- Passed in the first General Conference at Colombo, Sri Lanka
on May 16, 1966.
- First revision in the third General Conference at Taipei,
Taiwan, ROC on Dec. 14, 1981.
- Second revision in the fourth General Conference at Bangkok,
Thailand on Jan. 10, 1986.
- Third revision in the fifth General Conference at Taipei,
Taiwan, ROC on Oct. 31, 1989.
- Fourth revision in the extra-ordinary General Conference
at Singapore on Nov. 25, 2002.
- Fifth revision in the ninth General Conference at Medan,
Indonesia on Dec. 4, 2012.
Chapter I
Denomination and Headquarters of the Council
Article 1: This Council shall be named the
World Buddhist Sangha Council(Hereinafter WBSC).
Article 2: The secretariat
of the WBSC headquarters shall be situated in any country approved
by the general conference. Liaison offices, when necessary, may
be established in any country.
Chapter II
Aims and Objectives
Article 3: The objectives of the WBSC are:
- Developing the organizations and exchanges of sanhga worldwide.
- Helping sangha carry out dhammaduta activities throughout
the world.
- Enhancing harmony and relationship among different Buddhist
traditions.
- Propagating Buddha¡¦s teaching of compassion to promote world
peace.
Chapter III
Flag and Emblem
Article 4: The official flag
of the WBSC shall be the six-colored Buddhist flag adopted by
the world Buddhist community.
Article 5: The official emblem of the WBSC
shall be the globe with Buddhist flag and dhamma chakra of
8 spokes mounted on it.
Chapter IV
Membership
Article 6:
- A Buddhist organization or monastery headed by sangha which
accepts the rules and regulations of this Constitution shall
be eligible for the Organization Membership.
- A bhikkhu or bhikkhuni who accepts the rules and regulations
of this Constitution shall be eligible for Individual Membership.
Article 7:
- Organization Membership fees:
Registration Fee US$200 (including the current annual fee)
Annual Fee US$100
- Individual Membership fees:
Registration Fee US$100 (including the current annual fee)
Annual Fee US$30
- Those which/who don't pay the annual fee for five years will
lose the membership automatically.
Article 8: Certificate of Membership will be
issued and distributed exclusively by the secretariat of Headquarters.
Chapter V
Organization
Article 9: The WBSC shall comprise of:
- A President, to be elected by the General Conference, shall
have the authority to represent the WBSC.
- Two or more Vice-Presidents, to be nominated by the President
and approved by the General Conference, shall be responsible
for the smooth function of all matters in membership countries.
- A Secretary General each for English and Chinese Sections,
to be nominated by the President and approved by the General
Conference, shall be responsible for handling affairs related
to the secretariat of the headquarters.
- One or two Assistant Secretary Generals each for English
and Chinese sections, to be nominated by the Secretary Generals
and appointed by the President, shall help the Secretary
Generals handle the secretarial work of the headquarters.
- A Treasurer General, to be nominated by the President and
approved by the General Conference, shall be responsible
for the treasury operation of the headquarters.
Article 10:
- The WBSC shall comprise of thirteen Executive Committees:
(1)Dhamma Propagation Committee
(2)Education Committee
(3)Social Welfare Committee
(4)Youth Committee
(5)Culture Committee
(6)Rituals Committee
(7)Liaison Committee
(8)Finance Committee
(9)Research and Development Committee
(10)Bhikkhuni Committee
(11)Compiling and Translation Committee
(12)Counselling Committee
(13)
Purification Committee
-
Each Committee shall have a Director who
is to be appointed by the President and to be in charge of
convening meetings and executing related work.
- Each Committee shall have several members jointly appointed
by the President and its Director.
Article 11: The WBSC may appoint its former
President or leading Maha Theras to be the Life Long Honorary
Presidents, and its former Vice-Presidents as well as the senior
and dedicated Vice-Presidents to be the Life Long Honorary Vice-Presidents
in recognition of their contributions.
Article 12: The WBSC shall
appoint senior Maha Theras from different countries as members
of the Board of Elders to give guidance and advice.
Chapter VI
Conference and Meeting
Article 13:
- The WBSC shall hold a General Conference every four to five
years and an Extraordinary General Conference, when necessary
in case of urgency, subject to the resolution of the Executive
Committee.
- Each Organization Member can dispatch two delegates, with
one additional delegate out of its every five more Individual
Members, to attend the General Conference.
Article 14: The Executive Committees shall
hold a meeting every one to two years with the President as the
convener, and the Vice Presidents from different countries and
the directors, deputy directors, and members of the Committees
as the attendance.
Article 15: The General Conference and
the Executive Committees Meeting shall invite the Honorary
President, the Honorary Vice Presidents, and the elders
to attend to give guidance.
Chapter VII
Sources of Funds
Article 16: The sources of
funds for the activities of the WBSC are:
- Membership fees
- Donations from Buddhist organizations and philanthropists
- Collections from fund-raising activities and programs during
the General Conference and Executive Committee Meeting.
Chapter VIII
Implementation and Amendment
Article 17: All the activities
of the WBSC shall accord with the rules and regulations of this
Constitution in order to achieve its aim and objectives.
Article 18: This Constitution and its
amendments shall come into effect only after the approval
of more than half attendance of a General Conference.
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