DAY ONE: Friday 20th FEB, 2004
Session 1: 10:15 - 11:45am
The Present State of Buddhism in Australia. Impact; changes; trends; tensions; relations between schools; future directions
Teaching Buddhism to Australians
Ven. Lama Choedak Rinpoche (Sakya Losal Choe Dzong)
Buddhism primarily focuses on how to live consciously and act, think and speak with kindness so that one does not add to the causes of suffering. This awareness can be cultivated through meditation, simple living, and self-discipline. These help people to pause before any action and cultivate awareness that afflictions arise from selfishness and grasping onto wrong notions of self. As migrants, Australians are open to the teaching of non-self as most have renounced various aspects of their past selves, either as convicts, as boat people, or victims of war. Many overseas think of Australia as some kind of paradise, but we have one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world, and seemingly high flying people are often sufferers of depression and anxiety. This makes Australia ripe for the Buddhadharma.
Teaching Buddhism to Australians can be very challenging if one is too attached to one’s old ways, failing to understand Australian people’s ways of thinking. Australians interested in Buddhism are not deeply religious people, but are somewhat disillusioned with traditional religion and are very sceptical about anything religious. Buddhism promotes how to live in peace, harmony and compassion. Explaining Buddhist beliefs on reincarnation are not so popular with Australians. Australians enjoy life and they are appreciative of direct teaching on how to live well with mindfulness and compassion. The practical nature of Buddhist teachings can bring out the better side of people’s humanity.
Buddhist Publishing in Australia and Beyond
Alison Ribush (Mandala Books) and Dr Nicholas Ribush (Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive)
Buddhist publishing has grown exponentially over the last few decades, and Australians have played a large role in this growth. Publishing initiatives in Australia or by Australians include: Wisdom Publications, Mandala Books, Mandala Magazine, the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive (including Melbourne transcribing and digitalisation work), Tushita Publications (books by Geshe Loden), Gorum Publications (books by Lama Choedak Rinpoche), and Ordinary Mind magazine.
This paper will offer a brief overview of Mandala Books Pty Ltd, covering its purpose, functions and achievements, giving particular attention to the changes in the availability and distribution of Buddhist books in Australia over the last 30 years. More recently Lothian Books in Melbourne started a Buddhist list in late 2001, oriented toward mainstream Australian readers. Lothian Books aims to publish high quality books by Australian writers or teachers, and of teachings given in Australia and abroad. These books are available in all mainstream bookstores as well as in specialist outlets. Lothian Books employs Australian editors, illustrators and photographers. Dr. Nick Ribush will focus on the essential archiving and digitalisation process for Buddhist teachings, and free books produced by the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.
Session 2: 1:00 - 2:30pm
Buddhism and Society/Community. Social cohesion; charities; family crisis; social welfare; youth; crime; corrections; business
The Contribution of Buddhist Psychotherapy to Mental Health in Australia
Patricia Sherwood (Director of Sophia College of Counselling, WA)
This paper introduces the profession of Buddhist Psychotherapy by defining the discipline as a fusion between western psychology and Buddhist Psychology. It outlines the common features of Buddhist psychotherapists, including working with attachment to permanence, being fully present in the present moment, monitoring the quality of thinking, developing insight into patterns of thinking that create suffering and cultivating compassion and the experience of interbeing for mental health and well being. The principle arenas in which Buddhist Psychotherapy is currently making innovative contributions to transform Australian society are documented. These include the fields of prison work, palliative care including grief and loss counselling, and stress and pain management.
Buddhist Chaplaincy In Victorian Prisons
Michael Wells (Buddhist Council of Victoria)
In late 2002 the Buddhist Council of Victoria entered into discussions with Corrections Victoria over the provision of religious support to Buddhist prisoners in Victorian prisons. From a number of years, various Buddhist Sangha had been engaged in providing religious support to inmates, but this waxed and waned and had been limited to one or two prisons.
Both the Buddhist Council of Victoria and Corrections Victoria were interested in ensuring that all Buddhist prisoners who wished to access a Buddhist chaplain would be able to do so. This paper briefly outlines the trials and tribulations in attempting to set up the chaplaincy service, outlines the areas of need encountered so far, the difficulties in providing services, the successes we have had and some aspirations for the future.
Session 3: 3:00 – 4:30pm
Buddhism and Peace. Buddhist solutions for war, terrorism and conflicts; reconciliation; harmony
Just a Little Peace
Ven Ajahn Sujato (Santi Forest Monastery)
Peace is both the beginning and the end of Buddhism. Conflict in society and the family springs from afflictive emotions and lack of clarity in understanding. The earliest Buddhist scriptures, shared in common by all schools of Buddhism, offer a perspective on peace that is both profound and pragmatic. Social harmony leads to peace of mind; peace of mind leads to wisdom; and wisdom leads to the ultimate peace of Nibbana. While it is sadly true that Buddhist cultures have not always lived up to the Buddha's exalted ethical standard, still the Buddhist legacy offers an approach to peace that is radical, consistent, and empowering.
Engaged Buddhism: A Buddhist’s Place is in the Struggle!
Jill Jameson (Buddhist Peace Fellowship)
Buddhist practice is not just a quest for harmony, but also a celebration of difference. There are no Buddhist solutions for war, terrorism and conflict – just the continuous dance of turmoil and change. Engaged Buddhism responds to oppressive social structures, abuses of power and human rights, as well as exploring the root causes of conflict and aggression. It is about being fully alive, recreating the present in body and heart. This is the practice of peace.
Jill Jameson is a community development facilitator in conflict resolution and international development. She is a guiding member of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship in Melbourne, and a member of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists. Active in rallying protest against government policy on terrorism and Iraq, Jill is committed to grassroots activism on a number of fronts, most recently support for asylum seekers and refugees, as well as anti-war activism. Her work draws strength from all Buddhist meditation and wisdom traditions.
Buddhist Ethics in a Time of Terror and Crisis: Exploring a Culture of Non-Violence.
Prof. Padmasiri de Silva (Monash University)
This paper attempts to discuss four important themes related to issues of war and peace in times of crisis. First, the vacuous nature of the “cold war peace” and the insidious role of the power of “traumas” of defeat and humiliation- memories of history; secondly the breakdown of ethics and responsibility within the framework of the technological war culture and the culture of terrorism; thirdly, a diagnostic analysis of the roots of conflict and war; lastly, developing positive projects for new concepts of dialogue and communication, and working models for peace education
Prof Padmasiri de Silva was formerly Professor and Head of the Philosophy and Psychology Department, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and is currently a Research Fellow at Monash University. He also held visiting positions at the National University of Singapore, University of Pittsburgh, Visiting ISLE Professor in USA and University of Waikato. Prof. de Silva has a deep interest in Buddhist ethics and has written on Buddhism and peace, Buddhism and society, Buddhism and moral dilemmas, human rights and environmental ethics, and Buddhism and the work ethic. His publications include Environmental Philosophy and Ethics in Buddhism, Buddhist and Freudian Psychology, An Introduction to Buddhist Psychology and Twin Peaks: Compassion and Insight.
DAY TWO: Saturday 21st FEB, 2004
Session 4: 9:00 – 11:00am
Buddhism and Health. The aged; mental health; the disabled; nursing; palliative care; Buddhist psychotherapy; meditation and well–being
Your Life Matters
Petrea King (Quest for Life Foundation)
Bodies serve the revelation of consciousness. By anchoring our sense of self to that which is beyond the vagaries of change we co-operate with the self-healing potential and optimal maintenance of our physical bodies. Meditation and awareness make possible the rewiring of neural pathways and provide the opportunity to release the issues stored in our tissues. We can shift our perspective to one that takes responsibility for our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Establishing peace within ourselves leads to greater health and vitality. Health is not the absence of disease. It is a dynamic state of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health in which we feel capable of embracing each moment with an open heart and a clear mind.
'Aging, Illness and Death are Treasures for those who understand them but then to give care to those in need is to share that Treasure'
Ven. Chi Kwang Sunim (The Seon (Zen) Centre)
Drawing from experiences of a traditional monastic path and its attitudes towards health care, I have noted that Sangha awareness and involvement in these issues are growing. This interest is especially noticeable in the areas of the aged, hospice and palliative care. Mirroring societies social pains and their habitual solutions, as technology ebbs further into temple lifestyles, traditional Sanghas are faced with new challenges in reaching out to help the greater community. Inevitably some traditional pathways are drying up, but what springs forth, is hopefully a greater awareness of the social and ethical responsibilities by the monastic communities in order to bring about a deeper involvement and interconnectedness with this troubled world.
Session 5: 11:30 – 1:00pm
Buddhism and Education/Communication. Training and education; propagation; internet; scholarly and cultural activities
Buddhist Information, Education and resources on the Internet
Ven Pannyavaro (Buddha Dharma Education Foundation)
The Internet has provided both society, and more importantly the individual, with a very powerful communications network accessible anywhere anytime by utilising the latest wireless digital technologies.
BuddhaNet is a non-sectarian Buddhist information and education network embracing all traditions, publications and organisations. As such, the website contains a wide variety of professional quality PDF files of popular modern and ancient texts and commentaries, as well as original Buddhist scriptures and translations, a unique worldwide directory of Buddhist centres and temples, audio dharma talks, chanting and temple sound effects, flash presentations and learning programs, a monthly magazine and even comics and animations for the kids!
This digital information database and worldwide communications network combine to form the framework of BuddhaNet’s online education and e-learning programs. The fact that a dharma student, or curious researcher, can access th9is quality of information from anywhere in the world, anytime day or night, personally and instantly is perhaps the greatest attribute of online learning programs. The future will one day see online real time chat between student and teacher, online meditation classes and education courses, as well as increasingly sophisticated multimedia and software programs.
Buddhism and Education: Caring for Our Children and the Future.
Judith Macdonald and Allys Andrews (Buddhist Council of Victoria)
This will be a joint presentation, shared between Allys Andrews and Judith Macdonald, and presented by Judith. Allys describes her experiences teaching Buddhism to primary and secondary students through the Tara Institute programme and the benefits of meditation for young children and teenagers. Judith will outline initiatives in Victoria with the Buddhist Education Project and the educational opportunities that Buddhism provides especially in the areas of emotional intelligence and creative learning.
Judith Macdonald has been a student of Buddhism for many years and a long-term member of the Buddhist Society of Victoria. Currently she is convening the Buddhist Education in Victorian Schools Project of the Buddhist Council of Victoria Inc. She was a teacher in the secondary and TAFE sectors for over 25 years and a policy advisor and project manager on equal educational opportunities in the Victorian Education Department for 7 years. Mother of three children, Allys Andrews has been studying Buddhism for 25 years and has been connected with Tara Institute, a Tibetan Buddhist Centre in the Geluk tradition since 1980. Allys teaches introduction to Buddhist Meditation at Tara Institute, leads weekend courses and teaches secondary students of religious studies in independent, private and Catholic schools around Melbourne. In 2002, Allys co-ordinated the “Dialogue with the Dalai Lama” forum for 9000 Victorian secondary students. Most recently she has co-organised the Melbourne leg of the Australian tour of Tibetan nuns from Kathmandu.
Buddhism and Communications in Multicultural Australia.
Luu Tuong Quang (SBS Radio Australia)
In an age of heightened tensions in Australia and around the world, the message of Buddhism has never been more necessary to bring peace to communities and spiritual refuge to individuals. The challenge is how to clarify that message so that it speaks clearly in diverse voices to different people with disparate needs and to communicate it so that it cuts through an ever-increasing information clutter. As with other organisations, religious bodies are applying a variety of methods utilising specific media or a combination of media, but for Buddhists the central question remains: ‘How to keep true to Buddhist principles while promoting them?’
Session 6: 2:00 – 3:30pm
Creating “Australian Buddhism”. Impact of Buddhism in Australia; white/ethnic Buddhism; Australian/American Buddhism; New Age Buddhism; cult Buddhism; Buddhism’s contribution to Australia; hierarchy/democracy; individualism/conformity; monastic / laity
The Buddhist Society of Western Australia: A Case Study.
Ven Ajahn Brahmavamso (Bodhinyana Monastery)
This paper seeks to demonstrate, by using the example of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia (BSWA), how it is possible to make Buddhism relevant, interesting and accessible to the wider Australian community. Over the past 30 years the BSWA has grown from a mere handful of Western-born Buddhists into perhaps the largest, most dynamic, and truly multicultural institution in Australia. This success be can easily understood by observing the core strategies which have been used to spread the Buddha-Dharma in Western Australia. Those strategies are: making the teachings relevant, making Buddhism fun and interesting, maintaining the tradition, and inspiring by example.
The result of these four strategies, combined with the fact that we run entirely on a generosity system, is that we now have the largest training monastery outside of Asia for monks, and a thriving, purpose-built nun’s monastery. Many hundreds of people pass through our city centre every weekend to listen to talks, offer food to monastics, and learn how to meditate. Our BSWA website is one of the most popular Buddhist sites in the world, attracting over 200,000 ‘hits’ per month! Such results really speak for themselves, and should provide inspiration for all Buddhists on how to make the Buddha-Dharma successful and prosperous in this modern age.
You Really Were Listening to Me!
Ven Sister Ajahn Vayama (Dhammasara Nuns' Monastery)
Traditionally the Buddhist view has been mainly articulated by men. One significant change that is occurring in planting the foundations of Buddhism in Australia is that increasingly women as well as men are filling the leadership and teaching positions. This change provides contemporary Buddhist women with a wider range of models for engaging within their religion, and for engaging in society at large, an it is changing their perspective on what it means to be a Buddhist.
Using my experience in helping to establish a forest monastery for nuns in Perth, Western Australia, I shall discuss how having women for positions of authority and competence positively influences other women’s aspirations for what they can accomplish in their own Dhamma practice; and how, because it allows them to speak more openly and intimately about life issues, it encourages women to explore more vigorously what the Dhamma has to offer. This means that some previously un-represented perspectives are emerging, which will need to be taken into account for the future of Buddhism in Australia.
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