BDCU Newsletters
Since 1978 the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd has produced three newsletters, two of which are no longer in production.
Current Newsletter
The Brooking Street Bulletin, published regularly since 2006, is our current newsletter for Members and Friends which details the month to month activities of the Centre and its Members.
Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd Newsletter (1978 – 1990)
The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd Newsletter was published from November 1978 until December 1990 and contained a mix of news about our Centre, other local Buddhist Centre’s activities and Buddha Dhamma articles and Teachings by various Buddhist Teachers. The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd Newsletter was distributed in large quantities both in Australia and internationally to approximately 40 countries.
A Short History of BDCU Newsletters
The inaugural meeting of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. was held 9 September 1978. The first issue of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd Newsletter was published in November 1978 as an ongoing record of the activities of the centre and as a means of offering Dhamma Dana to Buddhist practitioners and their temples.
Initially the Newsletter was typed and edited at the centre and printed on a duplicating machine. However, by the early 1980’s, it was photocopied using a photocopier at one of the centre’s Member’s business premises. The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd Newsletter was produced until December 1990 by which time it was being printed at the centre on an offset press and then posted to recipients in Australia and overseas. Approximately 1,000 copies were printed per issue and distribution was done via the post to about 40 different countries worldwide. Many of the recipients were Buddhist Temples, monks, scholars, teachers and educational institutions.
Frequent requests were received from Buddhist scholars or monks for Dhamma articles they had written to be published in the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd Newsletter, as in those times it was very difficult to get small articles published and distributed. Many of these articles appear in the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd Newsletter archive on this website.
The work of writing, typing, printing, addressing and posting the Newsletters as a practice of Dhamma Dana was highly meritorious as the contents usually included Buddha Dhamma Teachings by various Buddhist Monks, Nuns, Teachers and scholars, and a chronicle of some of the Dhamma activities done at the centre.
Finally, in March 1991, the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd Newsletter was replaced by the Buddha Dhyana Dana Review which became the flagship of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd for the next 14 years or so.
