March 29th: I arrived at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre on a warm Sunday afternoon, just as people were filtering in for the event. By the time the program began, the room was already filling up—an diverse mix of old and young, Thai and international guests.
An improvised puppet show by Vasan Sitthiket was a dramatic opening. As the formal proceedings began, Hongjorn Sanengamjaroen introduced the gathering, followed by opening remarks from SNF Chairperson Surasee Kosolnawin, who set the tone for the afternoon. Gwin Pringpuangkaeo then offered opening reflections for the public lecture, before Premrudee Daoroung guided the conversation with a steady and thoughtful presence as moderator.
Next world-renowned flautist Narapat Phabanjongjit, whose playing carried across the space with a clarity that felt both intimate and expansive, drawing the audience into a shared stillness before Sulak’s speech
“I am now over 90 years old… the reason I am still here today is because I have had good friends—true friends who have supported me throughout my life.”
The central session, “Socially Engaged Arts and Literature,” brought together Madam Dara Viravong Kanlaya and Madam Douangdeuane Bounyavong, two Lao sisters and SEA Write award-winning authors. They discussed the challenges of Laotion language and translation, access to books and education and recalled a time where they helped to protect Sulak.
The Q&A session opened things up further, with questions that were both personal and political, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those attending. It reinforced the feeling that this was a living dialogue rather than a one-way presentation.
The event closed with a traditional water blessing in his honour, followed by a joint Thai-Burma music performance. People lingered afterwards, talking in small groups, reconnecting, and carrying the energy of the afternoon forward.
What stayed with me most was the diversity of the crowd. Students, activists, artists, academics, monks, and international visitors all sharing the same space. It spoke to the reach of Sulak’s work—not just within Thailand, but across the region and beyond. More importantly, it showed that the ideas he has spent a lifetime advocating for—social justice, social engagement, and a deeply reflective form of Buddhism—are still alive, still relevant, and still drawing people together.
Sulak’s Birthday speech (abridged)
“I am now over 90 years old. At this stage of life, one might feel there is no longer much hope… but the reason I am still here today is because I have had good friends—true friends who have supported me throughout my life.
The Buddha taught that for human beings, the most important external condition is kalyāṇamitta—spiritual friendship. A true friend, a genuine friend. I can say with confidence that I have had such friends, from many countries.
Recently, I was here in Thailand, and then I traveled to Laos. Friends in Laos are just like friends in Thailand—they care, they worry, they love, and they support me wholeheartedly.
So I would like to remind everyone that spiritual friendship is what truly matters. Other things are not as important. Many of the things we are able to do happen because of our friends.
Many people here have helped organise this event. Some of them I do not even know personally, yet they give their time, their effort, and their support. All of this is because of spiritual friendship.
I feel this deeply in my heart. I feel grateful to all of you—friends from Chiang Mai and from many other places who have come. Because of this, I feel deeply joyful.
At my age now, over 90 years old, I feel that I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t know how much longer I will live… but perhaps I might make it to 120.”
