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The Australian Buddhist Library was established on the
25th of April, 1984, through the generosity of the family of the Sydney
businessman, Mr. Eric Liao. Originally situated in George Street, Sydney,
it later moved to Sussex Street, adjacent to Sydney's Chinatown district.
The book collection consisted of over 3,000 volumes including four editions
of the Chinese Tripitaka, a Tripitaka set in Pali and English from the
Pali Text Society, London, as well as Tripitaka versions in Burmese, Sinhala
and Thai. It contained, also, many works and valuable reference volumes
on Buddhist topics in English as well as in a few other languages. As
well as a library and reading room, the library provided a much needed
central meeting venue for Dharma lectures and meditation practice. Being
in Sydney's main business district, the library and its staff were expensive
to maintain and eventually became beyond the financial means of the Liao
family. Mr.Liao eventually offered it to the Sydney Buddhist community
through the Buddhist Council of N.S.W., but as its upkeep could not be
guaranteed, the book collection was finally passed to the National Library
in Canberra, where it currently forms a separate collection. Sadly, Sydney's
Buddhist community lost its most valuable asset when the Australian Buddhist
Library closed its doors early in 1987. In October, 1991, The Buddhist
Library and Education Centre was established at Lewisham, an inner city
suburb. One of its aims is to re-establish a Buddhist public library in
a similar vein to the Australian Buddhist Library.
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| During the 1980's, there was a proliferation of Buddhist organisations
N.S.W.. Sydney's Tibetan community, numbering less than twenty, must constitute,
perhaps, the smallest of the ethnic groups, yet, Tibetan Buddhist organisations
make up one third of the many Buddhist organisations in Sydney. Tibetan
Buddhism attracts many followers of Anglo-European background. Many of the
local Tibetans were formerly Buddhist monks either in Tibet or in India
following the Chinese occupation so they are often called upon to serve
as teachers or translators for visiting lamas. Many groups following the
Tibetan Buddhist tradition have been formed as the result of the short visits
of various Tibetan teachers. Ven.Dzongsar Jamjang Khyentse Rinpoche, of
the Sakya lineage from Bhutan has established the Dzongsar Manju Ghosha
Fellowship, the Sakya Centre and the Buddhist Educational Foundation. Venerable
Gyaltse Tulku Rinpoche is the resident teacher of these Sakya lineage centres.
His organisations also maintain a permanent retreat centre, Vajradhara Gompa,
at Kyogle in northern New South Wales. In mid 1988, these organisations
organised the visit to Australia of His Holiness Sakya Trizin, the head
of the Sakya lineage, one of the four main traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Tai Situ Trust of Australia was specifically formed to arrange the visit
in early 1988 of His Eminence Tai Situpa Rinpoche, one of the four Regents
of the Karma Kargyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. Another Sydney centre following
the Karma Kargyu tradition is the Karma Kargyu Do-ngak Cho-ling at Artarmon,
on Sydney's north shore, under the guidance of their resident lama, Ven.Thinley
Gyamtso. Following the Gelug-pa tradition are the Tibetan Buddhist Society
and the Vajrayana Institute, which is part of the world-wide movement, Foundation
for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, under the guidance of Ven.Lama
Zopa and the Sakyamuni Centre whose guru is Ven.Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey.
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| On the 12th of December, 1984, during a short visit to Australia
of Mr.Teh Thean Choo, President of the Buddhist Missionary Society in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia and an executive member of the international body, the
World Fellowship of Buddhists, a meeting was called at the home of Dr.Tan
Eng-Kong at Pymble, an upper north shore suburb of Sydney, for the purpose
of establishing a regional centre of the W.F.B. in Sydney. It was at this
meeting that Graeme Lyall put forward an idea, that he had long held, that
an umbrella body, to promote co-operation among the many separate Buddhist
organisations in Sydney, be formed. He was commissioned by those present
at this meeting to assess the interest that the various organisations would
have in such a proposed body. The response, though somewhat guarded at first,
was generally positive, and so the Buddhist Council of N.S.W. was born.
It was not until June, 1985, that a Constitution for the Council, acceptable
to the diversity of its member organisations, was ratified and the inaugural
Annual General meeting was held. During its relatively short history, the
Council has gained the respect and support of not only the members of the
Buddhist community but especially that of both the Commonwealth and State
Governments. The Council provides assistance and advice to the Buddhist
community generally, but the bulk of its work involves special support to
the needs of the ethnic Buddhist communities. Council, currently, is the
co-ordinating body for the organisation and resource supply for the teaching
of Dharma to Buddhist students in N.S.W. State Schools. Combined Vesak celebrations
have been organised each year, with the exception of 1990, to bring together,
in a greater spirit of understanding, the many traditions that comprise
the Sydney Buddhist community. The Council has also organised Seminars,
the most notable of which was that held at the University of Sydney in 1986,
the International Year of Peace. It was called "A Strategy for Peace" and
involved a two day festival of Dharma lectures, meditation practice, an
exhibition and a food fair. The Council maintains liason with various Government
Departments and acts as a lobby group to promote the rights and interests
of all Buddhists. |
| Another very active organisation, formed in the early 1980's,
with its headquarters in the Wollongong area, south of Sydney, was the Buddha
Sasana Association of Australia. This organisation is the main focus for
the practise of Satipatthana Vipassana meditation in New South Wales. It
is affiliated with the Mahasi Meditation Centre in Rangoon, Burma, and the
head of that centre, Ven.Sayadaw U Pandita Bhivamsa, regularly visits Australia
to conduct lengthy retreats in Vipassana practice. The Association also
conducts regular meditation sittings at its regional centres throughout
New South Wales at Sydney, Byron Bay, Blue Mountains, Bundanoon and in the
National Capital, Canberra. |
| June, 1985 saw the arrival of Venerable Mahinda, who had a
long association with both the Buddhist Missionary Society in Kuala Lumpur
and the Singapore Buddhist Mission, on a one month missionary lecture tour
of the eastern States of Australia. Whilst here, he realised the fertile
ground ready for cultivating the Dhamma. An application was lodged, prior
to his return to Malaysia, for his permanent residence visa. This was granted
and he returned in July, 1986. He was appointed Bikkhu in Charge of the
Hock Cheng See Buddhist Vihara at Ambarvale, a suburb of Campbelltown, south
of Sydney. This Vihara had previously been purchased by some monks from
Malacca, Malaysia and the trustees had invited Ven.Mahinda to use it as
his residence. It was in August, 1986, that Venerable Mahinda suggested
that an Australian Buddhist Mission could be set up on similar lines to
the B.M.S. and the Singapore Buddhist Mission. During its formative years
the Mission has organised several meditation retreats, Buddhist Youth Camps
with participants from several ethnic groups including Australian born,
Burmese, Cambodian, Malaysians, Sri Lankans and Vietnamese. The aim of the
camps was not only to plant the seeds of Dhamma so that future Bodhi trees
might grow but to promote mutual understanding and friendship among the
diverse groups who make up our multi-cultural Australian community. The
Mission's main aim is to complement rather than to duplicate the activities
already being so ably performed by the other Buddhist organisations. In
1989, the Mission sponsored a two year missionary tour of one of Thailand's
great meditation masters, Venerable Phra Acharn Yantra. In 1990, a generous
donor offered Phra Acharn Yantra one hundred acres of land in Bundanoon,
in the Southern Highlands, so that a retreat centre in the Thai forest tradition
could be established in Australia. This new centre is known as Sunnyatarama
Forest Monastery - Bundanoon and monks from Sunnyatarama Forest Monastery
in Thailand have taken up residence there. In 1990, the Mission held a two
day 'Vesak - 90' Seminar and Exhibition at the University of Sydney, attracting
over 1000 visitors over the two days. |
| In 1987, Sydney's small Burmese community rented a cottage
at North Parramatta to serve as a temporary Buddhist Vihara (monk's residence
and place of worship) as the first step towards establishing a permanent
Burmese temple in the Sydney area. The Abbot, Venerable Sayadaw U Zagarabhivamsa,
took up residence there in January, 1988. He is a highly respected teacher
and scholar, being formerly a professor of Abhidhamma and Pali language
at Nalanda Buddhist Institute in India. In 1989, larger premises were purchased
by the Burmese Buddhist Society at Merrylands, also in the Parramatta district
from where it currently conducts its activities. |
| Realising the significant position that the Buddhist community
now commands in Sydney, the then Premier of New South Wales, the Hon.Barrie
Unsworth, M.P. held a special reception on Thursday, 16th of July, 1987
at the State Office Block to meet members of the Sangha and representatives
of the many Buddhist ethnic communities. In his speech of welcome, the Premier
said: |
| Yours is an ancient philosophy that
has had a beneficial influence on the development of theworld. As a movement
for peace, moderation and tolerance, you have always been and remain contemporary.
That is why you are most welcome in New South Wales, as fellow citizens
and as seekers and teachers of truth. I understand that the teachings of
Buddha denounce the caste system, war, slavery and the taking of life in
any form. His teachings on morality, mental discipline and wisdom have never
been fundamentally altered. As followers of his Path, you bring to your
new life in New South Wales that same spirit of tolerance, gentleness and
kindness that has continued through more than two and a half thousand years
of your culture. That spirit is entirely complementary to the path of multi-culturalism
that I see as the future of this State._____ Let me conclude by repeating
my welcome to you all tonight. It gives me great pleasure to see our multi-cultural
Buddhist community gathered here, at the very centre of Government of our
multi-cultural State. |
| In 1986 and again in 1991, a census was conducted throughout
Australia by the Commonwealth Government's Bureau of Statistics. The only
question, however, that was not compulsory to answer was that pertaining
to religion. This leaves some doubt as to the accuracy of the final figures
which could be well and truly understated. The census revealed that in 1986,
80,837 people claimed Buddhism as their religion. However, in 1991 the result
showed an increase to 139,847, placing the Buddhists as being 0.8% of the
Australian population and 0.1% of the New South Wales population making
Buddhism the third major religion, after Christianity and Islam. In New
South Wales in 1986, 35,114 people claimed to be Buddhists, of which 12,951
were of Vietnamese origin. 40% of the Buddhist population of Australia lives
in New South Wales. |
| Despite its rather shaky beginnings and occasionally shaky
progress, Buddhism in New South Wales has, at last, taken root and its future,
or should I say many futures, seems assured. |
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1
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Croucher, Paul A History
of Buddhism in Australia - 1848-1988, New South Wales University Press,
Kensington, 1989. |
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2
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De Jong, Klaas A Short Account
of the Spread of Southern Buddhism in Australia and Queensland in
Particular, Dhammadinna House, Wacol, 1982. |
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3
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Dharmapala, Anagarika. Buddhists
in Australia in Return to Righteousness, Colombo, 1965. |
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4
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Lyall, Graeme Ethnic Buddhism
in N.S.W. in Ata, Abe Wade (Ed.), Religion and Ethnic Identity: an
Australian Study, Vol.3, Spectrum Publications, Richmond, Vic., 1990.
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5
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Davidsons, John Paul (Producer)
Hearts and Minds - Asia 10 Years After the Vietnam War. Film from
BBC, London, 1985. |
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6
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Eui-hyun, Venerable Korean
Buddhism, PP.12, 18, 19. Korean Buddhist Chogye Order, Seoul, 1988.
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7
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Sotaesan, Venerable Master
The Scripture of Won Buddhism P.8. Won Kwang Publishing Co., Iri,
1988. |
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