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The Celebration of Tipiṭaka and Royal Presentation Ceremony

Presided over by
Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakittiyabha

View from the Royal Chapel of the Emerald Buddha
The Royal Tipitaka Pavillion of King Rama I is frnked by the Golden Stupa and the Royal Patheon

                                      King of Siam Tipitaka Procession 

39 Patrons, inclunding representative members of Royal Family, wives of the Supreme Court Judges, university professors, benefactors and leaders from business community, have been specially invited to become Tipitaka Bearers, whose duty is to hand-carry the historic edition of King of Siam Tipitaka into the Royal Chapel of the Emerald Buddha.

Published in 1893, the 39-volume King of Siam Tipitaka was the world's first printed set. This historic edition is one of the most important reference editions from which the newly published 40-volume World Tipitaka in Roman script is based.

December 11, 2007, the Grand Palace, Bangkok at 16.45 hrs. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has given a royal permission to his daughter, Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha to preside over the Celebration of Tipiṭaka and Presentation Ceremony of the 40-volume World Tipiṭaka in Roman Script to President of the Supreme Court (Judge Virat Limvichai) which is to be preserved at the Supreme Court of Thailand. This speciall occaion is organised in honour of His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday. In 2007, Her Royal Highness Princess Galayani Vadhana, the Royal Matriarch of Thailand, who is the Honorary President of Tipiṭaka Presentation Worldwide, has graciously instructed a special edition to be printed and presented to the Supreme Court of Thailand on this auspicious occasion this year

In the presence of Her Royal Highness, 40 patrons of the World Tipitaka are introduced to the Princess Bajrakittiyabha, His Majesty the King's eldest grand-daughter. Each patron receives one volume of Tipitaka which is to be hand-carried into the Royal Chapel of the Emerald Buddha where it will be celebrated before it is presented to the Supreme Court of Thailand as a Royal Gift of Dhamma.

The celebration of the World Tipitaka is organised in the Grand Palace in supreme homage of Dhamma on occasion the King's 80th Birthday.

                        40 Tipitaka Patrons hand-carrying the Roman-Script World Edition into the Royal Chapel

After arrival at Sala Saha Thai Samakom Hall, Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha is presided over an official group photograph with President and Justices of the Supreme Court of Thailand. Then the Princess commences the Tipiṭaka procession. 40 Tipiṭaka Patrons join the Princess to hand-carry 40 volumes Tipiṭaka into the Royal Chapel of the Emerald Buddha. The Roman-script edition is placed on the glass table next to the Siam-script edition which was printed by King Chulalongkorn Chulachomklao of Siam over a century ago.

The Princess then lights candles and joss sticks in homage of the Triple Gems, observes five precepts and then offers robes which were given by the Royal Matriarch to ten Buddhist monks. The Proclamation of Tipiṭaka Celebration is then read. At the end of the proclamation, court official begins a candle-light circumambulation in celebration of Tipiṭaka.

After the candle-light circumambulation, the Princess reads a Royal Message for the Tipiṭaka Presentation on the occasion of the King's Birthday. The band plays the Royal Anthem in honour of the King. The Princess then hands over the Tipiṭaka Volume 1 Vinayapiṭaka (the Book of Discipline) to the President of the Supreme Court who consequently enshrines the Tipiṭaka on a special pedestal in front of the Emerald Buddha.

                           Inaugural Presentation by the Royal Matriarch of Thailand in Columbo, March 6, 2005.

The World Tipiṭaka Edition in Roman Script –the world's first complete 1957 International Council Edition– was published by Dhmma Society in Thailand in 2005. The inaugural 40-volume set was presented as a Royal Gift of Dhamma to the President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka during a historic 24-hour pilgrimage to Colombo by Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana.

The Pāḷi Tipiṭaka is the Holy Teaching of the Buddha. The printing and propagating of the sacred text for prosperity is thus considered an act of utmost meritorious importance. In 2007, Princess Galyani Vadhana initiated the Presentation of Tipiṭaka as a merit-making on the occasion of the King's 80th Birthday. The Pāḷi Tipiṭaka was presented this year as a Royal Gift of Dhamma, for the first time to the Supreme Court, the highest representative judiciary institution in the country, which according to the Constitution, exercises the judicial power for the welfare of the nation on behalf of the Buddhist Sovereign Monarch of Thailand.

                  Presentation to the World Court at the Peace Palace, the Hague,  Kingdom of Netherlands, 2007

Earlier this year, in honour of the King, Princess Galyani Vadhana graciously presented a special 40-volume set of the World Tipiṭaka and its 40-volume Tipiṭaka Studies Reference to the International Court of Justice, the Hague, Kingdom of Netherlands. The Royal Gift of Tipiṭaka was handed over to the President of the World Court by the President of the Supreme Court of Thailand at the Peace Palace in Netherlands on November 12, 2007.

For more information : www.worldtipitaka.org / www.dhammsociety.org