Buddhist Institute Plans to Re-launch Research Forums

by Tin Sokhavuth, Khmer Times, 4 January 2016

Phnom Penh, Cambodia -- After being dormant for 10 years, the Buddhist Institute is re-launching its monthly speakers’ program to bring the latest research to the public, an official at the institute said.

Phat Chan Mony Ratha, president of the institute’s office of traditions and customs, told Khmer Times that the speakers will be selected based on the quality of research they submit on Buddhism, Khmer language, history, and many other fields of study. 

“Their research should be 10 pages maximum because they will only have two hours to speak to the audience,” she said, adding that the research will subsequently be published in Kambuja Soriya magazine. “This program should be a great opportunity for researchers to share their experiences with each other,” said Ms. Ratha.

Ms. Ratha added most of the institute’s publications and research on religion focused on Buddhism, but it is expanding to include more research on other religions, including Islam and Christianity.

Kambuja Soriya was created in 1926, and many well-known researchers have published articles on culture, tradition, and religion in the magazine, Ms. Ratha said. It stopped publishing during the Khmer Rouge reign and did not resume publication until 2014.

King Sisovat created the institute when he inaugurated the royal library, Khemra Bannalai, which later became the Preah Raj Bannalai, in 1925, according to the institute’s website. King Monivong officially established the Buddhist Institute in 1930.

Since its creation, the institute has conducted research on Cambodian literature, the Khmer language, and Buddhism.

It also publishes research and conducts educational programs. Officials did not give an exact timeframe for when the monthly presentations would begin but suggested it would be soon.