Australian Phat Quang Pagoda Corner-Stone Laying Ceremony
on the 13th Day of January of the Year 2002
Welcoming Address by the Abbess Thich Nu Chan Kim
Address by the Most Venerable Thich Tam Chau
Address John D. Hughes Dip. App. Chem T.T.T.C. GDAIE
Grand Ceremony of the corner stone laying for the construction on Phat Quang Temple
10:30am
Respectfully welcoming venerable members of the Sangha, Australian M.P. and distinguished Guests attending to the ceremony with the rhythm of big bells and big drums in crescendo, associated with lion dance exhibition.
Salute of National and Buddhist Anthems.
A minute of silence.
-Introduction of the most Venerable members of the Sangha and Distinguished Guests.
-Speech of the head of the organising committee
-Address of the most Venerable Thich Tam Chau Supreme Patriarch of the World Vietnamese Buddhist order.
-Brief impression of the most venerable members of the Sangha and distinguished guests.
-Buddhist members offering flowers.
Respectfully inviting Venerable Members of the Sangha and distinguished Guests for laying corner stone, while releasing greeting balloons, bursting fire crackers associated with lion dance exhibition.
-Praying, Buddha praising, chanting and special thanks.
Welcoming Address for PhatQuang Temple Corner-stone Laying Ceremony
on the 13th day of January 2002
Namo Sakya Muni Buddha
The Most Venerable Thich-Tam-Chau, Supreme Patriarch of the World Vietnamese Buddhist Order
The Most Venerable of the Sangha
Venerable Members of the Sangha
Dear Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
On behalf of The Nuns and Buddhists of PhatQuang Temple, we respectfully bow in deep gratitude to the Most Venerable Supreme Patriarch of The World Vietnamese Buddhist Order, to the Most Venerable Members of the Sangha. We would like to extend our greetings to the Distinguished Guests, to different religions, to associations, to Buddhist members and families who spared your valuable time by your presence in this ceremony.
The PhatQuang Pagoda has been existing in this area since August 1991 through the transformation of a house into a Temple, with a modest need, a place for worshipping. Over 10 years passed, we are fortunate in obtaining this year the necessary building Authorization allowing us to hold the Corner-Stone Laying ceremony today.
We sincerely express our thanks to the Maribyrnong City Council for giving us that permit. We also extend our gratitude to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affair for granting some entry Visas for Traditional Sculptors from Vietnam, and this years some more will come under a temporary long stay entry Visas.
The construction of the new PhatQuang Temple is estimated to 1 million 5 hundred Australian Dollars. We rely on the donations from Buddhists in Australia as well as Buddhists from over the world for having enough fund.
Once more we respectfully express our deep gratitude to the Most Venerable Supreme Patriarch, to the Most Venerable Sangha, to Venerable Members of the Sangha, to our Distinguished Guests, to our fellows country people and Buddhists.
We pray, The Triple Gems to extend their Blessings for a perfect health and peace, a entire happiness and prosperity to all of you.
Thank you ever so much. Thank you for your attention.
Namo Boddhisatva for the Dharma
Abbess Thich Nu Chan Kim
Address by the Most Venerable Thich Tam Chau,
The Supreme Patriarch of the World Vietnamese Buddhist Order
at the Australian Phat Quang Pagoda Corner-Stone Laying Ceremony
on the 13th Day of January of the Year 2002
Namo Sakyamuni Buddha
Venerable Members of the MahaSangha,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honour and privilege for us to be here today to join you, Venerable Members of the MahaSangha, the distinguished Representatives of various Government Agencies, of different Religious and Associations, of our fellow country people and Buddhists in this Corner-Stone Laying Ceremony for the new Phat Quang Pagoda.
The first thing we would like to say is to express our most grateful thanks to the Government and people of Australia for their selfless and compassionate help kindly extended to Vietnamese refugees in the latter's settlement and rebuilding of their lifework enabling them to make their humble contribution to the common prosperity of Australia and preserve their traditional cultural way of life.
The Phat Quang Pagoda is one of the Pagodas of the Vietnamese refugees in Australia. The Phat Quang Pagoda is a member of the World Vietnamese Buddhist Order. The Phat Quang Pagoda was personally built by the Venerable Thich Nu Chan Kim in 1991. In spite of many ups and downs and bitterness, thanks to a high level of calm endurance in the face of adversities and humiliation, and with her steel will, she has been able to overcome all obstacles and hindrances and persist in moving forward for the sake of religion and humanity. After transforming an ordinary house into a pagoda, buying additional houses, installing altars for worshipping the Buddha and the family ancestors, creating places for reciting the sutras and delivering sermons, building flowery walls symbolizing the Buddhist culture, building the monastery, the Vietnam Garden, organizing the 7th General Conference of the World Vietnamese Buddhist Order on November 2000, today she is determined to build the new Phat Quang Temple. Her achievements are truly worthy of heartfelt eulogy.
Being a Member of the MahaSangha, the various deeds of preaching, guiding, doing community service, founding bells, casting sacred statues, building pagodas are all lofty altruistic undertaking. This understanding required a lot of calm endurance, and sustaining efforts in order to gain the desired results. It is the same with the building of the new Phat Quang Pagoda. Equipped with the blessings of many lives, with the wholehearted sincerity to serve the public good, Venerable Chan Kim and the Buddhists strongly attached to the Pagoda will certainly see the fulfillment of their earnest wish.
This is a common undertaking. We earnestly hope all benevolent hearts to contribute their efforts, talent and strength, in close cooperation with Venerable Chan Kim and the Buddhists, to bring this worthwhile undertaking to an early satisfactory completion.
We fervently pray to the Triple Gem to bestow blessings for the speedy completion of this Buddhist work, for the happy, peaceful and fruitful life of all the Members of the MahaSangha, of our distinguished guests, of all our fellow country people and Buddhists.
Address John D. Hughes Dip. App. Chem T.T.T.C. GDAIE
Vice president World Fellowship of Buddhist
Founder Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
Your Supreme Venerable Highness, Venerable Guests, Honoured Guests, Respected Guests, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends in the Dharma.
I am pleased to be here today on this grand occasion.
The growth of the infrastructure of Buddha Dhamma in Australia and New Zealand is more than satisfactory to my knowledge there have been about 136 cornerstones laid for new buildings at Buddhist Temples over the last 3 decades.
We must congratulate our brothers and sisters in Dharma for this great effort by the apostles of our new world Buddhist order and in the Australian-New Zealand region.
As I travel the world with my wife and nurse in my capacity as Vice President of the World Fellowship of Buddhists I am happy and contented to let you know that Buddha Dhamma continues to flourish in every corner of the world unabated even for a moment.
In spite of the operations of war conducted against terrorists, it would seem that these operations of war may spread to other countries for the next two decades before the issues can be resolved.
Be that as it may we hope that the 21st century will be remembered as a new Buddhist era for the benefit of all human beings living on this planet and that the boundful merits generated by true practitioners will bring about operations of “world peace” in this century.
I pray for the attainment of ‘Bodhisattva Parami’ in this life for those who will occupy this building and may they be happy all along with all our friends far and near working hand in hand with you for the spreading of Buddha Dhamma in this continent.
May the Bodhisattva ideal carried by the Sangha and laypersons of this Temple continue for many lives for at least 1000 years.
When the time is right, Members of our Temple will donate some precious relics to our organisation for placement in the new construction.
On a personal note, I am happy to report my health is improving and I ought to be able to travel to visit more Temples over the next few years.
I will be travelling to Thailand next month as a guest speaker on a panel of a conference devoted for world peace.
I would like to thank all my Buddhist friends who chant and perform ceremonies dedicated to my long life and health.
Finally I congratulate you for the ceremony of the cornerstone laying here today and I am very happy to see so many of my old friends and new friends at this gathering.
May the Triple Gem bless you for prosperity and success.
Thank you for inviting me and giving me the opportunity to express my thanks to you.
Well Done, Well Done, Well Done.