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In the year 563 B.C., on the border of modern day Nepal and India, a
prince was born to a ruler of a minor kingdom, the Sakyan. His name
was Siddhartha Gotama and, at the age of thirty five, he attained,
after six years of struggle and through his own insight, full
enlightenment or Buddhahood. The term 'Buddha' is not a name for a god
or an incarnation of a god, despite Hindu claims to the contrary, but
is a title for one who has realised through good conduct, mental
cultivation and wisdom the cause of life's vicissitudes and the way to
overcome them. Buddhism is, perhaps, unique amongst the world's
religions in that it does not place reliance for salvation on some
external power, such as a god or even a Buddha, but places the
responsibility for life's frustrations squarely on the individual. The
Buddha said:
By oneself, indeed, is evil done;
By oneself is one defiled.
By oneself is evil left undone;
By oneself, indeed, is one purified.
Purity and impurity depend on oneself.
No one purifies another. (1.)
His teaching can be summarised as:
Not to do any evil,
To cultivate good,
To purify one's mind, This is the Teaching of the Buddhas. (2.)
THE SPREAD OF BUDDHISM
Today, Buddhism is almost extinct in India, the land of its birth. It
fell victim to the Arab (Muslim) invaders, led by Muhammad Kasim, in
712 A.D.
'His soldiers slaughtered a large number of 'samanis' (sramanas) who
'shaved their heads and beards'.---- Toward the end of the 8th century
the Arabs swooped down upon the prosperous monasteries of Gujarat and
destroyed the Buddhist University at Valabhi on the sea coast.' (3.)
However, during the reign, in India, of Asoka (273 - 276 B.C.) Buddhism
spread outside India to Sri Lanka and, possibly, Burma (Myanmar)*. It
was later adopted by Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. These countries
constitute the stronghold of the Theravada or the orthodox school of
Buddhism. Another major school, the Mahayana or reformed school, which
had its roots in India in the fifth century B.C. spread to China,
Korea, Japan and Vietnam, during the early centuries of the current
era. An offspring of the Mahayana school, the Vajrayana or Tantric
school took root in Tibet in the seventh century and later spread to
Mongolia, parts of China and currently has pockets of followers in
Korea (Chingak and Chongji sects) and Japan (Shingon sect).
*' According to the tradition preserved in the Ceylonese Chronicles,
two Buddhist Monks, named Sona and Uttara, were sent by Emperor Asoka
to preach Buddhism in Suvarna-bhumi, which is generally identified with
Burma. There is, however, no reliable evidence to show that Sona and
Uttara were actually sent as missionaries by Asoka, and the location of
Suvarna-bhumi is also not beyond dispute. For, while some identify it
with Burma, others place it in Siam or take it to denote, broadly the
whole of Indo-China. Barring the story of Uttara and Sona there is no
other evidence that Buddhism flourished in Burma before the fifth
century A.D.' (4.)
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MAJOR SCHOOLS
The essential teachings of the Buddha are accepted as pivotal to all
schools of Buddhism, however, they differ mainly on the emphasis that
they place on certain aspects of the teaching and in their
interpretation of the rules (Vinaya) governing the conduct of the
clergy (Sangha). The Theravada school claims to adhere strictly to the
original teachings of the Buddha as contained in the Pali cannon
(scriptures) and it emphasises the goal of personal salvation (Arahant
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The Hwa Tsang Monastery is not alone in facing trials and tribulations
with Councils and local residents. The Taiwan based Fo Kwang Shan
organisation, is currently constructing a huge multi-million dollar
complex on a ten hectare site at Wollongong, south of Sydney. After a
minor battle with the Wollongong City Council over its increasing the
originally agreed price for the land, (16.) a bitter newspaper debate
ensued in the 'Letters to the Editor' column. Fortunately, they had the
support of the then Lord Mayor, Alderman Frank Arkell, who was also
the local State Member of Parliament, so they are currently proceeding
with the project which will comprise three prayer halls, two
meditation halls, twenty classrooms, a dining hall for 500 people as
well as sleeping quarters. Fo Kwang Shan also maintains centres in
Hong Kong and in Los Angeles. This latter centre was the venue for the
16th Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists in 1988, the
first time that it was held outside Asia.
Another ethnic Chinese religious group, whose members are mainly
refugees from the Indo-Chinese countries, has constructed a temple at
Bonnyrigg, west of Sydney, which is one of the largest in Australia.
This is the Confucianist, Buddhist cum Taoist lay organisation, the
Australian-Chinese Buddhist Society. Future plans involve the
construction of a school for the young and a retirement village for
the elderly. This temple is one of the few serving the Indo-Chinese
community which is completely privately funded.
The Khmer (Cambodians)
Resulting from the genocide wrought on the Cambodian people by Pol Pot
and his Khmer Rouge henchmen and the consequent invasion and
occupation of Cambodia by the armed forces of the Peoples Republic of
Vietnam, many refugees fled to the freedom of Thailand. These people,
who, under the fanatical policies of the Khmer Rouge, were forced to
labour for sixteen hours a day with little food, had lost all of their
possessions. Many of their relatives and friends, especially the
educated, the professionals and the monks, had been slaughtered. They
looked to the compassionate countries of the 'West' for resettlement so
that they could resume what was left of their shattered lives.
Australia accepted many of these industrious people and the various
Governments provided some assistance in their resettlement. Buddhism
is central to the lifestyle of the Khmer people and their fondest wish,
after their arrival in Australia was to have a Buddhist monk to
minister to their spiritual and social needs. Due to the genocide,
very few monks survived to satisfy this need. In the mid 1980's, the
Venerable Long Sakkhone, a Cambodian Buddhist monk arrived to take up
residence in Sydney. The community rented a rather run-down cottage in
Fairfield, a Western suburb of Sydney, to serve as a temporary monk's
residence and temple. The then Minister for Housing in the N.S.W.
Government, the Hon.Frank Walker, later arranged for the lease of a
tract of land adjacent to a large shopping Plaza at Bonnyrigg to the
Khmer Community of N.S.W. for the purpose of constructing a community
centre and temple. Construction of the first stage of this Cambodian
centre, comprising a community hall, office and amenities block as
well as a monk's residence has already been completed and was
officially opened by the Premier of N.S.W., the Hon.Nick Greiner on
Saturday the 10th of February, 1990. The temple building, itself, being
large, complex and expensive will have to wait for another day. The
Khmer community is divided politically, with some supporting Prince
Norodom Sihanouk (FUNCINPEC), others Son San (KPNLF), whilst a small
number support the Vietnamese 'puppet' government of Hun Sen, however,
they are united in their devotion to Theravadin Buddhism and,
irrespective of how poor their circumstances in their new country, they
generously support the temple and the religion generally. One would
imagine that, in the light of the horrific experiences suffered by the
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