Professor Padmasiri de Silva

MaMa Charitable Foundation Visiting Professor 

Padmasiri de Silva graduated from the University of Ceylon with a Honours Degree in Philosophy, and obtained the M.A. & Ph.D in Comparative Philosophy in the University of Hawaii. He was the Professor & Head of Philosophy & Psychology Department, University of Peradeniya (1980-89). Subsequently he was appointed Senior Teaching Fellow at NUS Singapore. He has also held visiting positions in the University of Pittsburgh and the ISLE program in the USA and the University of Waikato in New Zealand. He also served as the coordinator of the IRC Program on “Environment, Ethics and Education” in Singapore, organising four international conferences and was nominated for the Green Leaf Award. Based on this experience, he published “Environmental Philosophy & Ethics in Buddhism” (Macmillan, 1998). He has been active in developing the field of Buddhist Psychology over the years and is the author of the book, “An Introduction to Buddhist Psychology and Counselling” (Macmillan-Palgrave, 2014). In 2006, he was awarded the Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Counselling and practiced as a professional counsellor at the Springvale community center. His recent works include “Emotions and the Body in Buddhist Contemplative Practice and Mindfulness-Based Therapy” (Palgrave Macmillan/Springer, 2017), “Buddhist Psychology of Conflict Studies” (Palgrave Macmillan/Springer, 2018).