Address at the World Tipiṭaka Presentation
in Memory of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana

By H.E. Mr. Kyoji Komachi
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan
to the Kingdom of Thailand

13 November, 2008

H.E. Mr. Chalermpon Ake-uru, Judge of the Constitutional Court,
My fellow ambassadors;
Mr. Junichi Konishi, President of the Japan Theravāda Bhuddhist Association & the World Tipiṭaka Council; and Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Pāḷi Tipiṭaka is the authoritative spiritual words of the Buddha collected by 500 Buddha followers in the 1st Buddhist Year on the Indian continent, where Buddhism originated.

King Chulalongkorn Chulachomklao of Siam or King Rama the 5th produced the world’s first printed Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Thai script in 1893 and donated copies to 260 institutes in 30 countries including the National Diet Library of Japan.

More than one century after this, in September 2008, Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhon Mahidol graciously presided over the commemorative lecture on the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka in Tokyo University and the presentation ceremony of the Royal Gift of the World Tipiṭaka in the Roman script at the Nittaiji temple in Nagoya as well as the Shiten-noji temple in Osaka, which was a great joy for all the Japanese people, especially for those who concerned with Buddhism and Theravāda Buddhism in Japan.

Moreover, the Royal Gift of the World Tipiṭaka in the Roman script is to be presented to 10 leading institutes from 10 countries including the world Tipiṭaka Council of Japan, on the recommendation of the World Tipiṭaka Council of Sri Lanka. Mr. Jun-ichi Konishi is present today as a representative from the World Tipiṭaka Council of Japan.

As Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Thailand, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Dhamma Society Fund. And also, I would like to share our joy with the people concerned from other countries.

I have been informed that the presentation project of the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka to countries abroad was suggested by Her Royal Highness the late Princess Galyani Vadhana. The Dhamma Society has been working on the project very hard until today. I firmly believe that the precious and warm-heartened spirit of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, which we still feel very blessed with, will last forever in our souls.

Finally, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Major Suradhaj Bunnag, Chancellor of the Dhamma Society Fund, his staff and all the people concerned, who made special efforts in realizing this project.

I would like to conclude my speech by hoping that the wisdom contained in the Tipiṭaka will be preserved for humanity forever through this publication and presentation of the World Tipiṭaka in the Roman script.

Thank you very much.