Subject: Annual Report of Associated Institution of the World Buddhist University The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
Honourable Sir
Thank you for your letter received 30 January 2004.
Please accept our best wishes for the New Year for good health, peace and prosperity to you, your family and all your staff.
We are very happy to provide you with our annual report as an Associate Institution of the World Buddhist University.
The World Buddhist University was very close to the heart of our Founder, Master John D. Hughes.
We wish you every success for the World Buddhist University council meeting in Taiwan 22 February B.E. 2547/ 2004 and look forward to meeting with you at the next World Fellowship of Buddhists General conference.
With Metta
Yours in the Dhamma
Mrs. Anita Hughes RN Div 1
Director and Secretary
Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
Chan Academy
Chan Academy is a registered trading name of the
Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd
ACN 005 701 806 ABN 42 611 496 488
33 Brooking Street, Upwey 3158 Victoria Australia
Telephone/facsimile: +61 (03) 9754 3334
web site: www.bdcu.org.au
email: wbu@bdcu.org.au
10 December 2545 / 2002 to 9 December 2546 / 2003
Background
Our mandate is to maintain the mission and vision of our Founder, John David Hughes that our Buddha Dhamma Centre the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. with the brand name "Chan Academy Australia" (the Centre) to last for five hundred years or more.
This is our 26th year of operation since our Centre's inception on 9 September 1978.
This report is dedicated to our Founder, the late Master John D. Hughes, Council Advisor to the World Buddhist University, who passed away on 29 November 2003.
The objectives for which our Centre is established are:
(a) To introduce a philosophy of life based on the teachings of Buddha Dharma.
(b) To encourage the study, practice and realisation of Buddha Dharma.
(c) To promote activities associated with Buddhism and Buddhist Culture in Australia and overseas.
(d) To investigate unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent in man.
(e) To promote and maintain direct or auxiliary activities for educational, social, charitable, philanthropic, benevolent and humanitarian work.
(f) To build, construct, maintain and alter any buildings or works in accordance with the requirements of the Centre.
World Fellowship of Buddhists Regional Centre
The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. was accepted as a Regional Centre of the World Fellowship of Buddhist (WFB) in 1990 and works within the objectives of the WFB of:
* Promotion among the Members strict observance and practice of the teachings of the Buddha
* Propagation of the sublime doctrine of the Buddha
* Organisation and carrying out of activities in the field of social, cultural and other humanitarian services.
Our Founder, John David Hughes was a Vice President of the WFB and a Council Advisor of the World Buddhist University (WBU). Our members have been active in attending WFB Conferences and assisting the WFB Secretariate with their rapporteuring activities.
An Associate Institution of the World Buddhist University.
The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. was designated as a spiritual training Centre of the World Buddhist University at the 20th General Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, November 1998, Wollongong, Australia.
As a Regional Centre of the World Fellowship of Buddhists and an Associated Institution of the World Buddhist University, our Members have the opportunity to develop a professionalism and maturity in meeting other persons with altruistic motivates and Buddhist scholarship on an international platform.
They develop skills in using English as a second language within a global perspective that is conducive to maintaining learning as one of our key objectives. The lemma of our organisation is "Life times of learning".
Our Members are trained within our five styles of Friendliness, Scholarship, Cultural adaptability, Professionalism and Practicality.
We serve as an Associate Institution under the Charter of the WBU.
Activities of our Organisation as an Associate Centre of the World Buddhist University.
World Buddhist University Liaison
1. WBU Liaison Officer, Miss Pennie White keeps direct communication with WBU staff, reporting on our Centre's activities. Pennie is currently studying for her Masters of Education at Monash University, Melbourne. Pennie White has recently travelled to Thailand in on 21 September 2003 to carry out research at the World Buddhist University headquarters. Pennie White is now writing up this thesis on "The Use of Information and Communication Technology by the World Buddhist University".
2. Written reporting to WFB and WBU on Locally held International Buddhist activities, significant and note worthy activities of other Buddhist organisations. During the year 10 December 2545/2003 to 9 December 2456/2004 our Members attended the following key activities held locally and overseas with written reports available on our Buddha Dhyana Dana Review online at www.bddronline.net.au
* 22nd General Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, Selangor, Malayasia, December 2002. Details of the Conference and Photographs are available at http://www.bddronline.net.au, Volume 12 no. 8.
* Good will visit to WFB Regional Centre in Mongolia by Julie O'Donnell, Director, Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. July 2003. Details of the visit and photographs are available at www.bddronline.net.au Volume 13 No 3.
* Symposium on Health and Healing: a Buddhist perspective, August 2003. Details of the symposium and photographs are available at www.bddronline.net.au Volume 13 no. 4.
* H.E. Sakya Trizin's visit to Melbourne, May 2003. Details in Buddhist Hour Radio Script http://www.bdcublessings.net.au/radio275.html
* Opening Ceremony of Quang Duc Vietnamese Temple, October 2003 by Julie O'Donnell and Evelin Halls. Details of the visit and photographs are available at www.bddronline.net.au Volume 13 no.5
3 Our Centre representatives have been in attendance at WBU meetings and WFB conferences. Our Member Pennie White met with Council Members of the World Buddhist University at the 4th Council Meeting of The World Buddhist University held at the 22nd General Conference of the World Buddhist University. Pennie was happy to have the opportunity to discuss her Masters research topic on the "Use of Information and Communication Technology by the World Buddhist University".
Our Key Achievements for 10 December 2545/2002 to 9 December 2003.
1. Funeral Celebration and Ceremony for Master John David Hughes.
2. Publication of Commemorative Volume of the Funeral Ceremony and Celebration of Master John David Hughes.
3. Maintaining our scholarship activities of writing our radio scripts each week, publishing papers and articles on our five websites, publishing our online journal, Buddha Dhyana Dana Review.
4. Our five websites recorded over 24,000 visits since inception
5. We reached the milestone of broadcasting 300 consecutive weeks writing and producing the Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast.
6. Completed the first of nine years Abhidhamma classes
7. Online publishing achievement of 300 documents and 3000 colour photographs, scans of rare artworks on our 5 websites.
8. Six Members attended the World Fellowship of Buddhists 22nd Biannual Conference held in Selangor, Malaysia
9. Exhibition and Auction of Chan Paintings by John D. Hughes, presented by John D. Hughes and Associates Pty Ltd and the Chan Academy Australia.
10. Chan Academy Sumi-e Program: The Ten Chan Masters in 2002 and Seven Factors of Enlightenment in 2003 taught by visiting Master Andre Sollier
11. We have published 100 Issues of the Brooking Street Bugle in print and online at www.bsbonline.com.au
Our Goals for 2004
1. To offer our services in assisting WFB and WBU with editing of documents and publications in the English language.
2. Continue liaison with WFB, WBU and Buddhist Institutions and Scholar around the world.
3. Report to WFB and WBU on the upcoming Australian Buddhists General Conference 20 - 22 February 2004 held at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.
4. Continue to publish Buddha Dhamma documents online on our five websites for our global audience.
5. Commence to operate our online learning website www.edharma.org
6. Increase our representation at key Buddhist events, locally, nationally and internationally.
7. Increase our membership by 25%
8. To set up a Standing Committee on Education at the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
Key Implementation Objective: Formation of Standing Committee on Education of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
The range of the Committee's responsibilities requires it to carry out a number of roles:
1 To function in accordance with WFB and WBU principles.
2 To maintain a list of Teachers (Ajaans) and Scholars who are sufficiently qualified in spiritual development or scholarly endeavour to act as referees or advisers on artifacts, on foreign language notes, on chronicles or other business referred to them on behalf of the Committee;
3 To provide a Code of Conduct for students and Members of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. in strict observance of the Doctrine of the Buddha.
4 To collect, research and write papers about specialised Buddha Dhamma teaching practices worldwide;
5 To produce the online publication the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.'s Journal Buddha Dhyana Dana Review; with the possibility of resuming paper based distribution depending on funding.
6 To observe the principles of the five roles designed to encourage a culture of Buddha Dhamma scholarship listed in the 1996 Annual Report and Position Paper of the Publication Development Work Group Report No. 113 (3) of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.;
The five roles are:
* to bring about information dissemination;
* to act as institutional brokers who identify networking opportunities with others;
* to pass beyond a focus of simple collaboration;
* to identify the changes of thinking needed to discover the missing links which are realised from taking a more long term strategic focus of scholarship rather than a short term approach; and
* to slow down the demolition of written Buddha Dhamma culture in Australia and overseas which occurs as journals and books acquire the fragile and ephemeral character of mere magazines.
7 Conservation of knowledge resources held by the John D. Hughes Collection at the Centre;
8 Operation of and the conservation of the knowledge resources held on the Centre's Web sites
9 Operation of and the conservation of the knowledge resources held on our Centre's Local Area Networks.
References
1. World Fellowship of Buddhists (WBU) Draft Charter was submitted to the WFB General Conference for approval on 1 November 1998 C.E.
2. 1996 Annual Report and Position Paper of the Publication Development Work Group Report No. 113, dated 28 June 1996, (Ref: PC1A\WP50\DATA\PDSC\RPT96).
3. The John D. Hughes Collection Information pamphlet, published by The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd, April, 1998.
4. Bamford, Julian, B.A. App. Rec. (2003) President's Annual Report 2002 - 2003, Work Paper No. 2003-1, Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., Melbourne, LAN 2 File reference: I:\presrp03.rtf
5. Hughes, John D. (2000) The B.D.C.(U)Ltd. as a spiritual training centre of the WBU, Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. in Buddhist Hour Broadcast Script 115, available at www.bdcublessings.net.au
6. White, Pennie BA, DipEd (2003) Report on International Dhamma Activities (IDA) Task Unit of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. for the Period 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003, Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., Melbourne, LAN 2 File Reference I:\idarpt03.rtf
Please also refer to our Teaching Program for 2004 and Company Structure online at www.bdcu.org.au
Prepared 2 February 2004 by Anita Hughes, RN.Div1, Director and Secretary and Pennie White, Vice-President International Dhamma Activities, World Buddhist University Liaison Officer, World Fellowship of Buddhists Standing Committee on Women Joint-Secretary.
File reference I:\wburpt04.rtf