Although the earliest evidence of Buddhist influence in Australia is shrouded in mystery, Paul Croucher (1) suggests that the most likely arrival of the first Buddhists in this continent may have been with the armada of Cheng Ho in the 15th century. The Ming dynasty emporers took a keen interest in exploration and several of their ships are known to have been in the vicinity of Arnhem land around the early 1400's. In 1879, a statuette of a soapstone image was unearthed one metre under a Banyan tree near Darwin. Professor Geoffrey Blainey claims, however, that soapstone would not have survived 400 years and so the statue must be of more recent origin. If this were true, why was it buried so deeply? In the 1800's, especially during the gold rush time, many Chinese people arrived in Australia. Whether any of them were practising Buddhists or perhaps more motivated by greed is unknown. Certainly, the 1800's saw the first establishment of, so called, "Joss Houses" on Australian soil.Two such joss houses are still in operation in Sydney - one at Glebe and the other at Alexandria. Klaas de Jong revealed in his booklet, "A Short Account of the Spread of Southern Buddhism in Australia and Queensland in Particular" (2), that a group of Sri Lankans arrived in Mackay, Queensland, on board the the ship, "Devonshire", on November 16th, 1882. There is evidence that many of these early migrants were Buddhists, but as de Jong noted:

'Pressure from the Christian establishmentof the day must have been strong. Withintwenty years after their arrival, most ifnot all those that were still alive had been converted. If some older folk remained Buddhists at heart, their children apparently did not.'

At least one family did not succombe to such pressures - that of the Mendis family, who are currently one of Brisbanes leading jewellers and have incorporated the distribution of Buddhist literature as part of their business. The Mendis family established the Brisbane Buddhist Vihara and currently supported its resident monk, the Venerable Shanti Bhadra.

Six years prior to the arrival of the Sri Lankans in Mackay, there was a Buddhist temple on Thursday Island, the northernmost tip of Australia. Klaas de Jong reports that some five hundred Sri Lankans were involved. They were engaged in the pearl trade and they erected a small temple and planted a Bodhi tree. Although remnants of this temple are reputed to have been incorporated into the present post office, the Bodhi tree, apparently, is still thriving. In the book, "Path to Righteousness" (3), a collection of a series of articles by Anagarika Dhammapala, originally published in the Maha-Bodhi Journal' between 1892 and 1900, it is reported that a Dr.Worthington formed a group called "Students of Truth" which regarded themselves as 'Christian Buddhists'. This group, apparently, had branches on mainland Australia as well as Tasmania and even extending to New Zealand. At that time, there was much hostility from the Christian churches to any favorable mention of Buddhism, let alone its practise. In 1897, a Victorian newspaper, 'The Healsville Guardian' published an article in defence of Buddhism, which resulted in a threatened boycott of the paper by several Christian ministers. Also in the 1880's, a South Australian newspaper published a long and, reportedly, interesting article on Buddhism which was later reprinted in the New South Wales rural newspaper, 'The Albury Banner'. This article invited the wrath of a Wesleyan minister and much published debate ensued. Anagarika Dhammapala further relates an insulting, unfair and distorted article appearing in a fortnightly Baptist periodical which, he claims, was "full of gross misrepresentations, evidently written out of vindictive malice." A politely worded reply to the editor, pointing out the errors in the article was, not surprisingly, never published. The earliest documented visits to Australia of members of the Sangha has recently been unearthed by Paul Croucher. He reports that Venerable U Sasana Dhaja, an English monk, ordained in Burma, toured Australia in 1910. It was not the first time that I had encountered his name. A few years ago, whilst on a visit to the home of the Founding President of the Buddhist Society of New South Wales, Leo Berkeley, I was shown a Buddha image which was reputedly more than four hundred years old. Mr.Berkeley said that a lady, not a member of the Buddhist Society, had asked him to accept it from her, as she claimed that, whilst it was in her possession, it had brought her bad luck. Had she been familiar with the teachings of the Buddha, perhaps she may have realised that the 'bad luck' was more likely due to her Karma vipaka than to any inherent properties of the image itself. However, accompanying the image was a yellowed document which stated that the image was brought to Australia by 'Venerable U Sasana Dhaja, monk of the order of the yellow robe from Le-Gyun-Man-Lung Monastery Pagoda, Thantabar, Sagaing Hills, Upper Burma.' Apparently, this Venerable U Sasana Dhaja was somewhat of a shady character. He was one of the first Englishmen to take the robe, but, apparently, was still a Christian at heart. Paul quotes some of his utterances which were reported in the newspapers of that time as: "Buddhism is a system of mental development just as a gymnasium is a system of physical development" consequently "a man can be a Christian and yet live the life of a Buddhist monk as naturally as a man can be a student and a gymnast simultaneously." On another occasion he stated that although the Buddha was the Light of Asia, Christ was still the Light of the World. He supported himself during his tour by selling, apparently, an unlimited number of supposedly 700 year old alabaster Buddha images. It is one of these images which is currently in the possession of Leo Berkeley. Despite its doubtful authenticity, it is, indeed, a very beautiful image.

In 1915, five Buddhist monks of German origin arrived in Sydney. They were part of a consignment of foreign internees sent from Sri Lanka for imprisonment in Australia. As most readers would know, England and its colonies were at war with Germany at that time. One of these monks was a former world famous violinist, Anton Gueth, who as Venerable Nyanatiloka, was one of the greatest pioneers of western Buddhism. His student, another German monk, Nyanaponika, together with his master, Nyanatiloka, have passed on to us, a wealth of learned books on the Dharma.

It was during the 1940's in Sydney, whilst studying books on non-Christian religions, that Marie Byles became intensely interested in Buddhism, and no account of its development would be complete if her contribution were ignored. Marie Beuzeville Byles was born in 1900 into a Christian family in England. At the age of eleven years, she migrated with her family to Australia. She was one of the first women to graduate as a solicitor from the University of Sydney and, certainly the first to set up practice after graduation. The 'Sydney Morning Herald', of November 24th, 1979, in her obituary observed that:

'She became a legendary figure, winning achievement as mountaineer, explorer and author.' She wrote at least six books, four of which were on Buddhist topics. 'World Buddhism', vol.5, No.1, 1956, a publication of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, reports:

'Miss Marie Byles, who spent a short holiday and study tour in Ceylon after a trip to the Himalayas for meditation purposes, is now writing a book on "The Human Aspect of the Buddha's Life" for publication shortly.'

She spent the year 1954 in North India researching this book which was eventually published under the title of "Footprints of Gautama the Buddha". Marie gave many talks to the Theosophical Society in Sydney, as well as broadcasting on their regular Sunday night programme on Radio Station, 2GB. She also preached Dhamma at the Unitarian Church in Sydney. Marie disliked participation in organised groups, preferring to study and meditate in a hut in the garden of her Cheltenham (a Sydney suburb) home. She was a pacifist, naming her home 'Ahimsa' and the meditation hut, 'The Hut of Happy Omen'. Since her death, the home and garden have been given to the people of Sydney as a quiet retreat. It is currently administered by the National Trust.

Leo Berkeley, a Dutchman by birth, who had spent the war years in England, later migrated, with his family, to Australia. Early in 1952, whilst on a ship returning to England for a visit, he met Sir Lalita Rajapakse, the then Sri Lankan Minister of Justice. Sir Lalita was returning to Colombo after attending a Commonwealth Conference in New Zealand. The two became acquainted and, as Sir Lalita was a very devout Buddhist, it seemed inevitable that their daily conversation would turn to Buddhism. Sir Lalita recited to Leo the Dhammapada verse:

"By ourselves is evil done; by ourselves we pain endure.     By ourselves we cease from ill; by ourselves become we pure.     No one can save us but ourselves, no one can and no one may.     We ourselves must walk the Path, Buddhas only point the way."

Which caused Leo Berkeley to observe:

I was very much impressed by this wisdom because I always had believed that we ourselves create our life and our destiny. I said: "Sir, please tell me a little more about the Teaching of the Buddha".His answer was: "My good friend, I'd like you to meet a learned monk. Come and see me tomorrow when we arrive in Colombo". The learned monk turned out to be the late Venerable Narada Maha Thera from the Vajirarama Vihara in Colombo. Venerable Narada instructed Leo Berkeley in the Dhamma. Fortunate, indeed, was he to have such a fine teacher. Narada was a prolific author of Buddhist books and pamphlets and had been a constant visitor to both South-East Asian and western countries, preaching the Dhamma until well beyond the age when most people would consider such pursuits too strenuous. Venerable Narada suggested to Leo Berkeley that, on his return to Australia, he should establish a Buddhist society. Leo Berkeley, after making some enquiries, was put in touch with Marie Byles. He told her of his intention to form a Buddhist Association. "Oh, Mr.Berkeley", she said, "the Australians are not yet ready for the teaching of the Buddha." Leo Berkeley replied:"Miss Byles, if you are ready and I am ready, we can start together an association." Hence the embryo Buddhist Society was born. Additional members were recruited following an advertisement placed in the "Sydney Morning Herald". It was not a formally constituted society, but a loosely formed group of people gathering together to study the Dhamma.

Soon after this group was formed, a seventy year old, American born, Buddhist nun, Dhammadinna, arrived in Sydney. She had been living in Sri Lanka for nearly thirty years. Her supporter in Sri Lanka was Lady de Silva, who had built the 'Forest Hermitage' for her. This same 'Forest Hermitage' was later to become the dwelling of a famous German monk and prolific author, mentioned earlier, Venerable Nyanaponika. Sister Dhammadinna arrived in Australia in 1952, with little money and only one address of a person to contact. She arrived at the home of her contact, Marie Byles, requesting shelter. Marie, who was somewhat of a literalist when interpreting the Vinaya, offered Sister 'The Hut of Happy Omen', which was an unlined wooden structure, open to the elements. She gave Sister a couple of blankets and informed her that she could sleep on the floor. Apart from her advanced age, Sister was partially crippled due to a previous fall which necessitated her wearing a back brace. She suffered much pain. Although the 'Omen' may have been happy, Sister Dhammadinna was less than happy with her accomodation. Despite this, Eric Penrose, who was one of Sister's most devoted students and supporters observed: The one who was really marvelous to her when she arrived was the lady solicitor, Marie Byles. She must have great credit in giving Sister Dhammadinna a place to live.

It was Leo Berkeley, however, who came to her rescue and installed her in an apartment at Bellevue Hill (a Sydney eastern suburb), for which he met all expenses. Sister Dhammadinna was well able to look after herself in her new residence. She was strictly vegetarian and insisted that her students followed suit. The kitchen was shared by other tenants, who, incidentally were all female. She attempted to dissuade her fellow tenants from their carnivorous habits by remarking, as she passed the kitchen, whilst they were preparing the Sunday roast lamb, "Do I smell a corpse incinerating in here?". On Sunday evenings, she conducted Dhamma talks and meditation in the home of Mr. and Mrs.Leo Berkeley. Usually fifteen to twenty people attended these lectures. She did not accept all of those who attended these meetings for personal instruction. She chose eight persons whom she considered were 'ready for the Dhamma'. She refered to them as "my Buddhists". The author was fortunate in being one of those eight. She administered the Three Refuges and eight precepts to this group on the Holy Day of Vesak, 29th of May, 1953. Sister Dhammadinna's visa expired during 1953. Eric Penrose pleaded, on behalf of her students, that the then Minister for Immigration in the Menzies Government, Sir Howard Beale, grant her an extension. Eric observed: He was not overflowing in his desire to do something.

But, eventually, an extension was forthcoming. However, Sister left later that year for a short visit to the United States and thence to Hawaii where she was to spend the following five years.

It was in May, 1953, that the Buddhist Society of New South Wales was formally constituted as a society. Prior to that time, as I have already observed, the group meeting at the Berkeley's home had no particular name or structure. A committee was formed and Leo Berkeley was unanimously elected as President. The Vice-President was Norman Weekes, Graeme Lyall was Secretary and Don Ashfordye was Assistant Secretary. I am uncertain who the Treasurer was, but it was either Geoff Martin or Colin Jones. Leo Berkeley had two two frock retailing businesses at the time. The top floor of his shop in Oxford Street, Sydney, became the first office of the Buddhist Society of N.S.W.. Don Ashfordye and I would attend the office every Saturday morning, answering correspondence and assisting Leo Berkeley with the layout of the Society's publication, "The Buddhist News", of which he was the editor. It was offset printed on glossy paper and it included photographs as well as Dhamma articles and news. The entire cost of its production was borne by Leo Berkeley.The Society quickly grew too large to be accomodated any longer at the Berkeley's home, so the Centre Club in George Street, Sydney became the regular venue for Sister Dhammadinna's talks. It was during meetings at this venue that Natasha Jackson, who was later to play a significant role in the newly formed Buddhist Society, first made an appearance.

The following year heralded the arrival of a saintly meditation master from Burma, Venerable Sayadaw U Thittila. The Society was, indeed, most fortunate to welcome as its first visiting Bhikkhu such a gentle man, well versed in the Dhamma and who enjoyed an international reputation. Venerable U Thittila gave several public lectures which were the first step in dispelling the many misconceptions, concerning the Buddha's teaching, plagueing Australian Society.

On Tuesday, February the 1st, 1955, to a fanfare of newspaper publicity, arrived the legendary Venerable Narada Maha Thera. The 'Sydney Sun', next evening, featured a photograph of Venerable Narada, with his umbrella raised, under the caption "Cool Customer". That the Sydney press was unused to the appearance of Buddhist monks in that city is evident from the accompanying article which commenced:

Bald, bespectacled and smiling and wearing a heavy orange robe, Narada Maha Thera said "I am here to explain Buddha's teachings to those interested." The priest is in Sydney at the invitation of the Buddhist Society of N.S.W. which plans to build a temple.

On the morning of his arrival, Leo Berkeley was quoted in the 'Sydney Morning Herald' as saying:

The Society, which consists mainly of Australian nationals, is growing rapidly, and we are anxious to have a temple.; Bhikkhu Narada has told us he has been promised funds from wealthy tea merchants in Ceylon which; might be used to establish one, and he will put certain propositions before us.. The merchants feel they want to put back into Australia what they have taken out of it

It seemed to me that it was somewhat ironical to suggest that these Sri Lankan tea merchants felt guilty at their 'exploitation' of the poor, thirsty, Australian tea drinker and, by this gesture, were hoping to make amends. However, Venerable Narada was, indeed, accompanied by a wealthy Sri Lankan tea merchant in the person of Tilak Ratnayake. Tilak had come to Australia to investigate the possibility of commencing tea production in Queensland. As a devout Buddhist and old boy of Mahinda College, which was established by the Buddhist Theosophical Society of Galle, in Sri Lanka, he paid the fare of Venerable Narada so that the more valuable seeds of the Dhamma could be planted on Australian soil. His headmaster at Mahinda College was Frank Lee Woodward, who although born in England, retired in 1919 to an apple orchard in Tasmania. Woodward was a Pali scholar and translator, his most famous book being "Some Sayings of the Buddha". Tilak brought, with him, a large chest of tea from his plantation and each visitor to Venerable Narada received a gift of pure Ceylon tea. Venerable Narada also brought saplings from the sacred Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka, which had arrived there with Sister Sanghamitta, daughter of Dharmasoka, around 300 B.C.. The 'Daily Telegraph' of February 2nd, 1955, reported:

BUDDHA'S TREE IN TROUBLE.

Narada Maha Thera struck quarantine trouble when he arrived in Sydney yesterday. He had with him three seedlings from a tree unde which, he said, Buddha sat more than 2,000 years ago. They were thriving in cigarette tins. Narada had tended and watered them each day on the voyage from Ceylon. When he came ashore from the liner 'Australia', quarantine officials took them from him.

They were kept in quarantine for over a year and one was eventually planted in the garden of the Berkeley home. Venerable Narada's lectures were well publicised in the press and thus attracted large and curious audiences. Even the printed media found these lectures newsworthy, for the 'Daily Telegraph' of the 14th of February featured an article headed "Monk's Hints on Meditation". Here are a few extracts:

A Buddhist monk last night gave an audience of 500 people hints on meditation. The monk is Bhikkhu Narada Maha Thera. --- The Bhikkhu opened and closed his lecture with a short sing-song recitation. He said he had called his lecture "Mental Culture", although it was about meditation. Some people confused meditation with levitation or visions. The mind could be purified and controlled by meditation.

Venerable Narada also visited Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania, where he established Buddhist Societies. The founding president of the Buddhist Society of Tasmania was Ken Wriedt who was later to become a Senator and is currently leader of the Labor Party in Tasmania. He is still practising Buddhism, starting each day with a period of meditation.

According to Klaas de Jong, Brisbane had a similar enthusiastic, if sensational, press coverage to Narada's visit as Sydney. Some of Brisbane's newspaper headlines were: "Monk Tells of Buddha", "Buddhist Monk Kept Distance" (from a female reporter) and "Monk Sees Likely Buddhas".

Venerable Narada was a kindly monk who was well versed in the Dhamma. He was an eloquent exponent of the Buddha's message and had captivated audiences everywhere he went. He passed away, after a long period of illness, on October the 2nd, 1983, aged 86 years. I received a letter from him, written from Saigon, Vietnam on the 30th of October, 1970, which says:

I left Ceylon on April 30th on a missionary tour in Indonesia. On 15th June I arrived in Vietnam and unexpectedly fell ill. On July 1st I was hospitalised, suffering from a serious illness. My situation was so gravethat even cremation arrangements had alsobeen made. My recovery, they say, is a miracle. I am really grateful to the Vietnamese Buddhists for saving my life.

Fortunately, he was able to serve the Buddhist world for another 13 years. He is sadly missed, not only by those who knew, loved and respected him in Australia, but his loss is felt throughout the Buddhist world, both East and West. May he soon attain the bliss of Nirvana.

In 1955, the name of the Buddhist Society of N.S.W.'s journal was changed to "Metta". Towards the end of 1955, the Society's dream of land for a Vihara was realised. Together with substantial monetary donations from Leo Berkeley and Eric Penrose, as well as financial offerings from donors in the South East Asian Buddhist countries, four and a half acres of land was purchased at West Pennant Hills, an outlying suburb of Sydney. Marie Byles discovered this parcel of land in natural bushland at the reasonable price of a few hundred pounds and she urged the Society to secure it. Marie handled all of the legal aspects of its acquisition, at no cost to the Society and a group of trustees was appointed. It was not until 1956 that the land was dedicated, by two visiting monks from Thailand, as the site for the first Buddhist Vihara and Meditation Centre in Australia.

In October, 1955, the Buddhist Society of N.S.W. promoted an Indian dance drama to raise funds for the United Nation's Appeal for Children. It was an ambitious presentation which ran for three performances in the hall of the N.S.W. State Conservatorium of Music.

It was in February 1956, Buddha Jayanti Year, that two monks arrived from Thailand. One was an abbot of a monastery in Thailand, Phra Dhammadiraja Muni, who spoke little English and his companion was an American, Phra Sumangalo. Phra Sumangalo, who was on his first visit to Australia, was no stranger to us, however. He was the author of many articles and his activities were regularly reported in the Buddhist magazines at that time. He was not known as Phra Sumangalo, however, but as Reverend Robert Stuart Clifton, Superior General of the Western Buddhist Order (Soto Zen). This organisation was in no way connected with the current organisation of the same name founded by the English monk, Maha Sthavira Sangharakshita. Phra Sumangalo was a charismatic figure and it was during his visit, at my suggestion, that the Young Buddhist Association was formed. It was under the umbrella of the Buddhist Society of N.S.W. and its aim was to engender an interest in the Dhamma amongst the younger members of the Society. It was short-lived, however. Unfortunately, during the visit of these two monks, a crisis occurred. Unknown to Abbot Dhammadiraja Muni, Phra Sumangalo, in his role of Rev.Robert Stuart Clifton, Superior General of the Western Buddhist Order, was privately ordaining his followers, both male and female, as priests in his 'Order'. Two members of the Buddhist Society of N.S.W.,Gordon and Joy Lishman, who had been his followers for many years, were both ordained during this visit. He performed similar ordination ceremonies in Melbourne and Canberra. These extra-Theravadin activities were soon to come to the notice of his Abbot and so his tour of Australia came to an abrupt termination. He and the Abbot returned hurriedly to Thailand where, no doubt, Rev.Robert Stuart Clifton, alias Phra Sumangalo, faced the music. Several years later, he visited Malaysia where he founded the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia. He passed away in 1962.

May of 1956 saw the welcome return of Venerable Sayadaw U Thittila. The highlight of this visit was his conducting of a three week meditation retreat at the home of the Berkeleys, who were then living in the Sydney suburb of Belrose. Thirty five people participated in this retreat. The Sayadaw also inspected the newly acquired Vihara and Meditation Centre site which had, earlier in the year, been dedicated by the two monks from Thailand. He was full of enthusiasm for it. 'World Buddhism', for August 1956, reported him as commenting:

When the Centre is established, we hope to have a permanent Bhikkhu in the Vihara. He will come:from one of the Buddhist countries and he may even be an Australian. --- Appointment of a permanent Bhikkhu will provide Australia with a worthy Buddhist centre and further help the growth of Buddhist teaching.

Sadly, this was the last visit of a Bhikkhu, for teaching purposes, for some years. At that time, although there were many learned monks in the Buddhist countries, very few spoke English. Those few that did, such as Venerable Narada and Sayadaw U Thittila, were in great demand in the awakening western countries and were forced to limit their occasional visits to a few weeks duration. This lack of the stabilising influence of the Sangha resulted in squabbles and disagreements within the Buddhist Societies in Australia. The Buddhist Society of N.S.W. split in 1956. Leo Berkeley's pioneering leadership was replaced by that of Charles Knight and Natasha Jackson. There were now two groups functioning in Sydney - the Buddhist Society of N.S.W. under its new leadership and what was loosely called 'the Buddhist Group', consisting mainly of the pioneers who had studied under Sister Dhammadinna. Hearing of the schism, Venerable Narada returned to Australia to plead with the two groups to sort out their differences and to re-unite. A meeting of both groups was called by him at the home of the Berkeleys. He warned that, as Buddhism was relatively new to Australia and had, as yet, few adherents, we could not afford the luxury of schisms. His pleas, however, fell on deaf ears - neither group would give way.

Late in 1957, whilst on a visit to Hawaii, Eric and Lynne Penrose invited Sister Dhammadinna to return to Australia. She accepted and returned in 1958, to be housed in a lodge, which the Penroses had constructed for her as an annexe to their Bilgola home. She stayed for almost a year before returning to Hawaii, where she passed away in 1967. Eric Penrose, in a tribute to her, said:

Thank heavens we had the experience of Sister Dhammadinna. The studies and the absolute simplicity of it and the strength of what Sister Dhammadinna had to say was so powerful. To me, it was just so absolute that I could never find argument with it. I hope she made it. That would be my greatest hope1 because what she gave was limitless. In 1959, the Buddhist Society of N.S.W. combined with the Buddhist Society of Victoria to form the Buddhist Federation of Australia. Charles Knight was its first Chairman. The Buddhist Society of N.S.W.'s journal, 'Metta', was later to become the national journal of the Federation.

'Karuna', of February, 1981, published by the Buddhist Society of N.S.W., reported that:

Early in the sixties, the Society received an offer for its land at Pennant Hills. As the alternative to selling was to pay enormous rates on the property, which had now been re-zoned by the Council, the members authorised Charles Knight to conduct the sale.

Some of the pioneer members, who had previously severed their connection with the Society, were outraged that the Society had chosen to sell land that had been dedicated by members of the Sangha as the site for a Vihara and Meditation Centre. However, two of the original trustees, Leo Berkeley and Eric Penrose, decided that the decision of the leadership should not be opposed. Eric Penrose commented:

The Buddhist Society did very well out of it. It gave them the chance to be established. So the good fortune was there that these things happened. Thats the way it should be.

During the sixties, the majority of the fortnightly meetings of the Buddhist Society of N.S.W. consisted of lectures by Charles Knight and Natasha Jackson and a sizeable library was built up over this period. Speaking of the void due to Australia's not having resident representatives of the Sangha, Natasha Jackson observed: Knight, himself, made several impassioned pleas for such leaders, and yet the Sangha did not respond positively for eighteen years. --- Buddhism in the West is almost exclusively a lay movement. The pioneer element in the Sangha has long since become defunct.

There were two major factors which probably inhibited the appointment of a resident monk at that time. As previously mentioned, it was not only a case of finding a monk well versed in the Dhamma who was prepared to be a 'pioneer', but the main difficulty was that few learned monks spoke English sufficiently well to undertake such missionary activity. Another factor, and by no means a minor one, is that, according to the Vinaya rules, a monk cannot stay for an extended period in the home of a lay-follower. The establishment of a Vihara to house the monk should have been one of the Society's first priorities, had they been serious about attracting a resident teacher. The land was acquired in the 1950's for that purpose, but the Society chose to dispose of it.

In November, 1960, a lineage holder in the Chinese Cha'an tradition arrived in Sydney, where he stayed until the end of 1961. He was the famous Master Hsuan Hua. He gained the impression that there were no Buddhists among the local Chinese community as he was largely ignored and, was, at one stage on the verge of starvation due to the lack of support. At the end of 1961, he left for California, where, with the support of many followers he established a monastic centre known as the 'City of Ten Thousand Buddhas'.

At a meeting of the Buddhist Society of N.S.W. in 1970, which I attended, discussion turned to the need for a resident Bhikkhu to oversee the Society's activities. The objection was raised, by Charles Knight, that it was impossible to house such a Bhikkhu. I suggested that I knew of a Roman Catholic family at Brighton-le-Sands who, perhaps, may be prepared to offer a Bhikkhu some suitable accommodation. Charles Knight and Natasha Jackson expressed an interest and so were introduced to the MacLaughlin family to formulate the arrangements. A monk's annexe in their garden was prepared which, although small, was relatively comfortable.

On the 9th of May, 1971, Venerable Ratmalane Somaloka arrived in Sydney to become the first resident monk. His devotees and supporters in Malacca had paid his fare and expenses to enable him to undertake this mission to Australia. Knight and Jackson tended to be somewhat undiplomatic in their dealings with the MacLaughlin family and a tense relationship developed. The tension between them became so untenable that a Chinese businessman, Bill Jong, who was quite inspired by Venerable Somaloka's teaching, leased a spacious apartment at Rose Bay, an eastern suburb of Sydney, to house the resident Bhikkhu. Elva Miksevicious, then a keen supporter of Venerable Somaloka, writing in a special edition of 'Metta' (1974) reported that:

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