In his welcome remarks, Venerable Napan reflected on the history of Wat Saket as a place of new beginnings, highlighting how memory, patience, and wisdom can guide PaRD as it enters its next chapter.
Dear friends and colleagues,
A very warm welcome to Wat Saket, to Bangkok, and to Thailand.
On behalf of the Most Venerable Somdet Phra Vajirasitthachan, Abbot of Wat Saket and Member of the Supreme Sangha Council of Thailand, I am delighted to welcome you to our temple.
On behalf of the Institute of Buddhist Management for Happiness and Peace Foundation, it is also a joy and an honour to welcome the PaRD family.
For me, this gathering brings together three stories: the story of this temple, my own journey, and the next chapter of PaRD.
Wat Saket holds a special place in the history of new beginnings.
Before becoming King Rama I, the first monarch of the Chakri dynasty, and establishing Bangkok as the new capital in 1782, he stopped here for a ceremonial bathing and washing of his hair. The name “Wat Saket” recalls that moment.
This was a place of preparation before a new chapter in the life of a nation.
The Golden Mount offers another story of renewal.
Its construction began under King Rama III, inspired by the Golden Mount of Ayutthaya, our former capital. It was completed under King Rama V.
For me, this connection with Ayutthaya carries a deeply human meaning. It reminds us how the beauty and greatness of our past can help restore our spirits and give us confidence to build again.
We carry cherished memories forward, allowing them to inspire something new.
At the summit are sacred relics of the Buddha, brought from India. For Buddhists, they are a living reminder of the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion—and an invitation to bring those qualities into the way we live and serve others.
And some of you may already recognise this Golden Mount. It appears in PaRD’s film, “Why Religion Matters!”, linked in the Secretariat’s emails.
So, after seeing it on your screens, today you are here in person. It is a special joy to welcome you into the living community behind that familiar image—a place where faith, learning, and service come together.
This temple is also where my own journey began.
I entered monastic life here at the age of eleven, almost forty years ago. This has been my home, my place of learning, and the foundation of my commitment to serving society.
Many years later, that commitment took shape through our work on “Buddhism for SDGs”.
We wanted to explore how Buddhist wisdom could help people respond to the challenges of our time: how compassion could become practical action, and how temples and religious communities could contribute to peace, human dignity, and sustainable development.
When I discovered PaRD, I felt an immediate connection.
Here was a partnership bringing religion and sustainable development into the same conversation, and creating opportunities for people from different traditions and institutions to learn and work together.
I wanted to be part of that journey.
In 2022, through an invitation from KAICIID, I had the opportunity to attend PaRD’s gathering in Bali on faith and partnerships in addressing the climate crisis. It was my first international journey after the COVID pandemic.
I remember being impressed by the care with which PaRD organised the gathering and guided the conversations. There was room to listen, exchange ideas, and discover possibilities for collaboration.
That was also where I first met Khushwant.
Khushwant, thank you—and thank you to the Secretariat and all our colleagues—for the encouragement, the inspiration, and the doors you have opened.
Through PaRD, I have found more opportunities to learn and contribute: on freedom of religion or belief, including questions raised by artificial intelligence; on climate, water, and the environment; and on food security and the wellbeing of communities.
These exchanges have helped broaden my understanding and strengthen the work we seek to do in Thailand.
And today, that journey has brought the PaRD family here—to the temple where I began my own life of learning and service.
To help host what I believe is one of the most consequential General Assemblies in PaRD’s history, in this very place, is deeply meaningful to me.
As we consider PaRD’s transformation, perhaps the stories of Wat Saket can offer us encouragement.
The ceremonial bathing reminds us to pause, clarify our purpose, and prepare for the responsibilities ahead.
The Golden Mount reminds us that renewal can draw strength from memory, and that building something lasting takes patience and the efforts of many people.
And the Buddha’s relics remind us to keep wisdom and compassion at the heart of our work.
Our task now is to carry forward the trust, relationships, and learning that PaRD has nurtured, while shaping a future that responds to the needs of our world.
May we listen with openness, speak with honesty, and give every member a meaningful place in that future.
May this gathering renew our confidence in one another and deepen our commitment to the communities we serve.
From the place where my own journey began, I warmly welcome you as we begin this next chapter together.
Thank you, and welcome to Wat Saket.
About Venerable Napan
Venerable Napan entered monastic life at Wat Saket at the age of eleven. He represents the Institute of Buddhist Management for Happiness and Peace (IBHAP) Foundation, a member of PaRD, and is involved in the “Buddhism for SDGs” work. He has taken part in PaRD gatherings since 2022 and is the host of the General Assembly of Members at Wat Saket.
