Buddhism in Australia Traditions in Change

Ion LamaChoedalt

Riflplllihe

FellowBuddhist heextent

ol‘thcnarrowmindednessofculturalBuddhistswill

failto

inspire

otherstoembrace

Buddhism.

Peopleexpect

Buddhiststohetolerant

andthelackofthiscan

definitely

make

impatient

westernerswanttohavetheir

owntomofBuddhismwithouta

sound

understanding.

Teaching

Buddhismin

Australiaaswith

anywhere

intheworld. isnotabout

conveningpeople

toBuddhism.Itis

about

sharing

Buddhismwith

people

sothat

they

becomemore

loving.

kindandwise.This is

why

HisHolinesstheDzilai

Lama

emphasizes

that

people

shouldnot

hurry

into

changing

their

religious

and

cultural

ways

even

ifthey

draw

inspiration

fromBuddhism.

Flexibility

willmeet

allthe

challenges

describedinthis

chapter

andcan

only

benefittheworld.

Rigidity

and

egotism

hasnever

helped anyone.

The

challenge

ishowtoavoidthese

by

remembering

theFourSealsofDharmaand

movingaway

fromculturalBuddhism

to

promotepeace

onearthinthis

very

life.IfBuddhistswork

to

bringpeace

to

the

world,eventhoseinheaven

may

returntoearthto

help

correctmistakesof

creation.

Itwillbeusefulto

promote

Buddhismina

way

thatworkswellin

Australia,

but

which

may

bedifferent

fromthe

way

itis

taught

and

practised

inAsia.

However,

one

may

facecriticismfrom

theconservativeifoneusesdifierent

ways

toteach

Buddhism.Thosewhohaveno

newideaswillremainsetintheirold

ways

and

accusethe

pragmatics

for

makingteachings

inauthentic. Butsome traditional

teachingstyles.

however

authentic

they

are.

failtoworkinanewenvironment.

Onehastorememberthatoneis

not

leaching

illiterate

villagers

somewherein

mm]Thailandwhocan

onlyrepeat

chanting

aftermonks.Buddhistteachers

living

inthewestwillneedto

gain

maturity

to

adapt

the

teachings

tofulfiltheneed

of

the

changingsociety

welivein.

Perhaps

thisisthereasonthatthe

majority

of

the

leading

TibetanBuddhistteachersin

thewestareex—monksand

only

afewtradi-

tionalmonksdowellasteachers

—

thosewhoare

pragmatic

and

open

minded.

'l'h is not to

say

that

they

are no

great

Buddhist teachers who are

in

robes,

living

inthewest. Even

manypopular

BuddhistteachersofTheravada

backgroundsliving

inthewestare

laypeople.althoughthey

were

formerly

monks.

AsecularformofBuddhismwillneedto

behumanistic.

pragmatic

and

practical

andshouldnotbe

againstenjoying

life.

Buddhismandits

high

moralswill

alwms

be

respected.

but

contemporarysociety

is

seeking

a

religiousphilosophy

that

can

bring

wisdomto

everyday

life‘sdifiiculties

and

promote

an

earthly

benefitbeforr

reaching

nirvanaof

any

kind.Theroleof

womenshouldalsonotbe

ignored.

but

respected.

Thereluctant lraditionalists who

oppose

introduction

of

bhikkhuni

ordinationarestill

living

inthedark

ages

andhave

forgotten

that

everything

is

subject

to

change.

The

conflicting

and

rigid

viewson

vinaya

weresomeofthe

many

causesofthe

disappearance

ofBuddhismfromIndia.

Although

thisis

only

a

preliminary

survey,

it

mayhelp

toraiseawarenessofissuestobeconsidered

by

thosewhowishtoinventarelevantandelfcctivemethodto

develop

and

promote

amoresecularandhumanisticformofBuddhismthatwillcureall
sufferings

iii

any

culture.Smallnirvanainthislifewillbe

popular.People

willnotbesoafraid

ofa
religion

that

promotes

kindnessandtoleranceover

dogmatism

andidealism.

Index

Aboriginal

Australians:linkstoBuddhism

ire

indigenous

Australians

rilliten,

Robert

24,28,

l24.[25

r'lnlrl'lcaseeBuddhism:

inAmerica

W”,

Frank 768

AlishaCentre0377!

Australia:declineininstitutitinaliled

iriigiun9;

landusc

planning

8342:

national

identity

5. 6.I344;

relations

utihAsia

L5,15;religionsdiversity

8

tustlalianAssociationofBuddhist

Counsellorsand

Psychotherapists

in

Australian

Sangha

Associationins

Avalukiteshvara

lS4.l55

Batchelor.

Manine 3 |

Balchcliin

Stephen23,31.

32

Ballmal‘lfl.Martin

3,ll),23,43,

45

Beauties

sangha

3i

acndiuo

53

7t;

Chineseiniiucnccsso

iiiucguniSangha

3n.3]

iiiidhiFarm 27

tittiiri

Led/23.

29

iiotllllnyaiiaMonastery

l5

WhlsattvasmGrccn

Tara;

Avaiokltcshvara

litiiilt)rigg

92

llttlll'na.

(iary

lt.

9

Bruidicu.Picrrcn. 55

Brahmavamsu,

Ajahn15,70

limitrccIcnBuddhism:inBrazil

linuin

seeBuddhisminBritain

Buddha3|.32.33,lll.155.

“12.164

BuddhaSastlna

Nuggaha

Ariwc

iii7

Huddhaghuxa

32

BuddhaNet 9

Buddhism-in

America,3,33;

in

Britain.

25.

33;

in

Europe,

3;

in

Gcrrnany.

45;

in

Ireland

.

BuddhisminAustralia:

dcmcgrnriiiics

i.

L

7,8,45;

effectof

distance

from

lineage

origins

120;

effect

of

govemmeilt

regulations

4 7.l3,6},67,

7h1-93,

135,

157

60' rowth

oforganlzatlons

7;

history

2 73.38,l36;

localization

ll:

perceptions

ofi.

70;

plurality

of

tradilittns

3.

7

Buddhist

chaplains

l53

6

Buddhist

Councilof

Brisbane

3

Buddhist

Council

ofVictoria

lS7

60

Buddhist

EducationProgram

l59

Buddhist

Library

andMeditation

Centre

24,

30.

IN

Eunbury

Buddhist

lntercstGroup

144

Burmese

Buddhism

l(l7rll

(taiiramnita

92

. ,

Cambodian

Buddhism:demographics

in

Australia97.

ittti

.

Cambodian

Buddhist

Assuciittitni

til

Victoria

97

CambodianTempic

ofVictoria

97

celibacy

164.

I65

Chenre7ig

Institute

i49

Chinese

Buddhism

24.

78

_

,

Christianity:

iinits

with

Buddhism

El.l55.

opposition

toBuddhism

73.

no. 223

4

Clinical

Pastoral

Education

i54.

lSS

compassion

56

conversion:

reasons

for8.

to}

convertBuddhism

7.

9.|l,27..18.

l44

Cootc.

(Milanin

counselling

t4n

Courtin.

Venerable

Robina

MS

5]

Croucher.

Paul2. 7,

i49

culluml

Capital

6341.

its~71.

8W3

DaiaiLamaL64,

65 6,

loo

Dawson.

Geoff

l27

democratization

ll.i2.

30.“.

Ho.

i32