Metta Convention 2016

Venerable Mahinda

Abbot of the Aloka Meditation Centre and founder of Metta Round the World

Venerable Mahinda is the founder of the Metta Round the World project, which unites peace-loving people throughout world in the practice of unconditional loving-kindness for world peace, harmony and stability. As part of this initiative, several successful international Metta Conventions have been convened in Singapore, Sri Lanka and Australia.

Currently, Venerable Mahinda is Abbot of the Aloka Meditation Centre in Australia, and Founder and Spiritual Director of the Australian Buddhist Mission Inc. He is Religious Advisor to the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia, and also the Founder and Spiritual Director of Aloka Foundation, Malaysia.

Ven Matthieu Ricard

Buddhist Monk, Photographer, Author and Humanitarian (Via Video)

A French-born Tibetan Buddhist monk, Ven Matthieu Ricard is dubbed “The Happiest Man in the World” after his brain was imaged in intensive clinical tests at the University of Wisconsin. Formerly a scientist at the Institute Pastuer, he left science in pursuit of happiness, both at the basic human level and as a subject of inquiry.

He is the founder of the humanitarian organisation Karuna-Shechen and author of several books which include Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill and Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World, and A Plea for the Animals: The Moral, Philosophical, and Evolutionary Imperative to Treat All Beings with Compassion.

Dr Tan Ho Soon

Founding Director of Nalanda Institute

A popular Dhamma speaker in Malaysia known for his depth of knowledge in the teachings of the Buddha, Dr Tan is a Marketing and International Business graduate from University of Hertfordshire and he followed that up with a Masters from Universiti Putra Malaysia as well as a Doctorate from the University of Canterbury. He is also a graduate of the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, having studied Buddhist Doctrines, Scriptures, Sociology, History and Linguistics.

He founded the Sri Serdang Buddhist House, a hostel and training facility for Buddhist undergraduates, and also the Nalanda Buddhist Society in Seri Kembangan and currently serves as Advisor of the Society. He also heads the newly established Nalanda Institute of Malaysia as its founding Director.

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Dr Gooi Chien Hoong

Director of the University of New South Wales Psychology Clinic

Dr Gooi is a Clinical Psychologist who has a deep appreciation of Buddhist teachings. Dr Gooi was previously involved in clinical research applying mindfulness practices in the treatment of Generalised Anxiety Disorder at The University of Sydney and also served as the Buddhist Chaplain at the University of New South Wales.

He is a Trustee of the Buddhist Library and Meditation Centre, a member of the Australian Psychological Society, Australian Association of Buddhist Counsellors and Psychotherapists and a regular guest speaker at various Buddhist groups in Sydney. He is currently the Director of the University of New South Wales Psychology Clinic.

Lalith De Silva

Management Consultant

A management consultant, de Silva has been conducting Metta and Leadership Workshops in Sydney, Australia. Formerly Group CEO of Sri Lanka Telecom, de Silva specialises in helping organisations and individuals transform through metta, mindfulness, compassion and altruism.

He is also an ICT and change management expert with more than30 years of senior global management experience spanning across Australia, South Asia, and the Middle East.

Vijaya Samarawickrama

Director of Nalanda Institute

Uncle Vijaya, as he is fondly known, is a prominent figure in Buddhist circles, giving talks by the hundreds in universities, schools, and Dhamma centres each year for the last four decades. A graduate in English and Linguistics from Universiti Malaya and also a Masters degree holder in Drama and Theatre from University of Hawaii, Uncle Vijaya has had a long career in teaching and imparting knowledge in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions including the Universiti Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia, and Universiti Teknologi MARA. Although retired, his passion for teaching saw him returning to teach World Religions and Theatre in the American Degree Program of Taylor’s College.

Currently Director of Nalanda Institute, he is dedicating his time to imparting his knowledge in the Dhamma. He is also active in promoting Interfaith Understanding among Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists.

Dr Goh Pik Pin

Dr Goh Pik Pin

Centre Director for Losang Dragpa Buddhist Society

Dr. Goh Pik Pin graduated from Universiti Sains Malaysia in 1988 and obtained her Master in Ophthalmology form Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 1995. She also had fellowship in FRCS Edinburgh and M. Med (NUS) in 1994, and Master in Public Health /PHO from School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University in 2001.

She has been the Director of Clinical Research Centre, Ministry of Health, Malaysia since October 2010.

Dr. Goh is also the Centre Director for Losang Dragpa Buddhist Society and is one of the directors of Kasih Foundation that support the work of hospice. She is one of the founders of Kasih Hospice.

Chade-Meng Tan

Chairman of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute and Co-Chair of One Billion Acts of Peace

Formerly software engineer and motivator at Google, Chade-Meng was given the job title of Jolly Good Fellow after starting groundbreaking mindfulness-based emotional intelligence training course called Search Inside Yourself. He left Google in 2015 to focus on spreading his message and courses on happiness, meditation and spreading world peace.

An international bestselling author and thought leader, Chade-Meng is the Chairman of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute and Co-Chair of One Billion Acts of Peace, which has been nominated eight times for the Noble Peace Prize. He is also Adjunct Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in the National University of Singapore.

Dr Goh Pik Pin

Benny Liow

Editor of Eastern Horizon, journal of the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia

Benny Liow is the editor of Eastern Horizon, journal of the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia. He was the Editorial Consultant and contributor to the “Religions and Beliefs” volume of The Encyclopedia of Malaysia. His writings have appeared in the Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Kajian Malaysia, and in “Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World's Religious Traditions published in the US.

To date he has edited eight books on Buddhism, including the most recent One Dharma: Many Buddhist Traditions in 2013. Benny holds a B.A. (Honors) Education degree from Universiti Sains Malaysia and a M.P.A. degree from University of Malaya. He is currently employed as the Executive Director of a multi-national corporation