Today's program is called: Learning the right risk taking in turbulent environments

Today, we wish to welcome our new audiences which we cover by relay.

Our web site www.bdcu.org.au (repeat) carries detailed information of our organisation.

We recommend if you wish to contact to visit our Centre you telephone for an appointment.

Recently, on FM radio, we have been sharing with you of the practical measures we have in place and about how we view the challenges of the 21st. century and what we are doing to position ourselves so we don't just sit around doing nothing.

As a peak Buddhist organisation in Australia and a regional centre of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, this month we were chartered to be part of the World Buddhist University (the WBU) (1).

We wish to thank our Dhamma friends in Thailand for their hard work in making the WBU possible.

Our organisation wishes to thank the delegates of the World Fellowship of Buddhists for electing our Founder John D. Hughes as a Vice President of the World Fellowship of Buddhists.

The WFB Vice President and Chairman of the Organisation Committee
Lt. General Chalom Wismol has written to our President, Mr. Vincent Cavuoto as follows:.

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WFB (1101B) 336/2541

13 November, B.E. 2541 (1998)

Mr Vincent Cavuoto
President
Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey)
33 Brooking St., Upwey, 3158
Victoria, Australia

Dear Friend in the Dhamma,

First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks and appreciation to you and John D. Hughes for your strong efforts in making the Conference a real success. This Conference must be remembered fro years due to the fact that a number of new office-bearers have been elected especially the new President (Mr. Phan Wannamethee), 15 Vice Presidents, nine Chairpersons of the Standing Committee and eight Members of the WFB Council. It therefore can be said that the new beginning of the WFB's vision and mission in the upcoming century has been incorporated right after the closing ceremony. I do understand that every delegate returned home with a new paradigm and new vision gained from the Conference.

In this connection, it can be concluded that the Conference achieved the objectives as planned. All the participants contributed to the Conference in an amicable atmosphere which resulted in friendship and understanding among all the Buddhists, both monks and laity. The World Buddhist University would be a driving force for us for study and practice of the Dhamma in the 21st Century ass well as the propagation of Buddhism.

I therefore wish to extend my gratitude and appreciation to you John D. Hughes and your staff once again and those concerned for making the Conference a success. May I invoke the Triple Gem to bless you for everlasting peace and happiness.

Yours in the Dhamma,

Lt. Gen. Chalom Wismol
WFB Vice President
Chairman of the Organizing Committee

***

We agree with the overview of the conference so expressed by Lt. General Chalom Wismol.

This week we held a general meeting to precede with the formalities of the Board of Education Standing Committee Charter needed.

The minuted document carried reads as follows.

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1.0 Preamble

The Delegates representing many countries and organisations from all parts of the world who attended the World Fellowship of Buddhists 20th General Conference in New South Wales, Australia, from 29 October to 2 November 1998 (2541 B.E.), approved the Charter of the World Buddhist University (WBU).

The main objective of this Charter is to conduct advanced Buddhistic studies and co-ordinate globally with the universities and institutions which offer Buddhist studies, research activity, training, spiritual practice, cultural exchange and education in order to enhance the realisation of the aims of the World Fellowship of Buddhists.

The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. (A.C.N. 005 701 806), which is an Australian company, has been approved by the Delegates of the World Fellowship of Buddhists 20th General Conference to operate as an associated institution of the World Buddhist University in the role of a spiritual training centre.

This spiritual training centre will be administered by the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. A.C.N. 005 701 806, having a registered office at 33 Brooking Street, Upwey, Victoria, 3158.

2.0 The Role of a University

Professor Marian Quarterly, Arts Dean, Monash University, states Universities existed to create, preserve and disseminate knowledge, especially abstract, reflexive, disciplinary knowledge or "elite knowledge" (2).

She notes there is a tension within disciplinary knowledge between creation and conservation.

3.0 Responsibilities of the Board of Education Standing Committee at the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.

The Board of Education Standing Committee is responsible to the Australian legal entity, Australian Company Number 005 701 806.

The Australian Company has applied to register as a Business Name Registration in Australia: THE WORLD BUDDHIST UNIVERSITY.

The Board of Education Standing Committee is responsible for the development, implementation and modification of the educational religious policy of the associated institution of the WBU.

The range of the Board's responsibilities requires it to carry out a number of roles:

3.1 Maintaining a list of Teachers (Ajaans) and Scholars who are sufficiently qualified in spiritual development or scholarly endeavour to act ass referees or advisers on artefacts, on foreign language notes, on chronicles or other business referred to them on behalf of the Board of Education Standing Committee;

3.2 Collecting, researching and writing papers about specialised Buddha Dhamma teaching practices Worldwide;

3.3 Production, publication and circulation of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd's Journal BUDDHA DHYANA DANA REVIEW

3.4 Observing the principles of the five roles designed to encourage a culture of Buddhist scholarship listed in the 1996 Annual Report and Position Paper of the Publication Development Work Group Report No. 113 (3);

3.5 Conservation of knowledge resources held by the JOHN D. HUGHES Collection at the Centre (4);

3.6 Operation of and the conservation of the knowledge resources held on the Centre's website www.bdcu.org.au

3.7 Regulating activities in the fiduciary use of the name "THE WORLD BUDDHIST UNIVERSITY".

4.0 Composition of the Board of Education Standing Committee

The inaugural Board of Education Standing Committee was formed on 16 November 1998 C.E. by requesting elected Office Bearers of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. and seconding suitable persons from other sources to join the Board.

The Board of Education Standing Committee Chairperson shall be a Vice President of The World Fellowship of Buddhists or a Member of The World Fellowship of Buddhists or a Member of The World Fellowship of Buddhists EXCO (Executive Committee).

The Board of Education Standing Committee will consist of a Director, the Vice President of Religious Education, a Life Member, the company treasurer, the company accountant of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.

An administrative officer and secretarial staff will be provided to the Education Standing Committee by the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.

The Board of Education Standing Committee may request other suitable persons be provided by the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. or it may second suitable persons from other sources as required.

The Standing Committee may pledge matters to either ad hoc workgroups or refer them to existing Centre workgroups for advice on business functions which require administrative expertise to guide policy formation.

4.1 Observers at the Board of Education Standing Committee Meetings

In general, Board of Education Standing Committee meetings are closed meetings. Confidentiality requires that no Press be allowed to act as observers at meetings.

5.0 Members of the Inaugural Board of Education Standing Committee

Standing Committee Members have an initial term of nine years.

On 16 November 1998 C.E., the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. requested and the following persons agreed to be Members of the Inaugural Board of Education Standing Committee of the World Buddhist University at A.C.N. 005 701 806: Pamela Adkins, Julian Bamford, Peter Boswell, Vincenzo Cavuoto, John D. Hughes, Master Lin K. S. and Nicholas Prescott.

References

1. World Fellowship of Buddhists WBU Draft Charter was submitted to the WFB General Conference for approval on 1 November 1998 C.E. The document (12 pages) comprises a Preamble and 13 Articles.

2. Healy, Guy, Market to Drive Arts Evolution, The Australian Newspaper, 11 November 1988 (p37)

3. 1996 Annual Report and Position Paper of the Publication Development Work Group Report No. 113, dated 28 June 1996¨.

The five roles are:

1. To bring about information dissemination;
2. To act as an institutional brokers who identify networking opportunities with others;
3. To pass beyond a focus of simple collaboration;
4. 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;
5. 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.

4. The John D. Hughes Collection information pamphlet, published by The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., April, 1998

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We are pleased to announce two of our Patron senior Monks, Most Venerable Ajaan Dr. Viriyananda Mahathera and Venerable Polpitiye Kassapa Mahathera have consented to join the Board of Education Standing Committee.

These eminent Ajaans bring their deep personal knowledge of bhavana in Buddha Dhamma and their empathy obtained in day-to-day operating conditions of their own Buddhist organisations in Australia and overseas.

Both are familiar with the dhamma practices of our Founder and Members practice and have helped us over many years.

Their acceptance of positions on the Board of Education Standing Committee is welcomed and provides an active means whereby they can continue to lend a helping hand to our organisation of our World Buddhist University Spiritual Training Centre.

This week, our Founder is endeavouring to invite a further senior Monk and a senior Nun resident in Australia to join the Board.

He advised us to remember what Will Rogers said:

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

This month, ten of our key Members attended the World Fellowship of Buddhists Conference while others key Members attended to our Centre.

Our Members worked in teams all day to 3 or 4 o'clock in the mornings to ensure that delegates had the papers they needed available for distribution at breakfast the next day.

They had little time to just sit there because our teams worked in teams between the executive committee meetings, their office and the delegate conference rooms. Each evening, a daily newsletter was prepared.

Some measure of the work covered may be judged by the fact our rapporteurs distributed over 16,000 sheets of A4 paper during the five days.

We wish to thank Venerable Man Chein, Abbess of the Nan Tien Temple at Wollongong for her help in providing office space for our equipment.

We wish to thank Members Frank Carter and Ron Mallon for loading our equipment and carrying it to and from the Nan Tien Temple facilities.

The Venerable and her Nuns co-ordinated a staff of 400 laypersons to operate the amenities of the Temple for the Conference.

The Conference dealt with the election of Office Bearers.

The Conference dealt with election of Organisations who had applied to become WFB Members.

There were nine working committees each reporting back to the General Conference and deciding on several aspects of forward planning for Pan Buddhist activities into the 21st Century.

The launch of the World Buddhist University was one highlight of the Conference.

Earlier, eight of our Members who are well skilled in the use of our word processing packets volunteered to act as Rapporteurs for the five-day Conference.

Because English was the language of the Conference, those attending were given intensive training on how to communicate to persons who use English as a second language.

Some of our Members attending are fluent in European languages and two Members have expertise in Japanese-English translation.

Two of our Members drove truckloads of computers, several laser printers, photocopiers, regulated power supplies, office supplies and service equipment from our Centre to the Conference Office provided within the Nan Tien Temple.

Our volunteer Members were fortunate to work closely in an international setting with executives and staff from the WFB Head Office in Thailand.

Our organisation's Members are fortunate that they choose to use some of its leisure time to explore a variety of techniques that treat planning, and especially long-term planning, in a respectful manner.

***

The Swinburne Institute of Technology has commenced construction of the new Graduate School of Management building located on Wakefield Street between John and William Streets in Hawthorn, Victoria.

Due for completion in July, 1999, the building comprises ten teaching rooms, a lecture theatre, student accommodation and an international prayer and meditation room.

They will offer Masters Degrees in Management and Business and a Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA).

The DBA differs from a PhD in that it is for the practising manager who wants to develop skills in a practical discipline.

A PhD on the other hand is designed more towards research, with graduates largely opting for a career in academia.

Their website is: www.swin.edu.au/sgsm

They are seeking an intake of 12 participants.

As regional economies contract, there is a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty about the future directions of Australian businesses.

The DBA goes a long way towards meeting these anxieties.

Trained managers is one element needed to help towards our Nation's prosperity.

This script was written and edited by John D. Hughes and Leanne Eames.

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