Buddhist Council of NSW Working for the Buddhist Community ANNUAL REPORT 2019 1 BUDDHIST COUNCIL OF NSW - ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Buddhist Council of NSW Working for the Buddhist Community Contents Welcome ....................................................................... 4 Supporting Buddhist organisations ......................... 5 Programs for vulnerable age groups and life stages Chaplaincy ................................................................ 8 Special Religious Education ................................11 Making Buddhism available to all ..........................14 Liaising with government, interfaith and other groups ...........................................................15 Finance ........................................................................17 Member organisations .............................................20 Our vision ....................................................................22 Vien Giac Temple Abbess Anh Thien with BCNSW operations manager Ann MacArthur. 2 ANNUAL REPORT 2019 - BUDDHIST COUNCIL OF NSW Buddhist Council of NSW Working for the Buddhist Community How we work Families, temples, sangha and Buddhist community organisations all provide the framework for Buddhist life in NSW. The job of the Buddhist Council is to work with these to support a flourishing Buddhist community. We do this by: Supporting Buddhist organisations • Circulating information • Advertising and taking part in community events • Providing access to low cost insurance • Offering training and support in managing an organisation and meeting statutory requirements • Collaborative projects Programs for vulnerable age groups and life stages • Young people: special religious education • Illness and death: hospital chaplaincy • People in custody: prison chaplaincy Making Buddhism available to all • Providing information on Buddhist organisations and events on the website and social media • Responding to general queries • Providing resources on the Dharma • Providing religious related training Liaising with government, interfaith and other groups • Providing a point of contact for the government • Attending the Multicultural NSW Religious Leaders Forum and other government meetings • Attending interfaith activities and working with other faiths on issues of common concern 3 BUDDHIST COUNCIL OF NSW - ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Buddhist Council of NSW Working for the Buddhist Community Welcome At the time of our last annual report the We have also worked hard to strengthen Buddhist Council had recently had a change our chaplaincy and Special Religious Education of leadership and welcomed new Board programs, providing greater support to members. 2019 has been a year of renewing chaplains and teachers and also working with our direction, strengthening relationships with government and other providers to make sure members, and developing our programs. You that these programs meet the needs of the will find details of this in this report. Here I Buddhist community. would like to highlight a few aspects of our Internally, we have digitised much of our work. administration with a customer relations At last year’s Annual General Meeting management system which gives us much we flagged our intention to take a more better tools for managing and reporting and collaborative approach. We have worked hard supports the work of our staff and volunteers. at this, strengthening member support, taking None of this would be possible without our an active role in interfaith groups and with very active board, our excellent volunteers, and government, and taking a more active approach the enormous contribution of Ann MacArthur to issues that affect us all such as religious as operations manager and Glenn Sloan as freedom and climate change. We are working (volunteer) general manager. We are grateful to with the government on ways of supporting members who have worked with us through the new child protection laws in Buddhist year. temples and organisations, and are thinking through what contribution we in the Buddhist community can make to mitigate climate Gawaine Powell Davies change. In all of this we are aware of how complex the Buddhist community is: in NSW more than 207,000 people from more than 60 countries, with a variety of languages, schools of Buddhism and cultural heritages. Chair 4 ANNUAL REPORT 2019 - BUDDHIST COUNCIL OF NSW Buddhist Council of NSW Working for the Buddhist Community Supporting Buddhist organisations “We highlighted some of the key ways we assist member organisations” Membership renewal program After much planning and discussion following run from July to June the following year. last year’s annual general meeting, we launched a membership renewal program with the In our correspondence at the end of 2019 aspiration of strengthening links with Buddhist encouraging renewals, we highlighted some of member organisations. In the past we did not the key ways we assist member organisations: ask the 130 some organisations who have • supporting member events through events registered with us to regularly renew their listing on our website and publicity through memberships nor did we ask for an annual our monthly e-news and Facebook page as subscription, although many groups have been well as attendance by Board members and very generous with donations. This left us Ambassadors without a clear membership base, and without • offering public liability and voluntary the funds we need to do our work. workers insurance at a reduced rate Our new membership arrangement offers • supporting visa applications for bringing three tiers depending on the size of the venerables and teachers to Australia organisation. These with the corresponding annual subscription are Seedling small • providing advice on incorporation and organisations) $55, Budding (medium governance size organisations) $150 and Blossoming • helping members access support on legal, (organisations with a turnover of more than financial and taxation issues $250,000) $300. We do not want to turn away any Buddhist organisation due to financial need • providing access to dispute resolution and have made provision for organisations to We also provide a Buddhist voice at local, ask for a subsidy. Membership subscriptions will state and national levels. 5 BUDDHIST COUNCIL OF NSW - ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Buddhist Council of NSW Working for the Buddhist Community Member events to join in Vesak celebrations with individual temples, including Australian Chinese The Buddhist Council supported Ding Buddhist Association and Prajna Monastery, Hui Monastery, Bori Sa Temple and Prajna Jongbopsa Korean Temple, Nan Tien (Darling Monastery to produce the Combined Vesak Harbour) Mahamenawa and Sakya Tharpa celebration at Burwood Park, a cherished Ling, and to attend other ceremonies and annual event. While speeches, chanting and events at Mahamenawa, Nan Tien Temple, bathing of the baby Buddha happened at the Wat Phrayortkeo Temple, Vien Giac Temple main altar, our booth was used to promote our and Huayen. It was also a pleasure to attend SRE and chaplaincy programs. We provided workshops and conferences organised by Mitra a display of educational boards explaining and Nan Tien. Buddhism also staffed by volunteers and hosted a children’s activity tent. Board member Tina Ng was the emcee for the day and Chair Gawaine Powell Davies was a speaker. We were delighted also BCNSW volunteers Sofan Chan and Trish Nguyen at our stall at Combined Vesak celebrations Venerables bathing the baby Buddha at Burwood Park 17 May 2019 6 ANNUAL REPORT 2019 - BUDDHIST COUNCIL OF NSW Buddhist Council of NSW Working for the Buddhist Community Mr. Thoulanh Chounlamountry, Senior advisor of the Wat Phrayortkeo and BCNSW Chair Gawaine Powell Davies parading three times around the sacred Bodhi Tree with offerings of saffron robes, flower, candles and incense sticks. Member profile Bodhi Day with the Lao Buddhist Society of New South Wales In 2009, the Fairfield City Council (FCC) asked For Bodhi Day around November each year, the monks of Wat Phrayortkeo, the temple Lao Buddhist Society of NSW commemorates of the Lao Buddhist Society of New South the sacred Bodhi tree that Prince Siddhartha Wales in Edensor Park, to be the ‘Guardians’ Gautama sat under and meditated until he of the Bodhi tree. This touched the hearts of found a way out of suffering. To celebrate the many Buddhists and has started a significant Buddha’s attainment of enlightenment all are partnership between the Lao Buddhist Society invited to parade three times around the sacred of NSW and FCC. This sacred tree is located tree and sprinkle scented water onto the plant. in Bonnyrigg Town Centre Park, where the This is a spiritual significance to ask for peace motto is “The World in One Place.” The Lao for humanity and peace for the world. Buddhist Society has had many events, festivals In 2019 the Lao Buddhist Society generously and ceremonies bringing people from diverse donated the dana from their Bodhi Day festival backgrounds and faiths to one place to pray for to the Buddhist Council of NSW. Chair Gawaine peace together. Powell Davies attended to award certificates to Sunday school students. “This touched the hearts of many Buddhists and has started a significant partnership between the Lao Buddhist Society of NSW and FCC.” 7 BUDDHIST COUNCIL OF NSW - ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Buddhist Council of NSW Working for the Buddhist Community Programs for vulnerable age groups and life stages Hospital chaplains networking lunch Chaplaincy We made a significant