including Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar and China.

Fo Guang Shan (Singapore) held the first Buddhist Youth Forum in 2013. The theme of the forum was “Happiness and Peace” and it attracted 17 youths from Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Philippines to present their papers. More than 130 youths from Singapore, Malaysia and Australia attended the forum and actively participated in discussions. The objectives of the forum were to foster and encourage Buddhist youths to study and conduct research on Humanistic Buddhism, to explore the impact of Humanistic Buddhism on purification of mind, improvement to quality life, and solving societal issues, so as to enhance the happiness index.

Following the successful conclusion to the first forum, the second Buddhist Youth Forum, themed “Understanding and Practising the Threefold Training in the context of Humanistic Buddhism”, and the third forum themed “Equality & Peace”, was held in 2016. Similar to the first form, the objectives of this forum was to encouraging Buddhist youths from around the world to present their research on Humanistic Buddhism, to promote the propagation of Dharma among the youths, and to enhance their awareness, understanding and assimilation of Humanistic Buddhism. Nine Chinese papers and nine English papers were selected from many submissions made by youths around the continent. A post-forum survey indicated that 88.9% of the participants are in favour of participating in subsequent forums.

Objectives of Forum:

• To promote the awareness, research and propagation of Humanistic Buddhism among the youth.
• To study the roles and functions of Buddhism in purifying the minds and positively influencing the society.
• To examine the roles of the youth in keeping up with the times in the propagation of the Dharma.
• To promote the advancement and continuation of Buddhism by the youth in enhancing one’s morals and building a conducive and harmonious society.

Highlights of Forum: 

• Keynote speeches, plenary sessions, panel discussions, paper presentations and academic exchanges.

※ Scholars majoring in Buddhist studies or related fields.

※ Academics, students and youth who are interested in Humanistic Buddhism research and literary writing.

Happiness and Peace (2013) – 1st Forum Proceedings

Understanding and Practicing the Threefold Training (2015) – 2nd Forum Proceedings

Equality & Peace (2016) – 3rd Forum Proceedings

Consensus & Openness (2017) – 4th Forum Proceedings

Faith and Legacy (2019) – 5th Forum Proceedings

Faith and Legacy (2021) – 6th Forum Proceedings

Website: https://www.buddhistyouthforum.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buddhistyouthforum

Email:  buddhistyouthforum@gmail.com