March 25 - 27,2000
TALBA
His magnificent accomplishments openlyserve as a model for others; his many honors stir the world
THE GOVERNMENT of the State of Californiaand the government of the City of San Francisco each declared March 8th asMaster Wan Ko Yee Day. On March 13th the government of the City of San Franciscoagain expressed its highest respects for Master Wan Ko Yee's special accomplishmentsby conferring upon him more honors.
These newest honors were conferred basedupon the Master's position as the foremost Buddhist Master in the entire worldand his tremendous achievements in the areas of art, ethics, scholarship andscience.
In 1994 the Master was awarded the title of"Distinguished International Master” by the World Poets and Culture Congress,an organization composed of members from forty-eight different countries andregions. This title is conferred upon only one
person in the world and is on the samelevel of honor as a head of state. The Distinguished International MasterCertificate was signed by Juan Antonio Samaranch, the then President of theInternational Olympic Committee. The formal resolution conferring upon theMaster such title was announced in Hungary on September 15,1994 and formalwritten notification was sent to the State Council of the People's Republic ofChina and other government organs.
The central government of China built amuseum in honor of the Master in the Master's hometown. In the entire historyof China, this was the first museum ever built in the government of China in honorof someone who is still alive. The Master Wan Ko Yee Museum is a huge structuresimilar to an imperial palace and is divided into seven different sections.
The Master is extraordinarily accomplishedin Chinese painting and calligraphy and has laid the groundwork for bringingChinese paintings to the international forum. He has won the highest respect ofthe Chinese and American people for having raised the level of culture andmorality in the world, for his efforts in philosophy, for his contributions inadvancing the cultural exchange between China and the United States, and forbeing a model of ethical conduct.
Thus, after the head of the City Council ofSan Francisco and ten City Council members held a meeting, they decided tojointly sign and confer upon Master Wan
Ko Yee a certificate of honor for hisspecial accomplishments. The city government of San Francisco also declared theMaster an honorary citizen of San Francisco in
order to express their great admiration forhim.
What is most unusual is that Master Wan KoYee is not in the United States to accept these distinctive honors.Nevertheless, his great learning, high ethics and magnificent accomplishmentscannot be covered up. He has been repeatedly honored by various organizationsthroughout the United States such as the world Buddhism Association, theTibetan Buddhism Association of America, the World Buddhism Jenn Fa
Association Assembly, and the AmericanLeague of Colleges and Universities which is composed of more than eightycolleges and universities.
All of this shows that Master Wan Ko Yee isa man of tremendous virtue, the likes of whom are rarely seen in the history ofmankind. People all over the world admire and emulate him.
MASTER WAN KO YEE