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Buddha Dhyana Dana Review Vol. 12 No. 2

Editorial



In the month of June 2002, The Australasian Buddhist Convention Conference was held in Victoria, Australia convened by The Buddhist Foundation (Vic) Australia.

Details of the conference’s keynote speakers are found in this Review.

The expenditure of the cost of the convention was $56,000 Australian dollars; income was $43,000 Australian dollars.

The Buddhist Foundation (Vic) Australia, at 130 Station Street, Fairfield, Victoria 3078 is headed by Dr Ranjith Hettiarachi.

They have produced two video tapes, Volume 1 (Tape 1): 2 hours, 52 minutes; Volume 2(Tape 2): 2 hours, 47 minutes. Both tapes can be ordered by email at: email address: buddhist.foundation.melb@bigpond.com.au.

The footage contains highlights of the valuable teachings held at the convention as listed :

Tape 1, Volume 1: Opening Ceremony
Convener Dr Ranjith Hettiarachi
Governer-General Dr P Hollingworth

Keynote Address
Chairperson Dr Ananda Guruge

Special Address
Venerable Sri Dhammananda, delivered by Venerable Mahinda

Sense Restraint
Venerable Maha Samai Navamal

Conference Theme
Venerable Dhamma Vihari

Buddhist Meditation
Venerable Pannyavaro

Panel Session 1
Virtue Sense Restrain and a Peaceful Mind Buddhist Meditation
Venerable Pannyavaro

Tape 2, Volume 2: Impermanence
Lama Choedak Rinpoche

New Research
Professor Richard Gombrich

Loving Kindness
Venerable Mahinda

Panel Session 2
Venerable Pannyavaro, Mahinda, Lama Choedak, Professor Gombrich

Concentration and Insight
Venerable Rakhita, Pannyavaro & Mahinda

Wisdom
Venerable Dhammavihari

Closing Ceremony
Dr R Hettiarachi, Dr Ananda Guruge


The average thinking pattern of the world is gross and mundane that leads to a decline in society that affects the security of the individual, the community and the larger social organisation of the world.

The antidote is, parental care of children who have the capacity to do so; next comes respectful behaviour to one’s religious clergy in society; respect for one’s communal groups is upheld as a virtue for strengthening social solidarity.

Support of one’s own and other’s temples is a method for practicing generosity and our good example encourages others to behave as we do.

As more good translations appear in English which is more removed from the Victorian Era, modern readers who are not scholars will feel more comfortable with the texts because they do not use words that belong to The King James version of the Christian Bible.

The great foreign scholars that appeared at the Australasian Buddhist Convention could quote the English meaning of the Pali texts in a very succinct manner. Their great skill in communicating with the English language to the multicultural audience at the convention is praiseworthy.

Our generation must make efforts to produce the next generation of such English speaking Monks who are also meditation teachers. Dr R Hettiarachi has raised the following points in this area:

Growing interest in Buddhist teachings, particularly the Western world;

Increasing demands to access good teachers and teachings in meditation based Buddhist practice;

Scarcity of teachers, adequately trained in imparting instructions in such practice;

Difficulties in gaining access to Buddhist teachings and suitable teachers;

Tendency of trained meditation teachers to reside in remote locations / monasteries, seeking seclusion for their own spiritual development;

Difficulty for Buddhist Organisations, Institutions and places of worship world-wide to obtain services of teachers.

Inability of most Sangha teachers to provide the required services satisfactorily to Buddhists of all traditions and cultures, due to lack of training in meditation based practise and proficiency in the English Language;

Lack of adequate resources to select and train eligible Monks as meditation teachers;

Absence of a well coordinated, internationally applicable infrastructure and systems to perform the previously stated functions (selection and training);

Inadequate efforts by world Buddhist establishments and hierarchy to train monks in the said Buddhist practice;

Absence of a registry to access, channel and harness the services of available trained monks in teaching the said Buddhist practice;

The paramount importance of availing trained Sangha for teaching said Buddhist practice, as “The Way Forward”;

Dr R. Hettiarachi is working on a globally operable scholarship scheme to provide trained Sangha for placements as Meditation Teachers in various locations globally, particularly in the West. We look forward to his final proposals in due course.

Although in Australia, Buddhist culture is yet to permeate the nation’s thinking. We are a post Christian, rationalistic, secular society with some scientific culture.

Money is nearly universally believed to be able to ‘fix-up’ all known problems, in spite of the power of evidence to the contrary.

In Australia, we have spent a vast amount of money on drug counselling and alcohol related problems. But, each year, more young people turn to substance and alcohol abuse.

Because of our consumerist culture we must avoid turning the Buddha Dhamma into a commodity. It is true the Buddha Dhamma can solve our individual problems if we were to keep sila and practise.

Entry fees were charged to attend the Australian Buddhist Convention conference, on the advice of a Buddhist Monk, mainly to keep discursive, unteachable elements in society from attending. This strategy worked and the respect for the various Buddha Dhamma Teachers was praiseworthy.

Every Member of the congregation at the Convention ought to live the new insights they gathered over the two days of teachings and by this way enrich Australian society.

This, then, is the real outcome event that follows from the proper exposition of the Buddha Dhamma by many experienced holy practitioners who are able to expound the Buddha Dhamma with great clarity to the assembled congregation.

We look forward to future conventions sponsored by the Buddhist Foundation (Vic) Australia.

May all practitioners learn to be well and happy everywhere.


Anita M. and John D. Hughes
Editors.



Our Reference: Lan2 I:\bddred2

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