Speech by Mr. Robert H.N. Ho University of Toronto at Scarborough – Recognition Event

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Thank you, Professor Shun for giving me the opportunity to say a few words today. I also like to thank you for having us here in the Miller Lash House to meet your colleagues and friends.

As some of you here may know only a little about us, allow me to give you a brief introduction. Established in Hong Kong in 1935, Tung Lin Kok Yuen is a non-profit Buddhist organization founded by my late grandparents, Sir Robert Ho Tung and Lady Clara. Its original main purpose was to promote Buddhism by building a temple and to provide free education especially to the under-privileged girls in  Hong Kong and Macau via its schools. Today, we have three schools with funding subsidized by government and out organization.

To perpetuate the legacy of having Buddhism more appreciated worldwide, the Board of Tung Lin Kok Yuen as its first overseas project, funded the establishment of Tung Lin Kok Yuen, Canada Society in Vancouver in 1994 by providing a temple for worship and cultural and social programs for the local community. In 2001, we assisted in founding the University of Hong Kong’s Centre of Buddhist Studies and sponsored post-graduate and doctoral courses as well. In 2005, we supported The International Buddhist College in Khlong Ngae, Thailand in its Buddhist education and academic research programs. In addition, the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation, a separate non-profit foundation founded in Vancouver, has sponsored last year the Buddhism and Contemporary Society Program pioneered by The University of British Columbia.

Our vision would be to see Buddhism not just as a religion predominant in Asia but to be more widely known and better understood by the international community. Being personally involved in the media business for many years in my younger days and exposed to different cultures, I believe that Buddhism, like many of the other religions, has been an integral part of our global cultural development and will continue too grow in harmony with our society globally.

Our board decided to make this gift to the University of Toronto as we believe your University is located in a remarkably diverse city and your Scarborough campus houses one of the most culturally diverse student population among North American universities. Together with the presence of a sizeable and vibrant Buddhist community in the Greater Toronto Area, we have therefore concluded that your University, a distinguished institution, would be uniquely positioned to take on the responsibility of inspiring international interest in Buddhism. It will also bring awareness of Buddhism in a scholarly yet practical way.

After careful consideration of the proposal from you, our Board has decided to support the University of Toronto of its following commitments:-

To create two endowment funds for the benefits of Buddhist Studies at your University at Scarborough. One of them is to support a Visiting Professorship and Lectureship Program in Buddhist Studies and the other to support Conferences, Public Lectures Series and Scholarships in Buddhist Studies.

As I have mentioned earlier, the Board of Tung Lin Kok Yuen intends to bring closer Buddhism from its Asian root to the western world through the support of internationally renowned institutions of higher learning such as UT, HKU and UBC and others in the future. Our limited role and effort can only ignite the engine. We will need you to put it in motion to weave a strong network for nurturing Buddhist teachings and for interacting with the local and international communities.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank University of Toronto for their enthusiasm, dedication and support to our global Buddhism initiate and we are confident your University together with other partners will make this a reality.

Thank you.

Robert H.N. Ho