International Association of Buddhist Universities

Preamble
Definitions
Objects
Membership requirements
Members
Associate and Additional Members
Loss of qualification
General Meetings
Council
Income and property
Statutes
Amendment of Statutes
Audit of accounts
Dissolution
Amendment of Constitution

Preamble

1. The
Institutions, whose names are set forth in the First Schedule below,
are united in their aspiration to promote the Buddha-Dharma. Building
on the great Buddhist heritage of higher education, they are determined
to ensure that:

• The brightest
  and best of each new generation will gain a profound understanding of
  the Buddha-Dharma and will be motivated to apply that understanding
  fully in every area of their lives and work.
• The
  quality of scholarly work in Buddhist Studies will continue to rise,
  and its importance for other areas of scholarly endeavour will become
  ever more widely understood.
• The
  international Buddhist community, Sangha and lay, will make a vital
  contribution to meeting the challenges that face human society
  world-wide.

Accordingly, they are agreed to
give concrete form to their unity by constituting the Association of
Buddhist Universities.

Definitions

2. this Constitution, unless the context otherwise requires:

Words in the singular number shall be understood
as including the equivalent words in the plural number and vice versa; words importing
the masculine gender only shall be understood as including the equivalent words
in the feminine gender; and words importing persons shall be understood as including
Corporations.

Objects

3. The object of the Association is:

• to
  support the Members and facilitate collaboration and
  cross-fertilisation between them, so that all humanity can benefit from
  the richness and variety of the multinational Buddhist tradition; and,
  to that end,
• to provide a framework within which the Members can:
• better understand each other’s policies and activities and be better understood regionally and internationally;
• collaborate in administration, teaching, research and outreach;
• recognise each other’s qualifications

Accordingly,
the Association will facilitate exchanges between Members. In order to
do so, it will develop its administrative capacity.
Specifically, the Association will:

Exchanges

1. facilitate the interchange of students and teachers between Members;
2. arrange
   conferences and congresses and otherwise facilitate communication and
   the exchange of information among the Members, and between them and
   other Universities, public bodies (including international
   organisations) and all sorts of learned institutions and societies;
3. print,
   publish and circulate journals, handbooks, circulars, leaflets and
   other publications with a view to disseminating information about and
   encouraging interest in the Buddha-Dharma, in Buddhist studies and in
   the objects, work and activities of the Association;
4. collect and distribute information from time to time on matters of interest to Members;
5. co-operate with other associations having similar objects with a view to promoting the objects of the Association;

   Administration

6. establish and maintain a central office in Bangkok to serve as a secretariat for the Association;
7. invite and collect subscriptions and donations to the funds of the Association by any lawful means;
8. undertake,
   execute and perform any trusts or conditions affecting any property of
   any description acquired by the Association and act as trustee of any
   such property held for purposes connected with the objects of the
   Association;
9. invest the moneys of the
   Association not immediately required for the purposes of the
   Association in such manner as the Council may from time to time think
   expedient;
10. do all such other things as may be thought calculated to promote the interests and well-being of Members.

Membership requirements

4. Any University is eligible for Membership of the Association which:

• has the power to award degrees either in its own right or via a higher-level institution; and
• either: has a specific mission to educate students to understand and practise the Buddha-Dharma;
  or: operates according to Buddhist values, helping individuals work to improve and transform the quality of experience;
• promotes Buddhist principles, in favour of peace within and without; and
• has a significant commitment to academic Buddhist Studies

Members

5. The Members shall be:

1. the Universities named in the First Schedule below; and
2. such
   other Universities as may from time to time be admitted to Membership
   by the Council in accordance with such regulations as may from time to
   time be made by the Council for this purpose.

Associate and Additional Members

6. Subject
to and in accordance with the provisions of the Statutes, the Council
may admit to such privileges and benefits of the Association as may be
determined by the Council, excepting always the right to vote at
general meetings of Members:

Loss of qualification

7. Any
Member, Associate Member or Additional Member, which shall cease to
have the appropriate academic status, or to be incorporated, shall
forthwith and without notice cease to be a Member, Associate Member or
Additional Member as the case may be.

General Meetings

8. There
shall be held a General Meeting of the Association once in each
calendar year (hereinafter called ‘the Annual General Meeting’) and
Special General Meetings at such times as may be necessary or
desirable, in every case in accordance with the provisions of the
Statutes.

Council

9. There
shall be a Council of the Association composed of persons elected among
the Members. The Council shall come together twice yearly to review
progress and formulate policy. Council members shall be Representatives
of Members or of Associate Members; they shall be elected at an Annual
General Meeting of the Association or at a meeting specially called for
the purpose; once elected, they shall serve as members of Council in a
personal capacity rather than on behalf of their respective
institutions.
The Council shall comprise:

• a Chairman, who shall undertake to give at least 2 days a week to this task;
• a Vice-Chairman, who shall undertake to assume the duties of the Chairman as and when this may be necessary;
• a Treasurer, who shall undertake to give up to 2 days a month to this task;
• a further six Council members.

The first Council of the Association shall comprise the persons whose names appear in the Second Schedule below.

Income and property

10.The income and property of the Association shall be applied solely towards the promotion
of the objects of the Association set forth in this Constitution.

11.Subject
to the provisions of this Constitution and of the Statutes, the Council
shall have the management and control of the Association and the
administration of all its property and income, with power to delegate
all or any of their powers to committees or sub-committees from amongst
their own number or otherwise appointed for the purpose, provided that
no resolution passed at a meeting of a committee or sub-committee shall
take effect unless a majority of the persons present at such meeting
are Council members or the resolution is confirmed by the Council.

Statutes

12. The Statutes set forth in the Third Schedule below shall be the Statutes of the
Association until the same shall be amended as provided below.

Amendment of Statutes

13. Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Council shall have full power
to propose to a General Meeting of the Association, convened by notice specifying
clearly the subject of such proposal, Statutes or amendments to Statutes relating
to the government, administration and management of the Association; and these Statutes
or amended Statutes shall come into force once approved by a resolution to that
effect passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of those present and voting
at a General Meeting of the Association.

Audit of accounts

14. True accounts shall be kept of the income and expenditure of the Association. There
shall be an audit of the accounts of the Association made every year by one or more
duly qualified Auditors to be appointed by the Association in General Meeting. The
Auditors shall make a report, a copy of which shall be circulated to Members together
with a copy of the audited accounts, not less than 21 days before the Annual General
Meeting at which they are to be approved.

Dissolution

15. If two consecutive Special General Meetings resolve to wind up the affairs of the
Association, the Council shall be empowered to do so as directed by such Special
General Meetings (or, in default of such directions, as the Council shall think
it expedient having due regard to the liabilities of the Association for the time
being). If, upon the winding-up or dissolution of the Association, there remains
after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property whatsoever,
the same shall be paid or transferred to a Buddhist educational charity.

Amendment of Constitution

16. The Council may amend or add to this Constitution by a resolution to that effect
which is:

• passed at any Council meeting by
• a majority, of not less than two-thirds of the members of the Council present and voting, which also constitutes
• an absolute majority of all members of the Council; and is
• confirmed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the Representatives of the
  Members present and voting at a Special General Meeting held not less than one month
  nor more than four months afterwards.