8 August 2004: Well played Sir, Well played - Continuing the work of our Founder.

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Buddhist Hour
Radio Broadcast on Hillside 88.0 FM
Buddhist Hour Script 341 for Sunday 8 August 2004

This script is entitled: Well played Sir, Well played - Continuing the work of our Founder.

The 24th Annual General Meeting of The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. was held on Saturday 7 August 2004 at 2pm.

The Annual General Meeting is a legal responsibility for the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. as required by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. We abide by all relevant federal and state laws relating to the operation of a company.

The Annual General Meeting presents to our Directors and Members a compendium of reports on the operations and achievements for the previous twelve months and highlights our projects for the coming year.

It involves the election of our Office Bearers for a one-year period to ensure clear leadership and direction for our Temple to accord with our mission, objectives and strategies.

Our objetives for which our Centre was established are:

- To introduce a philosophy of life based on Buddha Dhamma.

- To encourage the study, practice and realisation of Buddha Dhamma.

- To promote activities associated with Buddhism and Buddhist Culture in Australia and overseas.

- To investigate unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent in man.

- To promote and maintain direct or auxiliary activities for educational, social, charitable, philanthropic, benevolent and humanitarian work.

The Annual General Meeting is an important event for our Centre to thank our Members for their diligent work in supporting and maintaining this Temple.

We would like to share with you our compendium of reports presented at the 24th Annual General Meeting of our Temple.

This is an excerpt from The President's Annual Report period 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004 written by our dedicated President Mr Julian Bamford.

Thank you to Our Founder John David Hughes.

I will begin this President's Annual Report by saying thank you to our Teacher and Founder the late Master John D. Hughes, for your life's work in establishing a place where the Buddha Dhamma can be taught, preserved, practised and realised.

In the words of our Abbot Mrs Anita M Hughes it is a rare opportunity to meet the conditions to learn the Buddha Dhamma. This opportunity exists at this Temple because of your work this life and in your past lives.

This 24th Annual General Meeting is significant in many ways; we join with all Buddha Dhamma practitioners and students in the world and in the heavens to celebrate the founding day of this Temple, a sattadevamanussanam, a Temple for Humans and Gods.

Thank you John D. Hughes.

In August 2003 Master Ru Sun, Abbot of Yun Yang Temple in Narre Warren held a special Dharma Ceremony titled the "Earth Store Bodhisattva Puja" for the good health and long life blessings for our Teacher, John D. Hughes.

On 29 November 2003 our Teacher and Founder Master John David Hughes passed away after his long illness.

On 6 December 2003, the Funeral Celebration of Master John D. Hughes was held at our Centre. The Funeral Celebration was blessed by many Monks and the funeral service was guided by Master Ru and attended by many students and friends of the late John D. Hughes.

Over this past year Members practised Chan in caring for their teacher during his illness and with diligence and persistence they maintained our Buddha Dhamma Centre.

A light for his Buddha Dhamma work titled "A Funeral Celebration of Master John D. Hughes Commemorative Volume of the Funeral Ceremony and Celebration of Master John David Hughes, Born 9 September 1930 Died 29 November 2003 - Well Played Sir Well Played - A Life Well Spent" was lovingly created by his wife Anita and forwarded to bless many friends and organisations in Australia and overseas.

We say thank you with great joy to our Abbot and kalyanamita friend Anita Hughes for her devotion to John, to our Temple that he created and to your love and wish that all living beings may come out of suffering.

May you become fully enlightened for the benefit of all living beings.

Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu

We are committed to implementing and maintaining the projects which our Founder planned for our Centre that it will last as a Buddha Dhamma Temple for five hundred years.

We thank our many Noble benefactors for their compassion and wisdom in helping and providing guide to us in our work for the Buddha Dhamma.

Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu

Thank you and well done to all our Members and friends who gave support 24 hours per day for 5 months caring for our Teacher John Hughes during his illness and supporting Anita Hughes through this time, preparing for and conducting the Buddhist Funeral Ceremony for him and since that time.

Thank you all for your super-ordinary efforts.

Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu

Celebrating Our Peak Events

During the past year our Members have been involved in many meritorious projects lending a helping hand to other Buddha Dhamma organisations, as well as producing publications, reports and information for our websites for our Buddha Dhamma friends around the world.

We attended public talks by visiting Dhamma Teachers including His Holiness Sakya Trizin, Sogyal Rinpoche and Venerable Chan Master Sheng Yen. We participated in the Buddhist Foundation of Victoria's "Health & Healing: The Buddhist Perspective" Symposium 2003 and in 2004 our Members helped with the National Buddhism Conference "Engaging Buddhism" held at Victoria University.

Buddha Dhamma Education and Study Programs

Our Abhidhamma students entered the second of our nine year study program and in 2004 commenced study of "How Karma Works" from the Asian Classics Institute as taught by Geshe Michael Roach.

Weekly study class of the Diamond Cutter Sutra, also taught by Geshe Michael Roach and downloaded from the Asian Classics Institute at www.world-view.org began in 2004.

In 2004 a weekly program of Buddha Dhamma teachings and guided meditation commenced by visiting Monks from the Shakyamuni Sambuddha Vihara Sri Lankan Temple in Berwick.

Our Standing Committee on Education of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. held its first meeting.

One of Members visited the World Buddhist University and World Fellowship of Buddhists in Bangkok Thailand in 2003 for her Masters Thesis on "Information Communication Technology and the World Buddhist University".

A weekly program of Thangka Painting Classes also commenced in 2004.

Chan Academy

Chan painting classes recommenced at our Chan Academy continuing the practise established by our Founder with visiting Chan Teacher Melba Nielsen (BA).

Visiting Sumi-e Master Andre Sollier has been teaching at the Chan Academy for over 15 years and in 2003-2004 taught 7 painting classes with the theme 'The Seven Factors of Enlightenment'. In 2004 he began a series of classes teaching the traditional techniques and style of Sumi-e.

We are committed to the living preservation of Chan in the world for future generations.

We plan to hold a Chan art exhibition on the occasion of Versak celebrations in 2005.

Commitment to Ongoing Fund-raising Projects

We raised over $9,000 for the year from our weekly stall at the Camberwell Market in Melbourne.

Flower stalls held on peak celebration days such as Christmas Day, Easter and Mother's Day generated in excess of $3339, while our seasonal raffles raised $4203. We thank the many commercial plant nursery's who have donated over $2,500 of plants as prizes for our Chan Academy Australia Raffles.

Collections this year for the Dhammarajika Orphanage in Bangladesh, initiated over 20 years ago by our late Teacher Master John D. Hughes, resulted in $1873 dollars sent from public donations at our weekly market stalls and shopping centre collection boxes.

Our Public Relations Program

We have maintained our Public Relations (PR) activities through the year and estimate that we have reached in excess of 5,000 people.

Our PR projects include our Dhamma classes, Chinese New Year visits to our Temple, weekly Buddhist Hour radio broadcasts, fund-raising stalls, attending conferences and events, networking with other Temples and organisations and published press releases.

We added a tenth website to our online presence this year creating http://www.edharma.org, a Buddha Dhamma e-learning resource.

Metered site visits for our 10 websites were around 10,000 hits for the year and we estimate in excess of 50,000 visitors since inception of our first website.

Publishing Projects - Online and in Print

We published 22 issues of The Brooking Street Bugle in print and online including five Special Editions.

Our weekly Buddhist Hour Broadcast on Hillside FM Radio 88.0 entered its sixth year of broadcasting with over 330 scripts uploaded to our website www.bdcublessings.net.au.

Two Volumes totaling seven issues of the Buddha Dhyana Dana Review have been loaded online.

Work commenced on our third LAN, called PHOTOLAN, which we plan to have in operation before the end of 2004.

We presently have over 3000 photographs online.

Two issues of Longhair Australian News were published during the year and we intend publishing the three issues over 2004 - 2005.

Chopping Wood & Carrying Water - Maintaining Our Centre

In September 2003 Members began work on the constructing of the new private kitchen and dining room under the guidance of our Teacher. Over the following nine months they committed 1,084 hours or 20 hours per week to this peak project.

We relocated the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. administration offices and associated resources into the Sariputta Room.

We have created two important new positions: Assistant LAPAM Manager and Fuel Department Manager as part of our program to develop our Centre's next generation of Managers.

Our Future Plans and Challenges

Over the next twelve months, as well as completing the new private kitchen and dining hall, our Members will initiate a number of new projects as well as planning for future projects. During the year we will also sending delegates to participate in the next World Fellowship of Buddhists Conference.

Our Key Projects for the year include:

- The building of a life-size image of our Founder Master John D. Hughes.

- Commencement of construction of the new library building and meditation hall to house the Padmasambhava image and altar.

- To preserve the John D. Hughes Collection - our Centre's Buddha Dhamma materials and resources: books, audio tapes, video tapes, digital mini-disks, teaching, images, thangkas, relics, paintings, photographs, flags etc. according to the Guide to Assessing the Significance of Cultural Heritage Objects and Collections, published by the Heritage Collections Council, 2003.

- To write and implement our IT Systems Management and Maintenance Program.

- To complete the upgrade to our Database.

- To write and implement our LAPAM (Local Area Planing and Asset Management) Cyclical Maintenance Program.

- To write and implement our Occupational and Health Services (OH&S).

- To write and implement our Members' Orientation Program.

- To write position descriptions and associated competency requirements for each officer bearer position.

- To develop the business case for holding of workshops at our Centre by the Enlightened Business Institute as created by Geshe Michael Roach.

- To increase the promotion of our Centre's new brand name Chan Academy in Australia and internationally launching it officially on 9 September 2004.

- To plan for the start-up and operation of a Private Nursing Home on Buddhist principles for caring for the Aged and Dying in 2005.

- To create and maintain the John D. Hughes Museum at our Centre to provide a record of our Founder's Heritage by recording his life, vision and activities.

- To continue the development of the John D. Hughes Private Geology Museum including the cataloguing of all specimens in the collection.

- To continue publishing online the World Fellowship of Buddhists Standing Committee on Women newsletters and reports and maintaining the website.

- To continue development of the www.edharma.org website.

- To complete our online catalogue of the John D. Hughes Collection.

- To upload over 2000 more digital photographs with captions to our websites, and add captions to photos we currently have on the web.

- To create the Buddha Dhamma Online Exhibition on our e-Dhamma website for World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) Centres for WFB Standing Committee on Publications, Publicity, Education, Arts and Culture.

- To increase our Membership - to attract more Members with more time to take on our activities and projects. We also welcome international Members.

- To launch our online Buddha Dhamma photo library PHOTOLAN in 2004.

- To seek Membership of the World Fellowship of Buddhists Youth (WFBY) an encourage our next generation to participate in WFB activities.

- To establish a Children's Buddha Dhamma program at our Centre.

- To publish three issues of Longhair Australian News.

- To upgrade fire rating of South wall of Library.

Future Projects and Challenges:

- To publish a history of our Centre.

To publish a new biography of our Founder "Celebration of Buddha Dhamma Work - John D. Hughes 1955 to 2003" to contain the contributions of John D. Hughes, Founder of the Buddhist Discussion Centre.

- To publish a history of Buddha Dhamma in Australia.

- To become more active in helping the World Fellowship of Buddhists.

- To set up a Standing Committee on Women at our Centre.

- To write executive summaries of each publication in our Library and publish these online.

- To establish an internet radio service - we have 340 one hour Buddha Dhamma radio broadcast available to go online.

- To establish a television station to broadcast Buddha Dhamma teachings. Our first step will be to investigate the possibility of running a Buddha Dhamma segment on community TV Channel 31.

- To establish an Accommodation and Conference Centre for visiting Venerable Monks, Nuns and visiting Teachers to provide teachings.

- To establish a Retreat Centre at Philip Island, Victoria.

Following are highlights of our Task Unit Annual Reports:

IDA - International Dhamma Activities

Task Responsibilities of IDA include: Maintaining WFB liaison, Arranging Abhidhamma Teachings, chanting, pujas, translations, maintenance and preservation of the John D. Hughes Collection, and to write and broadcast these "Buddhist Hour" Radio scripts.

We currently have 25 people active in our core program. We welcome future students who wish to learn Buddha Dhamma and lend a helping hand.

We communicate with friends, organisations and interested persons via email locally, nationally and internationally.

This weekly Buddhist Hour Broadcast is now in its sixth year reaching our local audience in Melbourne's south eastern suburbs and our international audience through our online publishing of each script on www.bdcublessings.net.au

Current programs and events and activities IDA have sponsored include:

Monday evenings: Buddha Dhamma Teachings and meditation guided by Venerable Theravada Monks.

Tuesday evenings: Abhidhamma Teachings using an online course from Asian Classics Institute at www.world-view.org

Thursday evenings: Vinaya study class

Friday evenings: Diamond Cutter Sutra study class using an online course from Asian Classics Institute at www.world-view.org

We wish to attract more Members with more time to assist with our activities and projects. We welcome international Members.

CGR - Corporate Governance and Reporting

The Responsibilities of our CGR Task Unit include: Adherence to legal requirements of corporate affairs, Communication with Federal, State and Local Government, Organise GST payments, Arrange General Meetings and maintain statutory minutes, and Funding and organising Dana for visiting Sangha to our Centre.

Our Treasurer and Financial Controller Mr. Peter Boswell has led our accounting team in the payment of accounts, purchases and record keeping.

As a legally constituted organisation we hold a duty or care to our Members and those who we welcome to our Temple to make safety a priority.

CGR produces a monthly Occupational Health and Safety Bulletin that is presented at each General Meeting.

LAPAM - Local Area Planning and Asset Management

LAPAM is the backbone of our Centre. It provides the materiality and all required physical components to run our Buddha Dhamma Centre. Without the material structure our organisation would not exist in the human world and we would have no tools to practise or propagate Buddha Dhamma.

The responsibilities of LAPAM are many, some include; Car Parking Management, Cleaning, Construction and Maintenance of Altars, Infrastructure Planning, Occupational Health and Safety, and Storage.

The LAPAM report is a catalog of dana practice done in many ways at our Centre during the past twelve months. The report shows some of the extraordinary opportunities we have as Dhamma Practitioners to make multitudes of good causes in a Buddha Dhamma field.

Members benefited making many good causes by contributing their time and goods to our weekly market stall at Camberwell Market.

Members and friends who contributed to the operations of the market stall in the past year are: Julian Bamford, Peter Boswell, Frank Carter, Evelin Halls, Lenore Hamilton, David Igracki, David Ley, Lisa Nelson, Julie O'Donnell, Lainie Smallwood, Amber Svensson, Kate Ryan and Paul Tyrrell.

Our LAPAM Task Unit Manager, Mr Frank Carter gave thanks in his report as such:

Thank you to the Chief Deva of our Temple for enabling us to learn and practice the Buddha Dhamma at this location.

Thank you to our resident Teacher Anita M. Hughes for Teaching and supporting us as we follow the Buddhist Path to Full Enlightenment.

Thank you to all the Devas who have helped, protected and looked after our Teachers, our Buddhist Temple, our Members and our Friends this year.

We wish and request you to please continue your great support to our Buddhist Temple and our Teachers and Members.

Thank you to all the Members and Friends of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. who have contributed your valuable time and resources towards the care and prosperity of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. this year.

Thank you for kindly supporting and looking after our resident Teachers this year, particularly the extraordinary care given 24 hours per day to Master John D. Hughes whilst he was recovering from his illness.

Thank you for carrying out the plans and projects decided by our Teachers for the stability and prosperity of this Buddha Dhamma Teaching Temple.

Our Resident Teacher Anita M Hughes concluded the 24th Annual General Meeting with the words:

Our Members are our most precious resource, they are the people that keep this Temple operational.

It is my objective to look after them, help them to become rich in Dhamma and material assets, and give them friendship and support.

I wish to help them succeed in attaining the supporting factors to help their Buddha Dhamma practise.

For the long life of an organisation the Buddha recommended followers of the Dhamma to meet in large numbers, to meet regularly, to gather in harmony and to disperse in harmony.

By doing this we make the causes for our Centre to last for 500 years for future generations to learn and practice Buddha Dhamma.

May our Buddha Dhamma Centre last for 500 years.

May all Buddha Dhamma Centres have long life and success.

May you be well and happy.

May all beings be well and happy.

Today's Buddhist Hour Broadcast script was prepared by Anita M. Hughes, Lainie Smallwood, Julian Bamford, Evelin Halls, Frank Carter, Leanne Eames, Helen Costas, Pennie White, Peter Boswell and Amber Svensson.

References

The Diamond-Cutter Sutra. Course VI. Level 1 of Middle way philosophy (Madhyamika) The Asian Classics Institute. Taught by Geshe Michael Roach New York USA online at www.world-view.org.

"Diamond Cutter Sutra" An Exalted Sutra of the Greater Way on the Perfection of Wisdom.

Translation of this sutra from Sanskrit into Tibetan, and its update into the newer translation standard, were completed by the Indian master Shilendra Bodhi and Yeshe De. The translation from Tibetan into English was completed by the American Geshe Lobsang Chunzin, Michael Roach, with the assistance of the American woman with lifetime vows, Christine McNally, in the gardens of Prince Jeta, during the opening days of the third millennium after Christ.

This paper is for Free Distribution. It contains Buddha Dhamma material and is provided for the purpose of research and study.

Permission is given to make printouts of this publication for FREE DISTRIBUTION ONLY. Please keep it in a clean place.

"The gift of Dhamma excels all other gifts".

Statistics

Words: 3264
Characters: 17295
Paragraphs: 153
Sentences: 151

Averages:

Sentences per paragraph: 1.0
Words per sentence: 21.6
Characters per word: 5.1

Readability Statistics:

Passive Sentences: 9% (13.6 sentences approximately)
Flesch Reading Ease: 47.8
Flesch Kincaid Grade Level: 11.2
Coleman Liau Grade Level: 16.4
Bormuth Grade Level: 11.5

Disclaimer

As we, the Chan Academy Australia, Chan Academy being a registered business name of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., do not control the actions of our service providers from time to time, make no warranty as to the continuous operation of our website(s). Also, we make no assertion as to the veracity of any of the information included in any of the links with our websites, or another source accessed through our website(s).

Accordingly, we accept no liability to any user or subsequent third party, either expressed or implied, whether or not caused by error or omission on either our part, or a member, employee or other person associated with the Chan Academy Australia (Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.).

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