THE JOHN D. HUGHES COLLECTION SOURCING LIFETIMES OF LEARNING

Providing a Heritage Multilingual Reference Library for Buddha Dhamma Scholars and Practitioners

On 25 May 1989, the Buddhist Discussion Centre Australia acquired the John D. Hughes Collection.

Our Heritage Collection has been sourced by the Founder of the Buddhist Discussion Centre Australia, John D. Hughes, for over four decades and continues to grow as a multilingual reference library.

It consists of an extensive range of Buddha Dhamma reference material to assist in the cultivation of Buddha Dhamma practice and provides a comprehensive resource for Buddha Dhamma study and research.

Our Collection is the oldest Buddha Dhamma library in the state of Victoria, Australia, at the same site. We are listed by Australian Libraries Gateway, a web based directory at www.nla.gov.au/libraries

The John D. Hughes Collection includes:
Reports of Bhavana courses and Teachings held at the Centre

Rare and valuable Buddha Dhamma Texts including the complete Buddha Dhamma Canon in English and Thai languages

Commentaries by renowned Buddha Dhamma Teachers

Buddha Dhamma ‘Books of Guidance’ in English and various foreign languages

Buddha Dhamma journals and newsletters

Audio tape recordings of Buddha Dhamma Teachings

Buddha Dhamma artefacts and ritual objects from all traditions and original works of Calligraphy

Video recordings of Buddhist Monks and Nuns and lay persons

Buddha Dhamma data warehouse including electronically formatted texts and pictures

In-house journals

Historical memoirs of key events of Buddha Dhamma

A Buddha Dhamma data base of global proportions

Dictionaries, Encyclopaedias and reference books

Chan Paintings by John D. Hughes

SETTING THE PLATFORM

In this information age, data management and ease of access to the library Collection is the most important object.

The Centre has developed an affordable, user friendly cataloguing system that can be accessed for on-site cataloguing and is further developed for Internet access.

Our present choice for cataloguing the Collection is the US software package “Organize...” This is affordable and scaleable.

Browse the library catalogue

GLOBAL ACCESS

The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. intends to make our Collection more accessible to Dhamma Scholars and Practitioners World Wide via the ongoing development of a website catalogue.

We are an associated institution of The World Buddhist University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Our web site www.bdcu.org.au contains information about our Centre, Buddha Dhamma Teachings, images and many blessings.

We are listed on the Australian Libraries Gateway - a web based directory of Australian libraries run by the National Library of Australia, Canberra, Australia.

By becoming a Member, we encourage you to access our information bases for research purposes. We invite you to participate in our Centres’ activities and/or to donate books and journals, to help yourself by helping others.

The John D. Hughes Collection still requires monetary donations to fund these worthwhile projects. We invite the donation of Buddha Dhamma texts, commentaries and Dhamma material to assist with the growth of our Collection now and throughout the 21st Century.

This will help us create a more complete reference resource and allow Buddha Dhamma Scholars and practitioners to research topics.

Your donation will aid practitioners to maintain our Heritage Collection and will aid in the development of the library, as we have a policy of collecting five copies of a text before we lend one copy.

Your contribution to the Collection will not only increase our library’s holdings, but will also contribute to lifetimes of learning and preserve Buddha Dhamma material for future practitioners. Our guidelines specify 500 years at least.

No Tax deductibility is available for these gifts.

Your donation is a meritorious action and will set many good causes for this life and your future lives.

INVITING YOUR INVOLVEMENT

It is rare to meet with written Buddha Dhamma.

Your involvement now, will increase the probability of you meeting with written Buddha Dhamma in the future.

We encourage Buddha Dhamma practitioners to involve themselves in the activities at the Buddhist Discussion Centre Australia to make the vision for our library achievable.

May you be well and happy.

Membership is still available

To become a member or to obtain information on library resources please contact Simon Kearney at the centre.

Our Joining fee is $10.00 including GST.
Our Annual Membership fee is $44.00 including GST.
Our Annual Library Membership fee is $44.00 including GST.