Buddhism in Australia Traditions in Change

68

Sally

McAru

she

imagined

Australian

countryside

should

be,

constitutingvery

visibleevidence

at

aloss

ot'a

familiar.localsense

ofplace.

aloss

ofground

to

somethingforeign.

Thisisconsistent

withFriedman’s

suggestion

that

Hage

couldhave

given

more

consierationto

classrelations

between

cosmopolitans.

who

identify

withmulti-

culturalism,

and

downwardly

mobile

and

workingclasses,

whodonot.Friedman

suggests

that‘the

xenophobia

of

the

powerless'.

rather

than

being

about

losing

controlofthe

nation.isconcerned

with

losing

‘controlover local

sociality.

a

feeling

ofhomclessncss‘

(200i):

269).

The-Stupa

objectors' comments.while muted in

comparison

to

objections

to

similarlyprominent nomChristian

religious

edifices elsewhereinAustralia

(see

Dunn et al.

2001;

McAm

2009:

chapter 6),

are

significant

because.

as

noted.

Anglo-Celtic

Australian

opposition

to

immigrants‘

alterationsofthebuilt

environment

has

oftenbeen

stridentand

provoked

much

public

debate.Forsome

itisa

disruption

totheirsense

of

place.

a

sign

ot‘

the declineor

AngltFCL‘iliC

Australian

culture

or

ofChristianity

orawasteof

money

inthefaceofothermore

pressing

socialor

environmental

issues.The

objectors’

criticismofthe

stupa

hints

atthe

backlash

againstmulticulturalismthat

Hage

identifieswithwhiteAustralian

victimswhofeara

‘conspiracy

to

change

the

very

natureof

the

country'(Hage

1998:

20).

These

conservativewhite

Australiansresentthe

apparent

erosion

of

their

familiar,

‘traditional‘

Australian

way

of

life. Their

discourse

ofbacklash

blames

immigrants

from

non-European/non-English-speaking backgrounds

for

much

ofthis

change.

Putting

Bendigo

onthe

world

map

The

Bendigonians

who

engage

in

TibetanBuddhist

practice.

orare

sympathetically

disposedtowardsit.tendtobe

sympathetic

towards

multiculturalism.

aspirng

toseetheir

city

becomemore

culturallydiverse.

perhaps

asa

way

of

marking

themselves

asa

significant

city

ratherthana

largecountry

town.

For

example.

in

explaining

the

stupa

inmedia

interviews.

[an

says:

‘Welivein

Australia

which

is

a

multicultuial

nationandbecausewe‘re

establishing

Australian

Buddhism

so

to

speak

it‘s

veryappropriate

thatitshouldbea

multiculturalformofBuddhism'

(Nexus.n.d.).

Heis

speaking

thesame

language

as

Rivendell.

here

refen'ing

to

how

the

stupa

hasfound

suppon

withtheAustralian

Vietnamese

community

and

further

afieldin

Malaysia.Singapore,

Taiwanand

Thailand,

withtheintention

of

highlighting

thatthe

stupa

is

compatible

withand indeed

acontributiontoa

multicultural

society,

Asin

Mayor

Rivendell‘s

speech,othcial

positions

onthe

stupa

reiterate

the

dominant

governmental

discourses

ofAustrtiliaasatolerant.multicultural

society.

occasionallyexpressingpride

in

Bendigo

asa

city

viithadistinctidentity. For

the

city's

elites.the

stupa‘s

exoticismisan

important

contributiontoliendieo‘s

cultural

capital.

Asasmallbut

growingregional

city,Bendigo

aspires

to

develop

its

image

asadiverseand

livelyplace.

Ina

speechquoted

in

Charlen.Maurice

Sharkey,

anearlier

mayor

of

Bendigo.spoke

aboutthe

project

as

somethingthat

bolsters‘a

community

like

Bendigo'.

Headded:

‘[W]e

do

ourselvesno

favotirshv

_

BuddhifvingAur/mlia

69

thinking

small Wecanachieve

bigthings.‘

His

speech

alsotakes

ownership

of

this

project

asashowot‘

strength

forthe

city

of

Bendigo.

tofosterasense

ot‘pridc

inthe

city

andthe

capacities

ofthe

community(asmayors

are

expected

to

do).

\ihile

its

reproduction

inCharter:

highlights

the

project‘s

endorsement

from

city

elite

Bendigo's

elitcs

attempt.throughsupporting

the

Stupa.

tofoster

asenseof

their

city’s

ownlocaldistinctiveness.in

pan

toattracttottristvisitsand

revenue

andin

pan

tobolstertheirownsenseof

cosmopolitanism

andmulticulturalism.

Butthisishow

mayors

talk.Whatofthewider

Bendigopublic?

AsImet

people

inthecourseof

living

in

Bendigo

in

2003,

Iasked

what

they

thought

aboutthe

stupa.

Somehadnotheardaboutit.

butwhenIshowed

them

the

project‘s

brochure.

themostcommon

response

waseithermild

incredulity

attheambitiousness

andunusualnessofthe

project

oran

expression

(it'antici-

pation

thatit

would

provide

avaluabletourist

attraction.For

instance.

awoman

Imetonthe

Bendigo

toMelbournetrainexclaimed:

‘Whata

coup

for

Bendigo!‘

Others,

likethe

objectors.

feltthatitwould

be

incompatible

with

what

they

understoodto

bethecharacterofthe

region.

One

elderly

Methodist

womanI

metwhile

waiting

atthe

Bendigorailway

stationhadheardofAtisha

Centre

becauseher

goddaughtcr

attendedthe

Sunday

meditations.Shewasnonetheless

surprised

when

Ishowedhera

picture

ofthe

Gyantscstupa

andsheexclaimed:

‘Goodness.

it'lllooknbit

funnysticking

out

ofthebush!‘

Perhaps

in

anticipation

ofsuchcomments.

the

stupapublicity

asserts

thatitis

compatible

withthe

region's

cultural

history

bylinking

theTibetan structttre

to

the

region‘s

Chinese

history,rioting:

‘Buddhism

isnorecentvisitorto

Bendigo.

It

first

came

inthe 18505 withtheChinese

gold

diggers‘

(Great

Stupa

of

Universal

Compassion

brochuren.d..

n.p.).

This

appeal

to

Bendigo’s

Chinese

heritage

is

interesting,

given

thesad

history

ofChineserTibetan

relations.the

very

different

religious

practices

and sociocultural

statusoftheChinese

golddiggers

and the

very

different

path

thatTibetanBuddhism

hastakentoAustralia.

Despite

allof

this.

the

alignment

makes sense

intermsofthe

city's

economic

development

becauseoneofthe

primary

tourist

attractionsin

Bendigotoday

isits

goldmining

heritage.

ofwhichtheChinese

connectionisone

importantpart.

The

city's

Golden

Dragon

MuseumandlossHouse

provide

year-round

attrac-

tions,

whilethe

highlight

of

Bendigo‘s

annual Easter

festivalisChinese

dragon

andlion

dancingperformed

by

local

troupes.

TheGolden

Dragon

Museum

plans

tobuilda 50

metre-high(nine-storey)pagoda.

anEastAsian

style

towerthat

constitutesavariant

formof

stupa.

Themuseum

website

represents

thestructure

asanenhancement

ofthe

existing

institution

thatwillhouse

displays

onthearts

andctafisof

thevariousChinese

dynasties

witha

revolving

restaurantatthe

top.

It

is

significant

that

Bendigo

couldbecome

hometonotonebuttwoBuddhist

monuments

thatare

justified

intermsof

their

potential

astouristattractionsand

linked

withthe

region‘shistory

ofChinese

connections.LetterstotheAdverliser.

from

2003—2008.

indicatea

positivepublic

response

tothis

plan

becauseofthe

perceived

benefits intermsoftourism

to the

city.

For

example,

inhis

letter,

McKenzie

expresses

a

strongpreference

forthe

pagoda

and

stupaprojects

overa

proposal

to

spend

$500,000

ona

sculpture

inthe

city‘s

mall

(2008).

He

suggests