The 2018 Australian Observance of the United Nations Day of Vesak

The Buddhist Federation of Australia would like to express its sincere concern for the impact that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having on the lives of people in Australia and around the world. We understand the levels of concern in the community caused by the health risks from the virus as well as the socio-economic crisis brought on by the significant reduction in employment and general social and commercial activities. We especially appreciate the dedication and professionalism of healthcare workers who put their lives at risk on the frontline in dealing with this crisis and we support the efforts and measures put in place by the government at this difficult and challenging time.

You are invited to a multifaith gathering to acknowledge Victoria’s bushfire crisis Join Victoria’s faith and political leaders for a special multifaith gathering on the steps of Parliament House on Tuesday 4 February 2020. Hosted by the Faith Communities Council of Victoria and the Multifaith Advisory Group (convened by the Victorian Multicultural Commission), the gathering will bring Victorians together to pray for those who have lost their lives and for the devastation of land, property and wildlife caused by the recent bushfires. Together, we will show our appreciation and say thanks to the firefighters, emergency services and volunteers for their dedication, bravery and service. We will also demonstrate our support for leaders on all sides of politics as they continue to lead our state through this unprecedented tragedy. With the fire season not yet over and with relief and recovery efforts expected to take months, if not years, this event will demonstrate the stren

PREFACE Avalokiteśvara is a female bodhisattva. There are many female Buddhists (upāsikā), but those who become sages or Buddhas are scarce. According to the Southern Buddhist tradition (Theravāda), there exists the Therīgāthā (Songs of the Elder Nuns), which consists of seventy-three stories about the lives, cultivation, strenuous effort, and realized experiences of the elder nuns who were female arahants or on the way to arahantship. From accounts in the Buddhist Mahāyāna tradition, there are many sūtras related to several female bodhisattvas, such as Mahāsthāmaprāpta and Avalokiteśvara. The latter is assumed to be the most unique as she is the Great Compassionate Mother. She endows sentient beings with pleasure and saves them from misfortune; in particular, she takes sounds as her contemplative object and deeply listens to sentient beings crying from the suffering in life. Thus, in the mind of every Buddhist, she is a perfect symbol of the Compassionate Goddess in Buddhism. T

Vesak Friendship Dinner -Saturday 30 March 2019 at Quang Minh Temple, Victoria

Social Values-In The Metta Sutta by_Dr. Bokanoruwe Dewananda

Dharma talk: Thoughts and Significance of Celebrating Buddha’s Birthday – Buddhist Calendar 2562 Buddha’s Birthday or Vesak Day, Buddhist Calendar 2562 is again returning to our earth, millions of Buddha’s followers from East to West; from Europe to Asia, with millions of hearts just as one, and with a single belief in joyfully welcoming this important day. That is the day when our World Honored One comes into existence with the great vow of Wisdom and Compassion, bringing peace and happiness for the majority; setting straight what is fallen down from net of hatred and ignorance, false beliefs; healing what is broken from ideologies of self-attachment and variations of mean selfishness; turning on the light for people to see “the original face” of themselves and showing them the way to escape from birth-death nights full of darkness.

The Buddhist community is extremely upset by the inappropriate and disrespectful use of the image of Buddha, The Buddhist community is extremely upset by the inappropriate and disrespectful use of the image of Buddha, in a display at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) entitled the 'Eternity-Buddha in Nirvana, the Dying Gaul, Farnese Hercules, Night, Day, Sartyr and Bacchante, Funerary Genius, Achilles, Persian Soldier Fighting, Dancing Faun, Crouching Aphrodite, Narcisse Couché, Othryades the Spartan Dying, the Fall of Icarus, A River, Milo of Croton'. It can also be seen at: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/131149/ Although this display has been in place for some months, we have only just been made aware of its' existence. We are not usually outspoken, but this display desecrates the image of Buddha by placing images of these mythical images on him and in doing so, showing no apparent regard or respect for Him.

THE Great Stupa of Universal Compassion expects to spend $400,000 on a three-day celebration to welcome home a ‘wonder of the world’. Preparations are underway for the Illumin8 festival, marking the return of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace. The five-tonne Buddha, crafted from the world’s largest discovered piece of gem-quality jade, has been travelling the globe since 2009.