The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Archives

Today, is 4 July, a special day for Americans.

It is a public holiday in The U.S.A.--they are celebrating the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

When a country has freedom of speech, it means its citizens find it possible to practice a diversity of religions of your choice.

In many countries, the Government specifies what religions are acceptable to be practiced in that country and what religions are acceptable.

President Clinton's message commemorating the 233rd. anniversary of the signing of the Declaration makes it clear that diversity of religions can be a source of strength rather than a cause for division.

The U.S.A. enjoys a high degree of religious freedom. Religion and the State do not go arm in arm in that country.

There is an absolute wall of separation between religion and the state, which is guaranteed by their Constitution.

Since American society is pluralistic in its nature, its people enjoy complete freedom of thought and expression.

Thus the American attitude towards other religions, especially towards Buddha Dhamma, is one of tolerance and understanding.

The words of the President of the U.S.A. are clear:

He declared:

"Every generation of Americans owes a profound debt of gratitude to our Founders for envisioning a nation that, as President Lincoln so eloquently put it, was "conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." Inspired by this same vision, we have built together a society in which freedom and democracy do more than enlighten our laws and political institutions-- they permeate our culture and way of life.

We have only to look at the recent tragic events in Kosovo to recognize how blessed we are to live in a land where life, liberty, and equality are cherished rights, upheld by courts and custom, and where, as we realize more each day, our diversity is a source of strength rather than a cause for division.

On this day, as we look back with pride on our heritage of freedom, let us look forward as well with renewed hope for the future.

Enjoying the fruits of a robust economy, the stability of a country at peace, and the talents and energy of an increasingly diverse populace, America is poised to lead the world into a new millennium full of fresh opportunities and challenges." President Clinton's speech preserves the past.

In World War 2, Australia appreciated the American defence of our country.

After the war, the lesson learnt was it was not wise to take the gamble of relying upon other nations to promote our defence capability.

By gazing at the prospect of the defence capability of our small population, it was clear we needed a new perspective to double our population within our country as soon as possible.

This new perspective was solicited by all Government parties agreeing they could raise support to undertake a vigorous immigration policy.

The original notion was this would be done with European stock.

But somehow within about the last two decades, notions of following a white racist course were abandoned and replaced by the United Nations views of non-racism that carried with it similar concepts of liberty worldwide.

Culturally, as a foundation Member of United Nations, we became familiar to the U.S.A. notions of emancipation.

Somehow, most inhabitants of Australia, perhaps because of our common British language culture, seemed to understand and agree with U.S.A. thinking.

Broadly speaking, we followed their business systems.

It seems likely our segregation from others will become less as we feel more comfortable with the "melting pot" theories of hegemony long held in the U.S.A.

With hegemony, many persons can attain the same minor blessings.

For example, more persons can experience prosperity and move away from poverty and more persons can attain long life as minor blessings.

As these two minor blessings become more wide spread and are used with wisdom, the whole of Australian society benefits.

Australia has doubled the life expectancy of its citizens over the last century.

There are some countries in the world which have yet to achieve this doubling, such as, for example Bangladesh.

Many times in this program, we have disclosed the answer to the question "What are the Highest Blessings?"

We are always borrowing from the past.

In today's program, we will talk about the 8 minor Blessings.

In the different cultures in the world, much borrowing goes on.

Before the 10th century, there was an old English word "borgian" which meant to borrow, lend, from the word"borg" which means a pledge.

According to THE OXFORD COMPANION TO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE abridged edition (1996) whose editor was Tom McArthur, "borrowing" refers to the item so taken, such as arpeggio from Italian into English, and schlock from Yiddish into American English, then into British English.

Borrowing is a major aspect of of language change, but the term itself is a misnomer: it presumes repayment, whereas there is no quid pro quo between languages.

The item borrowed is not returned, because it never left the source language and in any case changes in the transfer.

English has borrowed massively from French, Latin and Greek, significantly from Italian, Spanish, German, Danish and Dutch, and to varying degrees from every other language with which it has come into contact.

Against this background, it should come as no surprise that ceremonies to bring blessings shift around between countries over time and become so commonplace, it is difficult to find where and when the "original" was first used or formulated.

There are ceremonies to provide minor blessings which we borrow and adapt into the English language.

Because of past causes, these are useful to help our Members and other persons get what they want.

Because of this reason, about every seven years, we perform these borrowed events. We are thinking about planning one day in December this year, the parading of the 8 auspicious signs.

The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. Newsletter No. 23 , Feb. 1988, at pages 15 to 19, detailed the Eight Auspicious Signs Ceremony for Prosperity and Peace held on 12 & 13 December 1987.

The article included a reproduction on the history of these 8 signs (asta mangal) printed in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal.

It shows the hand made wood blocks used of Asta Mangal, originally printed on Daphne plant paper and history in English language.

The article has a photograph of our Centre's 8 Auspicious signs. Also ref. Knox-Sherbrooke News, 22 December 1987 at p.8.

Our Centre has the eight signs on permanent display in our garden.

Please contact us if you are interested in such things.

We will read from our 1988 publication commentary.

"On 12 and 13 December 1987, the Eight Auspicious Signs Ceremony for Peach and rosperity was conducted at the B.D.C.(U)Ltd, 33 Brooking Street, Upwey, Victoria.

The Eight Auspicious Signs are known as Asta Mangal in Nepalese and Tashi Taq Gyey in Tibetan.

On the morning of 12 December, Monks Phra Maha Somwang Khonthong, Phra Maha Wanchai Selakhun and Phra Jim Lawless from the Melbourne Thai Buddhist Temple, Wat Thai Nakorn, 489 Elgar Road, Box Hill, were welcomed by the Members of the B.D.C.(U)Ltd.

Dana food offerings were made to the Monks present after which Phra Maha Somwang Khonthong gave a blessing to the B.D.C.(U)Ltd. Members.

Mr. John D. Hughes formally welcomed the guests and explained the nature of the Eight Auspicious Signs. He invited everyone to write their names on ribbons to be attached to the Auspicious Signs in order that they may receive the benefits of the parading of the Signs.

Lunch was then served to the guests in the garden under the shade of the trees.

The ceremony began with everyone paying respect to the Bodhisattva Temple Bell located in the Northern Gate of the Centre's tranquil garden.

The circumambulation around the Dharma Centre was led by Novice Monk Phra Jim Lawless. Guests and Members not carrying Auspicious Signs remained inside the path of the circumambulation in order to receive the blessings of the ceremony.

The circumambulation, which was walking meditation, was conducted with mindfulness and was declared eminently successful.

On Sunday 13 December, the ceremony was repeated but with a slight difference. Each of the Eight Auspicious Signs was made worldly by the inclusion of worldly objects on each of the Auspicious Signs. This inclusion ensured that the merits of this ceremony would extend to all beings in a material form.

As Venerable Suddhananda Mahathero, General Secretary, Dhammarajika Orphanage, Dhaka, Bangladesh had written, in earlier Buddhist times, in such countries as Bangladesh, these symbolic worships used to be held in Temples in the thirties, forties and fifties of this century. These symbolic signs have their use in Buddhist Religious Life, because they can impart the real essence of the religion and catch the attention of the worshippers.

The merit of the Australian ceremony was dedicated to the people and Buddhists of Bangladesh and further dana has been forwarded by B.D.C.(U)Ltd. to the Dhammarajika Orphanage. The post-flood rehabilitation of destitute children is being undertaken by fellow Buddhists in Bangladesh.

We invite you to donate to help these charitable works.

Donations should be forwarded to:

Venerable Suddhananda Mahathero
Dhammarajika Orphanage (est. 1972)
Dhammarajika Buddhist Monastery
Atisa Dipankar Sarak
KAMALAPUR DHAKA
BANGLADESH"

If you were to argue that you notice that there is an element of symbolic worship that can get the attention of worshipers, you would be correct.

Good things arise from good causes.

So, at its best, the ceremony is a visual method of teaching persons that good human actions done regularly and with the right motive this life will enable the future person you will become to have sufficient merit and good qualities you need to have a good future.

In theory, you might argue if you were certain you could remember that it was a fact you had spent many lives practicing such things as generosity, offering food and medicine and so on, it may be you could argue that you do not need such practice this life because you had the perfection of dana and sila.

But for most of humankind, this is not true.

If you think it is true, you can test yourself by requesting you find the Buddha Dhamma that overcomes the fact that there is ignorance at the base of your feelings that were neither pleasant nor unpleasant.

If you think it is true, you could quickly use your accumulated merit to have peace in your minds, have few duties and already have a suitable location and time and conditions to expose that ignorance in the strictly Theravadin strong way of a Noble person.

For such a Noble person as specified, there is probably no need to seek minor blessings.

It may be that a Noble person may attend the ceremony of the 8 auspicious signs to help others from past practice tendency.

Bearing in mind the Hindu saying that says opportunities come every twelve years, we have decided to make a balance of opportunities for persons to see the rare pageant of the exclusive parading of the 8 signs at our Centre this year.

If you are interested, please contact us for an invitation.

In 40 A.D., Phaedrus in Fabulae Aesopiae (which we call "Aesop's Fables") said: "opportunity has hair in front but is bald behind".

May you be well and happy.

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

by John D. Hughes, Vanessa Macleod, Rodney Johnson and Arrisha Burling

1.0 Introducing Change

In 1998, since we wished to gear up our organisation to have a more global presence, we needed to reform our systems to bring more competitive management.

This meant change in management culture.

Under the old structure of nine development committees, we had no room to move because we lacked experienced managers and it takes about four to six years to prepare S5 socialised managers.

To save time, we formed four S5 style Task Units; meaning we had two or more experienced socialised managers within each Task unit.

Our Knowledge Management vision is well articulated and understood by Leaders of selected sections of other Buddha Dhamma Centres who we choose to target worldwide.

As Peter Jackson and Julian Bamford developed more active public relations( PR) tactics for the September 1998 Founder's Day; some key managers helped to make our organisation favourably known by officials in local Government agencies and the general public.

Like all other non profit and for-profit organisations, the KM Task Unit is a purposive system transforming its resources into a service delivery system to satisfy the needs of the customer base.

1.1 Finding stretch and leverage

This restructuring meant management had to sanction our key managers to take on the products of stretch and leverage - a view of competition as an encirclement rather than confrontation.
Late in 1998, this stretch was successfully tested by eight Members acting as rapporteurs at the World fellowship of Buddhists(WFB) Conference.

At the same time, the Centre was run as normal by remaining Members.

Our leverage was increased by President Vince Cavuoto working on the EXCO Committee prior to the Conference. Further leverage was obtained by John D. Hughes being appointed as a Vice President(VP) of the WFB at the Conference. As a VP, he appears at EXCO Committees in Thailand. Even more leverage in the future will be obtained because we are an associated spiritual Centre of the World Buddhist University in Thailand.

In 1998, the Senior VP, Rodney Johnson, of our Knowledge Management Task Unit started our online website service - www.bdcu.org.au.

1.3 New additions to our Collection

Over the year, approximately 886 new books were received.

This figure was an increase of 46% on the previous year.

New additions to our John D. Hughes Collection included Buddha Rupas in many forms.

This year, a series of world class pieces were produced by Member Professor L. Lehmann who donated new knowledge in the form of superb quality classical calligraphy in classical Buddha Dhamma scripts.

1.4 Buddha Dhyana Dana Review Circulation

Our influential publication, Buddha Dhyana Dana Review (BDDR), continues to be given for free circulation.

Arrisha Burling, maintains the BDDR circulation database list on ACCESS software on PC7A in Suite 1.

This year, funding of the costs of our BDDR publication and circulation continued with ease.
The circulation figures for BDDR Publications posted within the last year as bulk postage from our database were:

* BDDR Vol 8 No.1 (August 1998) 447 overseas and 342 local
* BDDR Vol 8 No.2 (October 1998) 458 overseas and 338 local
* BDDR Vol 8 No.3 (December 1998) 464 overseas and 330 local
* BDDR Vol 9 No.1 (May 1999) 524 overseas and 349 local

Over this period, overseas circulation numbers increased steadily in 1998, and then substantially in 1999 due to the addition of contacts gained at the 20th General Conference of the World Fellowship Of Buddhists (WFB) at Berkeley, NSW, Australia, from 29 October to 2 November 1998. Circulation within Australia declined slightly in 1998, and then also rose after the addition of WFB contacts.

Over the period, there was an overall increase in overseas bulk postage of contacts on our database of 17.2%. However, because Vanessa Macleod travels considerably and takes additional copies of the BDDR to overseas centres, and we provide overseas visitors with copies of the BDDR, we believe these methods increase our circulation by at least another 5%.

1.5 Locally Printed Prayer Flags

Local produced screen printed prayer flags of Buddhist Deities were produced for distribution and sale by Lynne Lehmann. The triple Padmasambhava wall hanging is a superior gift and sells well to Members.

1.6 1999 Increase in Audio Recording of Teachings

This year, Member and student David Igracki paid respect to our Teacher's words by systematically recording Teachings, given three nights a week, for the future.

In addition, video and audio recording of chanting, bell pujas and special occasion Dhamma talks plus recording of our KNOXFM radio broadcasts were added to our archives of rare events.

This coming year, automatic transcriptions are planned for this material by purchasing Dragon software.

Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred is the leading software product in continuous voice recognition and is capable of processing speech at up to 160 words per minute.

1.7 1998-1999 Public Relations Upgrades

Peter Jackson has updated our brochures in two stages to a higher standard.

1.8 1999 System Upgrades

Several other information frameworks such as internal e-mail, current library catalogues and reports and publications based on ISYS, feed and upgrade the quality and quantity of regular information available to our organisation and other devotees in other Centres.

1.9 Current Members of the KM Task Unit

The KM Task Unit is operating at a high level and keeps Members informed on a range of Buddha Dhamma perspectives within our five styles.

The Senior Vice President of the Knowledge Management Task Unit is Rodney Johnson. The Junior Vice President is Peter Jackson. The Chief Archive Officer is Vanessa Macleod. The following persons have demonstrated a dedicated and mature approach to the operations of the KM Task Unit:

Julian Bamford, Arrisha Burling, Vince Cavuoto, Brendan Hall, Jocelyn Hughes, Isabella Hobbs, Clara Iaquinto, Peter Jackson, Rodney Johnson, Vanessa Macleod, Maria Pannozzo, Anita Svensson and Philip Svensson.

2.0 The KM UNIT'S 1999 MANDATE

The 1999 mandate means the KM Task unit is responsible for:

1. providing and maintaining an organisation capable of operating all our organisation's computer and LAN systems 24 hours a day;
2. our choice of software;
3. our website www.bdcu.org.au;
4. the development of buildings housing the John D. Hughes Collection and indexing systems used for the John D.Hughes Collection;
5. Preparing mandalas of scanned blessing from entries from the Centre's visitor book and written blessings suitable for electronic publication for internal and external dissemination;
6. developing and maintaining the Centre's Style Manual;
7. servicing and maintaining all electrical equipment, cabling and wiring up to the current standards;
8. all OH & S training in electrical safety;
9. overseeing all UPS provisions;
10. providing adequate and safe electric power supply systems and telephone cabling to allow the future planned expansion of our knowledge processes equipment;
11. establishing a comprehensive collection of government documents from relevant overseas countries as well as the Commonwealth and other States as a major resource in the conduct of public affairs and historical research;
12. issuing in published form unique and rare materials held by the Centre;
13. exercising leadership in the establishment of storage centres for little used Buddha Dhamma materials;
14. exercising leadership in the development of improved methods, the application of technological developments to Buddha Dhamma libraries and the utilisation of the new media of communication;
15. separate professional and non-professional duties in the interests of efficiency, economy and morale;
16. providing operating facilities having a relevant image and style;
17. not being too "old fashioned"; and
18. such other work as is sanctioned by the KM Vice Presidents & the Archive Officer.

3.0 1999 Development of a Storage Archive - Suite 11

The KM Task Unit has a constitutional duty to provide improved information and library services within the existing buildings. They are responsible for the safe preservation of paper and electronic records. This year, KM Members built and equipped a suitable archive store (Suite 11). This attractive store has a high fire rating.

It is equipped with open metal wall storage units allowing ease of access. Paper documents, such as older company records, financial files, back issues of BDDR and equipment that are seldom used are archived at the Western & Southern walls of Suite 11.

Spare computer items and electronic printers belonging to the Centre are stored on the heavy duty pallet rack at the Northern wall of Suite 11. The Western wall units hold John D. Hughes archives.

Being lockable, Suite 11 contents are insurable under John D. Hughes' policy. Accordingly, Members must provide full documentation of all contents.

4.0 More details of the Current Guidelines

This year, the organisation was restructured into four Task Units.

Operationally, our KM Task Unit Members report to our Senior Vice- President Rodney Johnson, or Junior Vice-President, Peter Jackson.

Library and publication operations are managed by our Knowledge Management Task Unit.

Former Librarian, Connie Rhodes left our organisation. In view of the wider executive responsibilities needed to bring on line our proposed new systems this year, the term librarian has been dropped and replaced by the title Archive Officer.

Vanessa Macleod B.A. M.A., our Senior International Liaison Officer, has agreed to accept the position of Archive Officer.

5.0 Our 1999 Publications

Responsibility for all publications, including the Buddha Dhyana Dana Review (BDDR), is with the Knowledge Management Task Unit.

Arrisha Burling B.A, Leanne Eames B.A. M.A, Peter Jackson, Vanessa Macleod B.A. M.A. and others help the Editor, John D. Hughes by writing and editing BDDR publications.

Key Buddha Dhamma articles published in the BDDR over 1998/1999 include John D Hughes' papers Buddha Dhamma in Australia ; Buddha Dhamma and Challenges in the 21st Century (presented at the 20th General Conference of the WFB); Breaking Through to the Perfection of Wisdom ; and The Library You Are Looking For - Chapters One and Eleven . The BDDR also documented our development policies over this period, including our building paradigm; implementation of our LAN; Charter for a Board of Education Standing Committee of the Buddhist Discussion Centre ( Upwey) Limited for the Spiritual Training Centre of the World Buddhist University; and library development.

Over the past year all key events our Centre has been involved with have been documented in the BDDR, including the 57th World Fellowship of Buddhists Executive Council Meeting; 20th General Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists; our Buddhist Hour broadcasts on Knox FM; Five Day Bhavana Courses; Founder's Day Convivium and Ch'an Academy Exhibition; and Ch'an Academy classes.

During this period it was our policy to include more calligraphy and Chinese language articles in the BDDR. This policy will be furthered in the next year, with Volume 9 No. 2 being planned to include eight paintings of Buddha by Sumi-e Master Andre Sollier, and Prajna Paramita calligraphy by Lyne Lehmann.

The publication quality of the BDDR was improved this year with the introduction of a heavier, glossier paper for the front cover, which enables the photographs to appear more clear, and is less easily damaged and therefore more suitable for posting.

Three issues a year of our "flagship" publication, the BDDR, are published . Arrisha Burling is a key Member in this production team.

The following Members have contributed to the publication of the BDDR over the past year by submitting articles or photographs; proof-reading draft copies; and pasting down the master pages for printing - Pam Adkins, Julian Bamford, Jan Bennett, Arrisha Burling, Frank Carter, Vincent Cavuoto, Maria Chen, Leanne Eames, Jocelyn Hughes, Clarangela Iaguinto, Peter Jackson, Rodney Johnson, Lyne Lehmann, Vanessa MacLeod, Julie O'Donnell, Nick Prescott, Kate Ryan, Anita Svensson, and Shorfeel Verstraete.

Only about 2% of the KNOX FM radio scripts have been published in the BDDR.

This year, we plan to publish the KNOXFM radio scripts.

5.1 The Brooking Street Bugle (New Series)

A significant increase in our organisation's information to Members occurred with the publication of the new series of the Brooking Street Bugle (BSB) on 15 February 1999 (week 7). The editor is John D. Hughes.

It is four years since the last BSB (old series) was issued.

Production of the BSB (new series) is delegated to the Corporate Governance & Reporting Task Unit.

Anita Svensson is responsible for the quality control of the BSB. Printing of the BSB is by photocopying on site. Twelve issues of the BSB were given to Members who attended the Centre over 17 weeks to 22 June 1999 (week 25). The 12 issues of the BSB in A4 format gave a total circulation of 135 pages of good information.

The stated functions of the BSB are:
* to provide accurate, relevant and timely information to Members;
* to guarantee Members responsible to our four Task Units are kept seasonably informed of enrichment changes;
* to detail project technicalities to supply information suitable for current public relations activities;
* "this is most helpful. But why didn't you tell me earlier?";
* to list coming events; and
* to suggest additional occupational, health and safety (OH&S) performance indicators.
The main function of the BSB is to keep Members "in the know" of what is happening and to prevent rumours. Another function of the BSB is to act as a cultural change agent (our " grapevine") by celebrating successes and team building. This publication provides Members with advance information of what projects and tactics each Task Unit proposes to do next and next after next.

5.2 Significant Chronicles in 1998-1999

Several important documents have been produced by John D. Hughes using our library resources. These include:

1. a key paper for the WFB Conference at the Nan Tien Temple in NSW, November 1998 entitled, Buddhism and Challenges in the 21st Century, published in English & Chinese in recent BDDRs;
2. weekly KNOXFM "Buddhist Hour" radio scripts; 3. new work in progress by John D. Hughes includes a book giving a history of the John D. Hughes Collection and how to operate a Buddhist library. The book will be titled, THE LIBRARY YOU ARE LOOKING FOR;
4. our 1998-1999 annual reports for the Task Units;
5. the three year Ch'an Academy Plan; and
6. a high grade moon chart "Four Seasons" calendar reproducing paintings by John D. Hughes.

6.0 Library Cataloguing Report 1999

Because of the use of the Suite 11 archive, space has been freed up in our library area for three more metal wall units.

This means 10.6 metres of additional shelf space became available.

One hundred and forty-five books were catalogued this financial year (as at 5 June 1999). This is down from the previous year which saw 967 books catalogued (this high figure was largely the result of GUSTO 2000).

During the financial year of 1996 - 1997, 672 books were catalogued.

6.1 Gusto 4000 project

We have launched Gusto 4000 to catalogue 4000 books and journals this year.

Anita Svensson & Isabella Hobbs have indicated they will spend one day a week on this project, and Arrisha Burling will spend at least two hours per week cataloguing books.

6.2 Increased PR from Australian libraries Gateway (ALG)

Because our library information on our website is now readable from the ALG site, we have a higher profile. There are 4,500 libraries in the ALG database.

For more detail - refer to BSB 11 page 5.

6.3 What Public Relations are we Doing Next to Let Persons Know of the 500 Year Viability of our Library Plan?

Having rewritten our general and Chan brochures to a high standard, Peter Jackson has agreed to rewrite our library brochure. The new form will be put on our web-site.

For more rapid service, we intend to run our internet library site from our Centre within six months.

The most recent edition of the BDDR gave excerpts of two edited chapters from John D. Hughes latest book on practical running of a Buddha Dharma Centre's library.

The next issue of BDDR will publish extra Chapters which are being edited by Arrisha Burling.

7.0 Growth in Library Housing

The main paradigm for progress in library housing of the John D. Hughes Collection library must stay within the scope of the root vows of Bodhisattvas.

The Deva of learning lives in a Shrine in the Library in Suite 1.

7.1 New Suite 1 Library Reading Room

Last year, an air conditioned library reading room was built at the western entrance. Lower humidity and fresher air now flows within the library. This helps to preserve the collection. The new metal doorway to the library improves the chi in the library space. More working space is available for indexing at PC5A and for users at PC3A and PC4A.

7.2 The Year 2000 Library Expansion Plan

Next year, we plan to raise funds to build a new bedroom in Suite 3 which means new library shelving can extend in a Westerly direction into the space occupied by the old bedroom.
The next library building will be "The Lyceum" where there will be a significant amount of extra library space.

8.0 1999 Upgrades to Our Computer Systems

Further upgrades have been made to computers reading our LAN data warehouse.

During the past year, we have upgraded all of our LAN computers to the 486 - 50 MHZ or better class processor, increased system RAM to at least 12 MB and in one case to 40 MB, at least doubled most of the hard drive capacities, replaced EGA monitors with VGA and XGA monitors, installed a HP scanner, acquired another HP II Laserjet printer and made it available as a network printer for Windows applications, shared other devices such as a CD-ROM drive and newly acquired ZIP drive over the network and installed our first Pentium, with more on the way.

We also installed Windows 95 on our 5 key computers, acquired two copies of Quicken 6.0 for the effective price of $9.00 each, installed Corel Draw 7.0 and Eudora light as our e-mail client, and introduced Lotus WordPro 7 as our possible new wordprocessor standard. Arrisha Burling will be testing this new software and reporting to Rodney Johnson on its suitability, and then training other Members in its use should it be implemented.

Other new machines will be reading from the Internet.

9.0 Our New Library Paradigm

This year, at the WFB Conference, many of our Members learnt to deal with information retrieval complexity and so added to their individual understandings of why it is needed.
This year, Frank Carter arranged for Melbourne libraries to provide us with upgrades to Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) reference books and hundreds of books and journals on better library practice.

John D. Hughes studied these texts and obtained more clarity about library operations.
Some of the clarity is written into his new book.

The belief that it is desirable to direct the development of the Centre's bibliographic resources according to a predetermined and culturally fixed plan is no less misguided than the thought that in order to enter a new cultural field, it is necessary that access, currently enjoyed, to other areas of knowledge previously colonised be curtailed or cease altogether. Because the best of the Centre's Students who attended the Conference wish to continue to practice and teach the Dhamma, they realise they must be involved, somehow or another, in conserving the rare artefacts in the John D. Hughes Collection for 500 years' duration.

10.0 A Mandala of Scanned Blessings with Photographs

The technology to scan items in our collection can now be done by Corel Draw software and included onto our a LAN data warehouse.

Years of written Blessings are to be scanned into a special file.

Next year, scanning will extend to catalogues of images and journal illustrations, selected writings, electronic forms of the "Nobbies" painting series.

This coming year, we will use the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software to identify scanned items of old and new correspondence, pamphlets and books free of copyright, and our photographs and slides.

Software which allots automatic file names will be purchased and added to our systems to give us the latest OCR devices.

Digital camera photographs will be made artefacts in our Ch'an garden with its gates and sculptures and these will be dated and stored electronically.

11.0 Credible PR Tactics to Improve Our Information Delivery

The tactic we are to follow is that benefits that have the potential to generate profits at prices Members find reasonable can support a collection of high worth but loss making projects that when added to a core of optimal benefits (high worth and at least break even) yield the same end economics but with a much higher worth package.

More and more, we believe high worth projects are the most credible for PR tactics.

A high worth project that will help us to advance is to make convergence of our references and illustrations in our electronic data warehouse more rapid.

Our publication of the Buddha Dhyana Dana Review is an ongoing high worth project. This project is relatively costly when compared to other Knowledge Management Task Unit projects, with each issue entailing $ 2,700 in material, printing and postage costs. This cost is satisfactory under cost benefit analysis due to the high worth returned to the Centre from this project. The free circulation of Buddha Dhamma and ongoing publicity of our Centre with each issue of the BDDR are causes for our Centre to last 500 years, and present rare high level merit-making opportunities to Members involved in its publication.

12.0 A Proposal to Produce a Saleable CD Having Selected Data

This year, Peter Jackson will be asked to intensify his PR efforts by publishing information of what we are scanning into our data warehouse so we can get new funds to buy equipment which will enable us to produce in- house CD presentations.

The publicity needed will bring funds or materials to increase our library holdings. In the medium term, we can give better service to the users of our Buddha Dhamma library projects.

Sooner rather than later, we will produce a high value CD disc having some of our data warehouse material available and the text of past copies of our Buddha Dhyana Dana Review.

We intend that users pay at least production costs to obtain this CD. (RRP $ 60?)
The CD should introduce persons to samples of our rare books from our complete listing of our electronic reference and extended library catalogue so that person's curiosity is aroused about what we have in store.

13.0 1999 -2000 Strategy Advance in Library Software

In practical terms, the KM Task Unit must be able to show that the resources we use are able to be certified because we have done a best practice analysis and can present such evidence with submissions.

All persons who work in the library are briefed on the best practice that the collection must stay useful for 500 years.

To increase the usefulness and speed up cataloguing, new software will be purchased within the year to give better library cataloguing and give better designed support to our Archive Officer. This best practice software is called Athena software, which offers full library management, as well as access to the cataloguing resources of world leading international Libraries.

The catalogue can then be accessed by local LAN users and Internet users via a browser.

Although installation can be done in stages, we think we would prefer to get the whole system at once.

This will cross link library reference information in a best practice worthwhile manner (Refer to BSB 11 (new series), issued 1 June 1999).

Accordingly, its operations are set up to be ABHIBHUMI which can be translated as meaning the HIGH GROUND.

The process could be described as "VIJJA AJJHAPANA VYAPANA ABHIVODDHI ATIKKAMMAJIVANA" which gives a mandala having LEARNING - TEACHING - TRANSMISSION - PROGRESS - SURVIVAL.

14.0 Separating the Professional From the Nonprofessionals

In Dhamma, our Centre is a "one-stop-shop" because we teach in five styles to maintain functional situational experiences.

One of the functional levels of our five styles is professionalism.

Our regular operating funds are provided by direct donations and fundraising by a few key Members.

The number of hours per week a person can strive on our projects is a mark of achievement.

When we look at input-output ratios of Members at our Centre, cause and effect becomes clear and we are not surprised that those Members who consume more than they contribute cannot last as Members here.

The Members we treat as "professionals" know cause and effect and, over time, develop a realistic sense of becoming knowledgeable about the costs of the goods and services we dispense to Monks, Nuns and laypersons.

Professional Members at our Centre are taught to make "a field of merit" more valuable and greater than that field that would arise "if all the sands in the River Ganges turned into jewels". A noble professional person "pays his or her way" by raising funds.

These funds allows our organisation to continue to develop while, at the same time, practicing DANA - giving goods and service freely to benefit less fortunate persons.

Involvement in the supply chain of supply and preparation of nutrients rather than just taking from our supply chain is the mark of a true professional.

It takes time and effort for a "non-professional" Member to arrive at the correct view (samma ditthi) of the professional Member.

We charge a membership fee which most persons find reasonable.

The joining fee is $30, then Membership is $30 per year, the library fee is $30 per year and there is a software fee for those who want our library catalogue on their P.C's.

The tangible identifiable costs of supporting a Member exceeds $20 per week (say $1000 per year).

On some regular intensive events, such as 5 day courses, the costs rise to an estimated $100 a week per participant.

Our Task Unit Members have developed their own version of professionalism which is praised by their Teacher and the executive of the WFB.

In terms of the assessment of the practical use of research done in Buddha Dhamma, key KM Task Unit Members need a comprehensive and well maintained body of relevant research information. This is contained in the John D. Hughes Collection.

Multi-disciplinary study is a noteworthy and characteristic feature of scholarship in the late 20th century.

It is evident that cultures proceed only by accumulation, and, despite so- called revolutions or renewals in thought and behaviour, continue to transmit an expanding body of knowledge with every succeeding generation.

The absence of this accumulative process, formed by a kind of dialogue, or argument, with the past, would mean the frustration of cultural growth, its diminution and eventual dissolution.
This means we must develop those who hold post graduate qualifications.

Possibly, we could send some Members to further their studies at the WBU in Thailand.

Should we in fact fail, within our own generation, to arrive at a thorough familiarity with our own, indisputably multicultural society, we will remain ill-equipped to operate within an effective communicative band with persons and associations in overseas countries.

They exhibit ancient, clearly delineated, sophisticated, and effusively expressed forms of indigenous culture. Our key Members could become more culturally adaptable through helping the WFB.

If enough of our Members do this, the cultural legacy we will leave for future Members will in turn be adequate and will not compromise the development of their communicative ability.
We agree with the Sinologist P. Ryckman's (1996) view that a culture is characterised by its indivisibility.

A culture may not have some part that may be seized by the observer as an 'essence' or determinant.

For any person who wishes to acquire and or use culture, or more abstract knowledge, he or she should find that it presents no optional or dispensable elements that can be substituted at will in any application, nor any that may be exchanged without loss, with other cultural components deemed equivalent and expendable.

World cultures cannot suffer reductionist analysis.

The ongoing process of transformation is, perhaps, the one enduring condition we can rely upon in any study of the forms of discrete cultures.

Our Buddha Dhyana Dana Review(BDDR) is a forum in which Australians and persons of the international community may nourish the memory of Lord Buddha and his learned disciples.
The BDDR furnishes a vital link with past cultural practice and assists in the formation of positive future directions.

15.0 OUR MANDATE - Expressed as Five Roles

15.1 A Summary of Roles For Best Professional Tradition Practice
The scholarly preservation, maintenance and enrichment of our culture through the printing and circulation of a well-researched and well-written Review is the mandate of the Knowledge Management Task Unit.

This mandate is, given its complexity and long-term nature, inherently difficult to administer.
It necessitates the raising of sufficient funds to perform five major roles:

* firstly, to bring about information dissemination;
* secondly, to act as institutional brokers who identify networking opportunities with others;
* thirdly, to pass beyond a focus of simple collaboration;
* fourthly, to identify the changes of thinking needed to discover the missing links which are realised, from taking a more long term strategic focus on scholarship rather than a short term approach; and
* fifthly, to slow down (at least in part) 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 - a transformation which threatens their very survival.

Acknowledging transitions in the application of new technology and assessment of future trends in publishing ideology.

The future may witness such an abundance of available information provided by the electronic media that written publications, such as those produced in the traditional magazine format, may indeed cease.

This observation is approaching something of a commonplace, but the implications of the development have not been nearly as well established.

The average mid-1995 subscription price of a physics journal was $US 1,126 . This contrasts with an average price of $35.58 for a popular news-stand magazine.

According to the Faxon Co., the prices for American magazines would rise considerably in 1995-96. Many American news-stand magazines offered both on-line and print copies in 1995. More and more items became available on the Internet, and some libraries were checking in e-journals just as they would print journals.

16.0 Steps to Generate Suitable Advice About Our E-library Formats
Leanne Eames is at present undertaking a six month post graduate study of what is the most suitable formats for online teaching.

She can give us the best guide to our decision making in this area by December 1999.
This e-library file server system holding administration and electronic data warehouse is termed our "library without walls". We have not had time to consider a public relations story for this second library so we refer to it as an "e-library".

With championship, we are sure we will find a better label to describe our latest information delivery project. For the purposes of this report, we will designate it our e-library project.
At present (1999), the e-library extends across a private Local Area Network(LAN); a Wider Area Network(WAN) and reaches into the superhighway as our website www.bdcu.org.au.
Several publishers, librarians, and editors warned, however, that the rush to go online often overlooked the need for careful planning for the new format. all magazines, on and offline. afford.

Others expressed fears that the new technologies threatened the future of all magazines, on and offline.

So, why do we persist, day by day, month by month, year by year, living with rising paper and postage costs, recognising the need to improve our application software, to design and initiate more comprehensive data-bases, to increase our person hours to meet the climbing demands for written material, and to acknowledge the imperative of greater fund raising, just to continue the print production of the Buddha Dhyana Dana Review?

To justify this effort, we vow we will not treat culture as a salami that can be sliced at will and reduced to any desirable length. The chief argument being advanced for the abandonment of the scholarship as an activity central to the production of publications is that which asserts that a more civilised approach constitutes a luxury which we can no longer afford.

We will not be participants in such an approach.

The need to revolutionise thinking to embrace the future meant the next stage of the project was introduced by a notion of the "LIBRARY WITHOUT WALLS". This meant accessibility to the John D. Hughes Collection must be deliverable off-site and have computer search engines.

Appendix 1 - Background Notes on Comparative Librarianship

Interest in comparative librarianship did not arise until after World War 2.

Louis Shores (1966) claimed that comparative librarianship can uncover " neglected approaches to important technical problems" and, furthermore, that: "it can suggest a new critical role for librarianship".

Comparative librarianship lead us to our general model for inquiry used at the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.

Dutton (1987) posits that information technology is further confusing decision making by the use of computer models in policy analysis, forecasting and planning decisions.

However, Postman (1994) argues that current technologies are adequate for communication and information needs, and that the preoccupation with improving the technology diverts thinking away from the causes of problems.

Bhikku P. A. Payutto, who was awarded the 1994 UNESCO Peace Prize For Peace Education noted that as the world has been made smaller through the development of information technology, it facilitates the spread of terrorism.

The Venerable explained that "high technology" means greed and hatred have acquired much more effective tools.

Active greed can drive a trader to track a particular currency or set of stocks which show small variation and enter up to 20 buy and sell instructions a day to make profits by influencing, creating and exploiting economic discontinuities.

For that period, the world of the person becomes the trading screen. Greed and hatred would be much easier to control if it were not for the influence of a third condition which in Buddha Dhamma Pali we call "ditthi ", meaning views and beliefs. Whenever greed, anger and hatred are reinforced with beliefs and social values, they acquire a cleaner direction, an impetus which channels them into much more destructive activities.

Adherence to different technologies is similar to adherence to different ideologies and social values, be it conscious or otherwise, this becomes kamma (karma) on a social scale, which has a far-reaching effect, extending over long periods of time.

Appendix 2 - A Note of Confidence to Members on the Future of Our E- Library

Our second thoughts go to "the new boy on the block" - our rapidly evolving e-library. It hard to come to terms with the e-library because there is nothing much to look at.

Even if you are permitted to open the door to the plain grey metal cabinet in Suite 2 and saw the six racks piled with equipment resplendent with a few coloured lights and even if you knew how to classify the various types of our fileservers, hard drives and hubs and knew the software used and so on; it is hard to grasp the existence of our e-library as an entity in time and space.

We must learn to stop judging knowledge by its media rather than its substance.

Knowledge is knowledge but, unfortunately, the media tends to be viewed as the message, as Fuller asserts.

Just as the Australian army, navy and airforce were once viewed as three entities, to the detriment of operational efficiency; so thinking and acting on a two library policy tends to channel thinking of end-users of one library entity or the other.

This means we would tend to compete with ourselves for valuable resources rather than work out joint applications, for example in formatting.

Then all Members co-operate to facilitate the end-user's selection of content and give them what they need in the shortest possible affordable time. By this means, we can lift our library rating.

Conservative debates about which of the two delivery methods provide the best platform for addressing a given research problem is not central to the needs of a researcher.

A possible abridging thought to overcome this two library model is to conceive of them as a cohesive entity of accessible knowledge for end- users.

Our organisation provides our Members with human, financial and technological resources, such as word processing, and research assistance, expenses, libraries and computer services. The resources are a form of support.

Its prime work in progress is still to add to the collection's paper based information and artefacts.
For our heritage library, our prime need is train persons to learn Athena software to develop them as cataloguers and serve as library guides.

Our heritage library training was a type of osmosis learning relying on another person to show the novice how it is done.

We term this type of learning "Sitting with Nellie".

This immersion technique where a more skilled person demonstrated the skill was supposed to bring an expectation to the trainee that, after passing through stages of getting it appropriately right, the skill would be adsorbed and then the person would be given full responsibility for the task.

This heritage collection is well publicised at our web-site www.bdcu.org. au and elsewhere.

Appendix 3 - Notes on Our Performance Indicators

Our performance indicators show that a third rate library responds to 85% of queries in 100 seconds and a fourth rate responds to 80% of queries in 1000 seconds.
By late 1998, part of our e-library could meet our third rate library designated ideal.
As Members and end-users gain experience in using advanced search facilities provided by our search engine software, they can see evidence of the merit they made as custodians was significant.

The evidence was clear to involved Members who found when they studied part-time at university, they were rewarded with more and more high distinctions.
Our Teacher has vowed to preserve and manage the Buddha Dhamma. Accordingly, he has made it clear to Members it would be unwise to dissipate our resources and recognise we do not intend the two libraries compete with one another.

Appendix 4 - Notes on Australian Libraries

In Australia, the library market is small and specialised. As a result, library systems tend to be behind in technology because " turnkey" solutions turn out to be both expensive and slow to evolve. Hence, what we accomplish will not depend on what we can afford or what the local technology can supply. It will depend on the vision we are able to project - and on the extent to which we are able to enrol library end-users in that vision.

Alistair Inglis of RMIT, Melbourne (1993), suggested when attempting to predict the likely developments in document delivery systems as they affect research libraries we are brought face-to-face with the question of what we mean by a library.

Only when we become sure and can conceptualise what we want to accomplish with our two libraries, can we make sure our systems "last the distance".

We act in the belief that technology is capable of delivering more functionality more conveniently and at lower cost than our presently available systems might suggest.

Our library research paradigm and its implementation must not be a purely intellectual construct because then it would be limited in its abstract conceptual breadth.

It is important our research paradigm meets our high ideals so it becomes powerful enough to put us in a position to distinguish myths of the superhighway from reality.

This does not appear possible when the scope of the possible has been defined by the technology only, rather than by function.

We look forward to the future with confidence in our track records.

Thank you to everyone who helped.

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Accordingly, we accept no liability to any user or subsequent third party, either expressed or implied, whether or not caused by error or omission on either our part, or a member, employee or other person associated with the Chan Academy Australia (Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.)

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