TICD was founded in 1980. Its primary mission is to involve Buddhist monks and nuns in issues of ethics, community development, public well-being, environmental conservation, and other relevant socio-economic and political issues. It has brought about the establishment of various networks of progressive monks and nuns, collectively known as Sekhiyadhamma (Dharma for self-cultivation).
TICD attempts to instil basic Buddhist principles into the concepts of community building and social change. TICD also promotes inter-religious dialogue among Buddhists, Muslims and Christians on different key issues such as peace and non-violence, environment reservation, gender, social justice, consumerism, endogenous people, and grassroots community development. In times of tension between religious communities, TICD as a major Buddhist organisation has spoken out for Christians and Muslim friends. We have initiated a number of Buddhist- Muslim Dialogues, the first of its kind both within Siam, between Siam, Malaysia and Indonesia.