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Chan Academy is a registered trading name of
Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
A.C.N. 005 701 806 A.B.N. 42 611 496 488
33 Brooking St, Upwey, Victoria 3158, Australia
Telephone / Facsimile: +613 9754 3334
Email: wbu@bdcu.org.au Website: www.bdcu.org.au
World Fellowship of Buddhists Regional Centre
Associated Institution of the World Fellowship of Buddhists
Member Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria
President’s Annual Report
Period 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004
Written by
Julian Bamford BA
Thank you to Our Founder John David Hughes
I will begin this Presidents 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.
Today’s Annual General Meeting is significant in many ways and 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 out Centre. The Funeral Celebration was blessed by many Monks and the funeral service was guided by Master Ru Sun at our Temple 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 the time since.
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 guided 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. and 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”.
In 2004 we commenced a weekly program of Thangka Painting Classes.
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.
Flower stalls held on peak celebration days generated in excess of $3339, while raffles raised $4203. We thank the many commercial plant nursery 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, 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 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 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 totalling 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 Local Area Planning and Asset (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 Centres 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 Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. Database.
To write and implement our Local Area and Asset Management (LAPAM) Cyclical Maintenance Program.
To write and implement our Occupational Health & Safety (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 Australia 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 Founders 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 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) and 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 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 broadcasts 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.
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