IRD Activities

• INEB Bi-Annual Conference (Inter-Faith Dialogue)

  INEB has been expanding its programmes to increase dialogue, understanding, and collaboration across traditional religious divides. This includes divides between institutions and sects in the Buddhist tradition and divides between religious traditions. In recent years, INEB has participated in and organised inter-faith programmes on greed and consumerism, women's leadership and gender issues, peace and human rights, and climate change and biodiversity. Every two years, INEB organises an international gathering of kalyanamitra, which means spiritual friends. In these bi-annual gatherings known as the INEB Conference, opportunities to discuss and formulate ways to address these social issues

• Interfaith Awareness Youth Camp

  The key activities of this camp include community and trust building (to create trust among the participants and to open up the heart, the mind and prepare the body for learning and to create a community of learning), metta and gratitude (to build up deep sense of loving kindness and gratitude to the earth, mankind and all beings through deep ecology exercise and to build awareness and understanding that all are part of the web of life, the concept of 'Co-Exist'), concerns (to share the concerns for the unjust society, the collapsing of ecosystem that effect all beings), positive vision for a sustainable world (to create a positive vision for a harmony and sustainable future), action plan (to find passion to take action toward positive future, creating an action plan and build up commitment), networking and group strengthening (to look why networking is important and how can we create a good network that will keep spreading inspiration), socially engaged spirit (to connect deeply with the core of spirituality, look for inner qualities that will help to accomplish the mission for social justice, peace and sustainable world), and celebration (to celebrate the hearts, minds, body that commited to bring about social justice, peace and sustainable world, and to celebrate the earth, the web of life that all are part of

• Asian Women's Interfaith Gathering

  The focus and priority of the gathering was relationship building among Asian women activists from various spiritual/religious perspectives. It was aimed to create an environment where the participants were living the integration of spirituality and social justice activism as they came together to assess our strategies at such integration more broadly. The goal was to create space that was conducive to both active engagement and strategising around the very pressing issues of injustice they are facing today (talking and thinking with heads and hearts) and also of physical, mental and emotional support and rest, recognising the urgent need for nurturing wellbeing among women leaders and activists

• Buddhist Muslim Study Tour

  Two exposure trips have been organised during the INEB conference in 2013. The first trip led to Kelantan, an area that has been ruled by an Islamic party for over 15 years, but provides an excellent example of Islamic governance and inter-faith cooperation. The second trip was to the Malaysia's administrative capital in Putrajaya to meet with representatives from the Department of National Unity and learn about their strategies and programmes

• Buddhist Muslim Collaboration Platform

  A platform is needed for the Buddhist and Muslims to collaborate and communicate towards resolving conflicts and building long term mutual understanding and respect to ensure peace and sustainability. Such a platform is also a focal point for the development of greater understanding and appreciation of each other's cultures. Therefore, a Buddhist-Muslim Collaboration Platform was initiated by INEB and JUST prior to the 2013 INEB conference. Regional Buddhist and Muslim organisations were invited to be part of it. Following the dialogue, representatives of the Buddhist community joined the Muslims at the mosque for joint prayers. The Muslims performed Solat and the Buddhists sat with them, practicing Metta meditation. This broke new ground in showing that prayers of different faiths can be held together in harmony.

Main Focus Countries of Activities

Bangkok, Thailand - Bodhgaya, India - Nagpur, India - Seoul, South Korea - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka - Guanyin, China - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Chiang Mai, Thailand - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Bangkok, Thailand - Kelantan, Malaysia - Putrajaya, Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia