Welcome Remarks by Dasho Karma Ura, President of Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies

Third International Conference on Vajrayāna Buddhism, 19-20 April 2019
The Third International Conference on Vajrayāna Buddhism was held from 19 to 20 April 2019, at Zhichenkhar, Thimphu, Bhutan.
The conference was organised by The Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies and the Central Monastic Body.
Vajrayāna Buddhism is often referred to as the “Path of Skillful Methods” in reference to its diversity of means for realising enlightenment in a single lifetime. The theme for the Third Vajrayāna Conference was thus “Techniques in Vajrayāna Buddhism”.
The conference sought to identify the characteristics of Vajrayāna Buddhism that distinguish it from other modes of Buddhist practice. The conference explored the diverse ways in which the techniques of Vajrayāna Buddhism could be adapted and made relevant to a modern, transcultural, scientifically driven, and environmentally challenged world.
Day One - April 19, 2019
Opening Ceremony
Panel I: The Path of Skillful Means
Panel II: Philosophical Basis of Vajrayāna Buddhism
Panel III: Mind-Body Practices in Vajrayāna
Day Two
Panel IV: Vajrayāna and Modern Science
Panel V: Great Historical Figures in Vajrayāna Buddhism
Panel VI: Historical and Contemporary Practices of Vajrayāna
Panel VII: Vajrayāna Buddhism in the Modern World
Concluding Session