Buddhism
in Australia
Kerry Trembath
---o0o---
It is not known precisely when Buddhism first came to Australia.
Professor A.P.Elkin has argued that there may have been contact between the Aboriginal
people of northern Australia and the early Kindu-Buddhist civilisations of Indonesia. He
suggests that Aboriginal practices of mind training and belief in reincarnation may be
evidence of such contact. It is also possible that the great fleets of the Chinese Ming
emperors which explored the south between 1405 and 1433 may have reached the mainland of
Australia.
The first certain contact with Buddhism can be dated in 1848, when
Chinese labourers arrived to work on the goldfields of eastern Australia. The beliefs of
these men were predominantly Taoist/Confucian, but the makeshift temples they built have
been found to contain remnants of Mahayana Buddhist statutes. Most of these men returned
to China when the goldrush ended, but some stayed in Australia, often after sending for a
wife from China. While the older Chinese continued to practice their ancestral beliefs,
their children and grandchildren often adopted the Christian faith.
In the 1870s, groups of Sinhalese from Sri Lanka began to arrive in
Australia to work on the sugar plantations of northern Queensland, or in the pearling
industry centered on Thursday Island. By the 1890s, the Buddhist population of Thursday
Island included about 500 Sinhalese people. Two Bodhi trees planted by this community are
still growing on Thursday Island to this day. A temple was built on Thursday Island,
festivals such as Vesak were regularly celebrated, and a Buddhist monk is said to have
visited to officiate at the temple around the turn of the century.
Soon after Federation in 1901, Australia adopted increasingly
restrictive immigration policies which effectively halted further Asian immigration until
the 1960s.
Early Western Buddhists in Australia
By the late 1800s, increasing numbers of Westerners were becoming
interested in Asian culture and religion. In 1891, Colonel Henry Steel Olcott spent
several months lecturing throughout Australia on ‘Theosophy and Buddhism’.
Olcott was the cofounder of the Theosophical Society who described himself as a Buddhist,
having taken the three refuges and the five precepts in Sri Lanka in 1880. His lectures in
Australia were well attended and well received. Small but significant numbers of generally
well-educated and influential Australians joined the Theosophical Society, the aim of
which, according to Olcott, was to disseminate Buddhist philosophy. One of those who
joined the Theosophical Society at this time was Alfred Deakin, who was later to be three
times Prime Minister of Australia. Deakin retained a lifetime interest in and regard for
Buddhism and even wrote a book about a visit to India and Sri Lanka which included three
chapters which were highly sympathetic to Buddhism.
In time, the Theosophical Society drifted away from its strong focus on
Buddhism, becoming more eclectic and giving greater emphasis to spiritualism and
occultism. Nevertheless, the importance of the Theosophical Society in the early history
of Buddhism in Australia cannot be overlooked. To this day, the Society’s bookshop in
Sydney, Adyar, remains one of the best sources of Buddhist literature in the country.
Another important figure in the Theosophical Society made a
contribution to the history of Buddhism in Australia. In 1919, F.L. Woodward, who for 16
years had been principal of Mahinda College in Galle, Sri Lanka, arrived in Australia. He
settled on an apple orchard near Launceston in Tasmania, and for the next 33 years devoted
his time to translations of the Pali Canon for the Pali Text Society. He is perhaps best
known for his anthology, Some Sayings of the Buddha, first published in 1925. This popular
book provided an introduction to Buddhism for many Westerners, including some who later
became prominent Australian Buddhists.
The earliest group of Western Buddhists in Australia, The Little Circle
of the Dharma, may have been formed in 1925 in Melbourne by Max Tyler, Max Dunn and David
Maurice. This group was strongly influenced by the Theravada tradition of Burma. By the
1950s, David Maurice was editing The Light of the Dhamma, a Buddhist magazine in English
which had a wide circulation throughout the world, and in 1962 he published The
Lion’s Roar, his anthology of the Pali Canon. Another early group was established in
Melbourne in 1938 by Leonard Bullen, and was called The Buddhist Study Group.
Unfortunately, the outbreak of the second World War in 1939 put a stop to this promising
start.
Women played an important part in the development of Buddhism in
Australia. Marie Byles, the first woman solicitor in the country and also a prominent
conservationist, feminist and pacifist, wrote many books and articles on Buddhism in the
1940s and 1950s. Only one of her books, Footprints of Gautama the Buddha, is still in
print. She gave many talks in Sydney as well as broadcasting on the Theosophical
Society’s regular Sunday night radio program on Radio Station 2GB. Marie Byles
studied Vipassana meditation in Burma, and built a meditation hut in the garden of her
Sydney home which is still there to this day. Her home and garden have been given to the
people of Sydney as a quiet retreat. Her extensive library of Buddhist books, including a
full set of the Tripitika in English, was bequeathed to the library of the University of
Sydney.
In 1952, the first Buddhist nun visited Australia. Sister Dhammadina,
born in the USA and with thirty years experience in Sri Lanka, was sponsored by Dr
Malasekera, the first president of the World Fellowship of Buddhists. Although she was
already 70 years old, Sister Dhammadina was enterprising and energetic, and her 11 months
in Sydney helped to further the growing interest in Buddhism.
The first Buddhist societies in Australia
Around this time, the Buddhist Society of New South Wales,
Australia’s oldest surviving Buddhist society, was established by Leo Berkeley, a
Sydney businessman. A leading member of this group was Natasha Jackson, who edited the
publication Metta from 1955 (originally Buddhist News, edited by Gordan Lishman) and who
exerted a powerful influence on the development of Australian Buddhism over the next 20
years. In 1953, the Buddhist Society of Victoria and the Buddhist Society of Queensland
were established. Until the 1960s, the focus in Sydney was strongly Theravadin while in
Melbourne it was more eclectic with both Theravadin and Japanese Zen influences. In 1973,
the Buddhist Society of Western Australia was formed in Perth. This society was also
primarily Theravadin.
In 1958, the Sydney-based Buddhist Federation of Australia was formed
with Charles Knight as its chairperson and Natasha Jackson as a central figure. The
Federation took over publication of Metta, later renaming it Buddhism Today. This journal
is still published to this day, making it the oldest continuing Buddhist publication in
Australia.
The Chinese Buddhist Society of Australia was established in Sydney in
1972 by businessman Eric Liao, who had arrived in Australia in 1961.
Visits to Australia by Sangha from
overseas
In 1954, Venerable U Thittila came to Australia from Burma in the first
of his three trips to give talks and guidance to the newly formed Buddhist societies.
Venerable Narada Thera came a year later from Sri Lanka at the invitation of the Buddhist
Society of Queensland. Sister Dhammandina returned to Australia in 1957. These visits
received extensive publicity, and during this time the membership of the Buddhist
societies doubled to around 100 in Sydney and 40 in Melbourne. As in the past, the
majority of those drawn to Buddhism were well educated, in professional or managerial
occupations, or in the arts and literature.
During the 1960s, notable visitors included the abbot of Higashi
Hongan-ji temple in Kyoto; the Venerable Piyadassi Thera from Sri Lanka; the famous
Vietnamese teacher and writer, the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh; and the Venerable Phra
Sasanasobhon, chair of the Mahamakut Educational Foundation of Thailand.
The establishment of Mahayana in
Australia
A master of the Chinese Zen tradition arrived in Sydney from Hong Kong
in 1961. He was Hsuan Hua, also known as An-tz’u and To-lun. Language difficulties
and the strong Theravada orientation of Western Buddhists in Sydney limited his impact and
he left in 1961 to go to California where he later founded the monastic complex,
‘City of the Ten Thousand Buddhas’. The Soto Zen Buddhist Society was formed in
Sydney in 1961, and the Sydney Zen Centre was established in 1976. This centre was
associated with the Soto Zen Diamond Sangha in Hawaii. Robert Aitken Roshi, the director
of the Hawaiian centre, visited annually in the early years, and his Australian born
disciple, John Tarrant Roshi (now living in California) has continued his work. During the
1970s and the 1980, small groups dedicated to the practice of Zen were formed in Brisbane,
Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
The first monasteries in Australia
During the 1970s, there was a strong growth of interest in Buddhism,
especially among young people. During this period, it has been estimated that close to 300
Australians attended the annual retreats in northern India and Nepal conducted by Tibetan
teachers such as Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubeten Zopa. In Thailand, perhaps as many
as 200 Australians may have been ordained as monks for various periods of time in
Thailand. By this time also, large numbers of immigrants and refugees from Asia were
coming to Australia to settle, and many of these were Buddhists. The time was ripe for
establishment of the first Buddhist monasteries in Australia.
The Venerable Somaloka, a young Sri Lankan monk, arrived in Sydney in
1971, initially at the invitation of the Buddhist Society of New South Wales. On Vesak
Day, 1973, the Australian Buddhist Vihara was opened at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, a
short distance to the west of Sydney. This was the first monastery in Australia.
Venerable Somaloka still resides there, but the temple has never been
attended by large numbers of Buddhists and its influence on the growth of Buddhism in
Australia has been limited.
In 1973, Venerable Phra Khantipalo, an English-born monk from Wat
Bovoranives in Thailand, arrived in Sydney. Shortly later, he was followed by Phra Chao
Khun Pariyattikavee from the Mahamakut Foundation in Thailand. Phra Khantipalo spent the
next 2 years teaching throughout Australia. On Vesak Day, 1995, Wat Buddharangsee
(‘monastery of the Buddha’s radiance’) was opened at Stanmore in Sydney by
the Crown Prince of Thailand in the presence of Phra Khantipalo and his teacher, Somdet
Phra Nyanasamsvara, and 7 other visiting abbots. Under the leadership of its abbot Phra
Mahasamai, this temple served not only the Thai community in Sydney, but also Laotian,
Cambodian, Burmese, Malaysian, and even Vietnamese and Chinese Buddhists before these
groups were in a position to set up their own temples. Phra Mahasamai, now Tan Chao Khun
Samai, still works tirelessly for the betterment of the whole Buddhist community in
Sydney.
In 1978, Phra Khantipalo and the German-born nun Ayya Khema established
Wat Buddha Dhamma in a bushland setting at Wiseman’s Ferry north of Sydney. This
functioned mainly as a centre for meditation and retreats, and appealed to many Westerners
who were attracted to Buddhism.
Soon, other ethnic groups (Cambodian, Laotian, Burmese, Sri Lankans and
Vietnamese) were establishing temples, mainly in Sydney and Melbourne where these groups
had settled in largest numbers. A Chinese temple was established in Sydney’s
Chinatown district in 1972. This was followed by the Hwa Tsang Monastery at Homebush,
where the first and still current abbot was the Venerable Tsang Hui.
Vietnamese Buddhist organisations in
Australia
Vietnamese Buddhist temples began to be established in the 1980s. In
1981, the senior Vietnamese Buddhist monk, the Most Venerable Thich Phuoc Hue, arrived in
Australia to form the Vietnamese Buddhist Federation of Australia. This organisation, know
known as the United Vietnamese Congregations of Australia, has branch temples in all
Australian states except Tasmania. Other prominent Vietnamese groups are the Vietnamese
Buddhist Society of New South Wales (Venerable Thich Bao Lac), the Lotus Buds Sangha
(followers of Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh), Linn Son (with headquarters in France and
centres in Queensland and Victoria) and the Middle Way (Venerable Thich Minh Thien of the
Buddha Relics Vihara in Sydney). Their temples usually follow Mahayana traditions,
especially Pure Land and Ch’an, and the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin is frequently venerated.
Many temples also have youth groups and offer part-time classes in Vietnamese language and
customs to help young people born in Australia to maintain their culture.
Tibetan Buddhism in Australia
Although the number of Tibetans in Australia is relatively
small, the Vajrayana tradition is very attractive to many Westerners and the Tibetan
influence in Australian Buddhism is strong. For example, nearly one third of all Buddhist
organisations in Sydney is Tibetan. The Dalai Lama has visited Australia three times
(1982, 1992 and 1996) and on each occasion he has drawn huge crowds of the general public
as well as giving great joy and inspiration to Buddhists of all traditions.
Numbers of Buddhists in Australia
Although many Australians are interested in Buddhism, the number of
Westerners who identify themselves as Buddhists is still very small. Most Buddhists in
Australia are immigrants from Asia.
From Table 1, which has been taken from figures published by the
Australian government from the 1991 Census, it can be seen that people of Vietnamese
origin are the largest single ethnic group of Buddhists, and that they make up nearly one
third of all Australian Buddhists. Not all people born in Vietnam were Buddhists - 35% of
them identified as Catholic, and 60% as Buddhist.
Less than a quarter of all Australian Buddhists were born in Australia,
and of those, only one quarter had both parents born in Australia.
Chinese Buddhists came from many countries, such as Taiwan, Hong Kong,
Singapore and Malaysia as well as the People’s Republic of China.
Table 1: Number and birthplace of
Buddhists in Australia
Birthplace Number Percentage
Vietnam 46,674 32.72
Australia 19,817 13.89
Malaysia 12,625 8.85
Cambodia 10,530 7.38
Laos 6,678 4.68
China 6,042 4.24
Sri Lanka 5,955 4.17
Japan 3,491 2.45
Taiwan 2,992 2.10
Indonesia 2,483 1.74
Hong Kong 2,078 1.46
United Kingdom 1,585 1.11
Singapore 1,557 1.09
Burma 1,173 0.82
Other Asia 16,001 11.22
Other 2,985 2.09
Total 142,666 100,00
Source: 1991 Census matrix table CSC6015
Growth in Buddhism in Australia
Numbers grew rapidly between 1981 and 1991, increasing by almost 300%.
Buddhists have become Australia’s fastest growing religious group, but they are still
less than one percent of the Australian population (Table 2).
Table 2: Buddhists by State and Territory,
and as percentage of Australian
population, 1891-1991
Year |
NSW |
Vic |
Qld |
SA |
WA |
Tas |
NT |
ACT |
Total |
% |
1891 |
10,120 |
6,746 |
- |
3,936 |
1,089 |
826 |
- |
- |
22,717 |
1.2 |
1901 |
5,471 |
4,807 |
- |
3,190 |
844 |
353 |
- |
- |
14.665 |
0.5 |
1911 |
3.516 |
1,273 |
3,327 |
97 |
2,265 |
169 |
1,317 |
0 |
11,964 |
0.3 |
1921 |
2,790 |
1,063 |
1,931 |
149 |
1,667 |
70 |
672 |
6 |
8,348 |
0.2 |
1933 |
850 |
177 |
324 |
59 |
354 |
3 |
55 |
5 |
1,827 |
- |
1947 |
450 |
201 |
102 |
12 |
90 |
9 |
62 |
0 |
926 |
- |
1981 |
15,635 |
9,474 |
2,967 |
2,229 |
2,971 |
236 |
499 |
1,062 |
35,073 |
0.2 |
1986 |
35,112 |
23,265 |
5,768 |
5,847 |
7,177 |
439 |
885 |
1,890 |
80,383 |
0.5 |
1991 |
58,735 |
42,349 |
11,638 |
8,529 |
13,499 |
713 |
1,370 |
2,962 |
139,795 |
0.8 |
Sources: Australian Census figures
Geographical spread of Buddhism in Australia
The geographical distribution of Buddhists in Australia reflects the
destinations of recent immigrants. Almost all settled in the capital cities, and most
(around 79%) settled in Sydney and Melbourne (Table 3). Although the percentage of
Buddhists in Australia is only around 0.8%, they form a more significant proportion of the
population of Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin.
Table 3: Buddhists living in the capital cities of Australia
City |
Number |
% of all Buddhists
in Australia |
% of population
in each city |
| Sydney |
54,859 |
42.4 |
1.55 |
| Melbourne |
40,797 |
31.5 |
1.35 |
| Brisbane |
8,631 |
6.7 |
0.65 |
| Adelaide |
8.185 |
6.3 |
0.80 |
| Perth |
12,497 |
9.7 |
1.09 |
| Hobart |
412 |
0.3 |
0.23 |
| Darwin |
1,077 |
0.8 |
1.37 |
| Canberra |
2,962 |
2.3 |
1.06 |
| Total |
129,420 |
100.00 |
0.8 |
Source: 1991 Census Capital City Comparison Series, Religion
Buddhist organisations and temples in Australia
Australia is fortunate in that all of the major traditions and sects in world Buddhism
can be found there. Each of the ethnic groups which migrated to Australia has tended to
establish its own temples, often bringing out monks and nuns from the home country to
provide religious leadership and teaching to the community. In addition, many groups of
Westerners have set up meditation groups, study centres and country retreats to further
their practice of Buddhism. Table 4 gives details of the range of spread of Buddhist
organisations throughout the nation.
Table 4: Buddhist organisations in Australia, by
tradition, State and Territory, 1995
| Buddhist tradition |
NSW |
Vic |
Qld |
SA |
WA |
Tas |
NT |
Total |
| Theravada |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Burmese |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
2 |
- |
- |
3 |
| Cambodian |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
6 |
| Indonesian |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
| Lao |
1 |
2 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
4 |
| Malaysian |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
| Sri Lankan |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
- |
- |
6 |
| Thai |
3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
8 |
| Vipassana |
1 |
1 |
2 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
4 |
| Other Theravada |
7 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
16 |
| Total Theravada |
18 |
11 |
9 |
3 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
49 |
| Mahayana |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ch’an |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
| Chinese |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
- |
- |
9 |
| Kegon/Tendai |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
| Korean |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
| Pure Land |
4 |
2 |
- |
1 |
3 |
- |
- |
10 |
| Sinshu (Japan) |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
| Tibetan |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
1 |
- |
2 |
| Vietnamese |
2 |
4 |
4 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
10 |
| Zen |
3 |
2 |
5 |
- |
1 |
1 |
- |
12 |
| Other Mahayana |
1 |
2 |
- |
- |
1 |
1 |
- |
5 |
| Total Mahayana |
19 |
11 |
10 |
2 |
7 |
3 |
0 |
52 |
| Vajrayana |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Dzogchen |
4 |
2 |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
7 |
| Other Vjrayana |
11 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
29 |
| Total Vajrayana |
15 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
36 |
| Western Buddhist |
2 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
3 |
| Non-Sectarian |
10 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
- |
1 |
22 |
| Other |
4 |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
5 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total |
68 |
33 |
29 |
9 |
19 |
6 |
3 |
167 |
Source: BuddhaNet, derived from lists prepared by Buddhist Council of New South Wales
Number of monks and nuns in Australia
It is difficult to give a precise figure for the number of monks and
nuns in Australia. Some members of the Sangha who are Australian residents may spend
regular periods of time overseas, and at any time there would be a number of monks and
nuns from overseas who are on extended visits to Australia. A reasonably conservative
estimate would be that there are least 200 monks and nuns in Australia.
Buddhist influences on art and literature
in Australia
A number of Australian artists and writers have been strongly
influenced by Eastern philosophy, religion and aesthetics. These include the painters
Godfrey Miller, Ian Fairweather, John Olsen, Brett Whiteley and Margaret Preston, and the
poets Harold Stewart, Max Dunn, Colin Johnson and Robert Gray. These influences included
Buddhism, particularly Zen Buddhism. Some Australians were drawn to Buddhism through art
and literature. One of these was Les Oates who took up the practice of Zen during his time
in Japan after the war and who started the Buddhist Society of Victoria in 1953, along
with Len Henderson. Adrian Snodgrass, a lecturer in Architecture at the University of
Sydney, has been influenced by Zen and Pure Land Buddhism and has published several
authoritative works on Buddhist art.
The future of Buddhism in Australia
The history of Buddhism in Australia has passed through several stages.
From its introduction to Australia until the 1960s, Buddhism was kept alive by a small
number of dedicated Westerners. With increased migration to Australia from Asian countries
from the 1970s, Buddhism entered a period of rapid growth. It now ranks as the third most
populous religion in Australia, after Christianity and Islam. As immigration has now
leveled off and may slow down even further, future growth in Buddhism will have to come
from within. There are both positive and negative indicators for such future growth.
It is critical that young people from Buddhist families have the
opportunity to learn the Dharma so that they have a framework to guide their lives in the
predominantly secular and materialistic culture of Australia. Many temples have
educational programs, but these programs cannot reach all. Religious education for those
of all faiths is provided in government schools, but there is a drastic shortage of
volunteers from the Buddhist community to provide this teaching.
Increasing numbers of Westerners are being drawn to Buddhism, but for
many this goes no further than reading about Buddhism, or practicing mediation to seek
relaxation and peace of mind. For some it is difficult to become more actively engaged in
Buddhism because the majority of Buddhist temples cater to specific ethnic groups, and
Westerners may encounter language or cultural barriers in attempting to get involved. It
is important that temples seek to develop devotional and teaching modes which cater to the
broader Australian community rather than to only one ethnic group.
Given the enormous diversity in Australian Buddhism, there is a need
for organisations which can provide a bridge and an opportunity for joint activity between
the many Buddhist groups. In New South Wales, this function is performed by the Buddhist
Council of New South Wales. It coordinates shared activities such as joint Vesak
celebrations for all the traditions and ethnic groups to come together. It also provides
representation to government and the media, distributes Buddhist literature, answers
questions from the general public and directs them to the appropriate Buddhist
organisations for further help. The newly formed Buddhist Council of Victoria performs a
similar function in Victoria.
Provided that some problems can be overcome, Buddhism in Australia
seems set for a period of growth which is steady but not as rapid as in the past 20 years.
May we find support in the Triple Gem for our efforts, and may all beings be well and
happy in the Dharma.
By Kerry Trembath
(Secretary of the Buddhist Council of New South Wales)
-----------------------------
References
The Buddhist in Australia, Enid Adam and Philip J. Hughes, Bureau of
Immigration, Multicultural and Population Research, Australian Government Publishing
Service, 1996.
A History of Buddhism in Australia 1848-1988, Paul Groucher, New South
Wales University Press, Sydney, 1989.
Many Faiths One Nation, edited by Ian Gillman, William Collins, Sydney
1988.
Australian Buddhism on the World Wide Web:-
Home page of the Buddhist Council of New South Wales, maintained by
Graeme Lyall, Chairperson of the Buddhist Council of New South Wales Inc., at
http://www.zip.com.au/~lyallg/
BuddhaNet, electronic Buddhist resources and bulletin board of the
Buddha Dhamma Meditation Association Inc., maintained by the Venerable Pannavaro at
http://www2.hawkesbury.uws.edu.au/BuddhaNet/
Kerry Trembath, Sydney, November 1996.
Computer typing: Lydia Quang Nhu
Update : 01-12-2001
