We would like to let you know that Professor Oliver Abeynayake, an internationally renowned scholar in Early Buddhism and Pāli, has been teaching in The Buddha-Dharma Centre of Hong Kong since September 2015.

Professor Oliver Abeynayake obtained his B.A. degree with First Class Honours from the University of Kelaniya in 1964 and his PhD from the University of Lancaster in England in 1972. Formerly, he served in the Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies at the University of Kelaniya from 1965-1990 and was the Head of the Department for two years. Professor Abeynayake joined the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka in 1990 and held the posts of Director of Research, Senior Professor of Buddhist Philosophy and the Dean of the Faculty of Buddhist Studies and retired there in 2007. He was awarded the DLitt (Hon.) by the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka in 2007. He was also awarded the Commonwealth Senior Fellowship in 1989-90 to teach and research in England, and the UNESCO Fellowship to study the Thesaurus construction in Japan in 1996. He was the Chairman of the National Library and Documentation Services Board of the Government of Sri Lanka before he joined The Buddha-Dharma Centre of Hong Kong.

Professor Abyenayake was the co-editor of 2,600 Years of Sambuddhatve – Journey of Buddhism, as well as the founding editor of The Sri Lanka Journal of Buddhist Studies. His scholarly publications include A Textual and Historical Analysis of the Khuddaka Nikaya and Fundamentals of Buddhist Polity, and he has authored many learned articles.

Professor Abeynayake teaches “Buddhist Social Dimension” as well as “Theravāda Tradition: A Historical and Doctrinal Study” at the Centre. He will be teaching new courses including “Buddhist Economics Philosophy”, “Buddhist Aesthetic Concepts: Analysis and Evaluation” and “Buddhalogical Developments: A Study Based on pre-Mahāyāna Buddhist Literature” in the academic year 2016.