INTERNATIONAL DHAMMA ACTIVITIES TASK UNIT REPORT

JULY TO DECEMBER 2000

Prepared by John D. Hughes, Julian Bamford, Tim Browning, Evelin Halls, Lisa Nelson, Nick Prescott and Pennie White

Dated 28 December 2000

The International Dhamma Activities Task Unit Members for 2000-2001 includes:

John D. Hughes Vice-President, Julian Bamford Joint Vice-President, Pam Adkins, Tim Browning, Vince Cavuoto, Leanne Eames, Evelin Halls, Jocelyn Hughes, Vanessa Macleod, Julie O’Donnell, Rilla Oellien, Maria Pannozzo, Orysia Spinner, Santi Sukha, Amber Svensson, Anita Svensson, and Pennie White.

This document, dated 28 December 2000, is the property of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. and is protected by international Copyright law.

Background Information - Refer to Last Six Months Reports:

We estimate it would take nine years to read the contents of our library in the paper text form. We estimate it would take one and a half years to read our present information on our Local Area Network. A working vocabulary of about 75 000 English words and another 4000 foreign language words is needed to achieve this at a cognitive level.

Naturally, we place great emphasis on educating our Members and friends to read and write within this “Indra’s Net of Gems”. A vast investment has been made in dictionaries of many languages and our look up facilities by browsing are probably the best in Australia.

These resources are centered around the “John D. Hughes Collection” that is on site at 33 Brooking Street Upwey Victoria Australia.

Over the next hundred years or so, as copyright runs out we will scan the contents of our library into whatever form Information Technology (I.T.) takes at that point.

We plan to operate in Buddha Dhamma for the next five hundred years.

1.0 Fusion of Our International Dhamma Activities (IDA) Task Unit and Knowledge Management (KM) Task Unit:

Because of increased parallelism and like focus, fusion between these two Task Units has meant that they have become reconciled. On 28 December 2000 it was decided to merge the Knowledge Management and International Dhamma Activities Task Units.

Fusion of the two Task Units has been proceeding for some time with sharing of common websites. This fusion peaked at the World Fellowship of Buddhists Conference in Bangkok Thailand in December 2000.

Our Members who attended were: John D Hughes, Julian Bamford, Vincenzo Cavuoto, Jocelyn Hughes, Julie O’Donnell, Vanessa Macleod and Anita Svensson, who worked together to represent our Centre as well as providing support for the conference secretariat.

Because of convergence, International Dhamma Activities fused with Knowledge Management as Members from both Task Units are already familiar with the common issues.

There are two other Task Units that remain separate: LAPAM and CGR. Local and international communication is identical in structure because we treat our writing in English as a Second Language (E.S.L).

With the availability of E.S.L web sites more and more material can be published for the international audience. Fortunately for us the WFB has agreed that the language of its’ conferences will be English.

We are not writing a separate Knowledge Management report but have combined it with this International Dhamma Activities report.

We will now have joint Vice Presidents for the IDA Task Unit. They are John D. Hughes Vice President and Julian Bamford Joint Vice President.

John D. Hughes who is a Vice President of our organisation manages the International Dhamma Activities (IDA) Task Unit.

John D. Hughes is Vice President of the World Fellowship of Buddhists.

1.1 Developing Our Webmasters for Rapid Deployment of Information

Overworked webmasters thwart rapid deployment of new information.

We are planning to prevent any future obstruction to service delivery of new information to our websites.

John wishes to thank Webmasters Gary McKiernan and Kirsty Anear for their help with the original website.

For the last six months our Web Masters have been Evelin Halls and Santi Sukha.

John D. Hughes would like to thank the Members of the IDA Task Unit and our Webmasters who helped prepare material for our publications for their great effort and dedication. Our original website was brought back under control of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd. this month.

Our Webmasters are training four new Webmasters: Julian Bamford, Frank Carter, Lisa Nelson and Anita Svensson, who in turn will train others.

2.0 How Convergence Occurred

In December 2000, our International Dhamma Activities Task Unit paradigm was promoted to the Members and scholars at the WFB 21^st Conference at Bangkok, Thailand. The result was that many new papers have been received or promised for our first online edition of the Buddha Dhyana Dana Review that we put on our two websites www.bdcu.org.au and www.companyontheweb.com/buddhamap on 19 December 2000.

3.0 Improving the Usefulness of the Buddha Dhyana Dana Review

3.1 Initiative 1. Online Buddha Dhyana Dana Review (BDDR)

The first digital editorial of the Buddha Dhyana Dana Review Volume 10 No. 3, titled ‘First BDDR editorial Online’ was placed on the www.companyontheweb.com/buddhamap web site, on the 2 December 2000, by Web Master Evelin Halls. This is the first editorial online.

The online BDDR Volume 10 Number 3 will be uploaded soon at this location and will possibly include hundreds of pages of text and many colour pictures. Photographs from the World Fellowship of Buddhists Conference held in Bangkok Thailand, December 5 to 11, 2000 will be featured.

The Buddha Dana Dhyana Review Volume 10 No. 2. can also be found at this web site www.companyontheweb.com/buddhamap .

The reason why we duplicate the BDDR online is that visitors benefit by having access to download the BDDR in case one of the servers is being serviced or where there is too much traffic to log on.

Future editions of the paper based Buddha Dana Dhyana Review will be auto summarised using our software. We will print and publish in paper for reviews.

On site machine searching is planned.

Internet loading of back issues is planned. We have the text of the past BDDR issues on our LAN.

Many delegates at the WFB Conference held in Thailand this year who had been watching the rapid development of our various websites agreed that these sites provide accurate information and are useful for training Buddhist Monks and Nuns in contemporary times.

3.2 Initiative 2. Brooking Street Bugle On Line

Improving the usefulness of the BSB. For like reasons, we have put our Brooking Street Bugle (BSB) online.

On 20 December 2000 our first digitalised version of the BSB was put online at web site address www.companyontheweb.com/buddhamap .

The Brooking Street Bugle is an in house bulletin compiled:

1. To provide accurate and timely information about current tactical directions that can be useful for promotion of internal public relations.

**** Where information does not fit our current EXTERNAL PR profile it is marked with four asterisks.

2. To guarantee Members of our Task Units are kept seasonally informed of what new information is available and where it is located.

NOTE: The strategic information in your personal email is confidential and is not to be published.

3. To leave a permanent record of project insights and technicalities suitable for training future Members.

4. To report on Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) Performance Indicators.

5. To advise Members about fundraising events that are subject to GST.

3.3 Initiative 3. How we implement sharing our know how with other organisations

We help structure and train on site many other organisations in Australia by placing our key Members on their committees.

Our Local Area Planning and Maintenance (LAPAM) Task Unit contributes to the economic stability of other centers because it shows them cost effectiveness.

3.4 Improving our E-mail

On 24 December 2000 our email was back online again and stable. It was down for several weeks due to the change over from Gary McKiernan server to our new United States based URL.

4.0 The Benefits of Convergence of two of the Task Units to our Organisation

4.1 Saving Communication Costs

In the past, we posted BDDR’s to persons who made telephone enquiries seeking information. Now we spend less time on the telephone explaining our culture of ‘how we do things around here’ because we can tell them to visit and read our websites direct.

Now, we can advise new contacts to view the BDDR and BSB online.

We estimate cost saving of $3000 per year is saved on former printing and postage costs by using our whole IT information system.

4.2 Finding our past writings becomes easier with our IT system

Information Technology (IT) helps us find things.

Always, our major policy has been to write things down for the record. We supply written Dhamma to those who can benefit from such teaching. Written Dhamma teaching, we know from experience, helps many persons to reduce their suffering this life if it can be found when needed.

Our Centre contacts persons who can read. Because of things written down in the past by our Teacher this information helps some come to the right view. Those who come to the right view (sammaditthi) with merit can attain nibbana at the eight levels.

We must not misplace the writings that can show the middle way with skillful means.

4.3 We can service a growing Australian market for Buddha Dhamma

The growth of Buddha Dhamma in Australia has been rapid.

The Director of the multi denominational Christian Research Association and Uniting Church Minister, Philip Hughes, says that about 1.5 million Australians (11 percent of the population) regularly practice one of the forms of Buddhist meditation. The same percentage regularly attends Christian churches.

Many persons in Australia come to Buddha Dhamma via information found on our web sites and their choice to visit here is influenced by what we write.

Our writings are stable in doctrine content.

4.4 We can now train new Webmasters with rigor to guarantee our future.

Many Buddha Dhamma sites appear vulnerable because the Venerable Webmasters lack supportive staff and a training plan for their successors.

We are a training organisation with “hands on”.

Our two present webmasters study at Monash University. They have achieved rapid response operating levels. We have four Members as new web masters in training: Julian Bamford, Frank Carter, Lisa Nelson and Anita Svensson.

They have been provided with “hands on” intensive training this month.

When these four Members are trained, the next tier of our Members will be trained to enter information on our web sites. We plan to train many Buddhist Webmasters for ourselves and others.

We encourage Buddhist Members to setup their own websites so they can continue to gain the “hands on” experience we produce.

4.5 Convergence gives us the potential and technical means to research to a Post Graduate Standard

There is little strong Australian International University endeavour in pure Buddhist Scholarship since the demise of Professor De Jong of the Australian National University.

We have built up IT into our reference library for ten years to support the teaching objectives to be manifested through a series of programs to be written over the next decade.

Our organisation is planned to have a lifetime of at least 500 years. Our task unit dealing with International Dhamma Activities (IDA) has many reasons we have to develop our own Australian work packages.

When these reach a critical mass they will be very useful.

5.0 The Indra Analogy (Indra’s net)

We need to highlight the existence of these gems on our Websites.

To talk of advantages of convergence we use an Indra net analogy as an explanatory device to give guidelines to our publications and activities leaders.

Indra’s net is exemplified by the following quotes.

· Indra’s net is made of precious gems and hangs over Indra’s palace.

· all the other gems are reflected within each gem composing the net;

· when a gem is picked up, we can know the entirety of the net.

Because new untrained Members lack good vision at the beginning of their practice they may be able to see only one or two of the eighty four thousand jewels of Dhamma. Given time and merit they will meet all the gems.

A limited view is caused by lack of fundamentals of Dhamma.

A text that is valuable is the Middle Length Sayings, Discourse on the Synopsis of Fundamentals (Mulapariyayasutta), in which Dhamma is described as an important word with several meanings, such as: conditions, mental objects, states of mind, and things.

It would seem to untrained persons (in Pali avinita, it also means: untrained, not led, not disciplined) that the Dhamma is “inexhaustible” (akshaya in Sanskrit) and for this reason the vows of the great Maha Bodhisattvas seem “inexhaustible” because they vow to benefit many beings within all the worlds.

The development of Mahayana teachings in China and the doctrine of Jodo or Pureland bought a close association of Pureland teaching with Ch’an (Zen).

These are great jewels.

In this jewel sense, we view Mahayana as a historical process still in forward movement across the existing jewels.

We think it is helpful to call Mahayana Buddhism primarily a religion for laypersons. Monks and Nuns in Mahayana are often there for the purpose of leading and serving laypersons in accordance with the Bodhisattva ideals.

It is important for us that we learn all the 84 000 Dhammas and write them down.

6.0 Our self-imposed censorship model

The four kinds of gratitude: to parents, other beings, to rulers, and to the three treasures must be evident on our Websites.

Things that untrained persons rejoice in are uncensored in the ordinary world.

When mature to read and practice well, a being can meet the Buddha in a teaching world cycle, or failing that, can become a Silent Buddha outside a teaching cycle.

It has been said that a Maha Bodhisattva is free from the bondage of the things but such a Bodhisattva does not seek to be delivered from such things.

Whatever the level of attainment of a person or the skill degree, it is better to hear little and understand the meaning than to hear much and not understand the meaning, according to the Nirvana Sutra.

We must stress this aspect of Dhammas.

Our Websites should not advise others to do things that we do not desire for ourselves. What must be removed are greed, anger, ignorance, self, laziness, sleep, lust and doubt.

It is said that the ideal Bodhisattva never tires of teaching beings and manifests himself or herself according to the Avatamsakra Sutra.

Our censorship model must stress what Mahayana Buddhism is not:

· it is not polytheism, the various forms of the Buddha, displayed for example, in the Shingon Mandala, are not gods, but represent the different forms of the one Eternal Buddha;

· it is not nihilism, Mahayana’s conception of life is always positive; it is not a degenerate Buddhism;

· rather it is a restatement of the Buddha’s teaching with different emphasis; it is not pessimistic, as most Western writers on Buddhism aver.

The jewel of Truth and Beauty shines in the Lotus and the Mahayanist rejoices and follows the Middle Path.

7.0 Our Standpoint of Being Debtless

One of the four great things a human being can have is being debtless.

The major component of our strategy of development is we do not wish to stress our members or visitors by having financial liabilities. One effect of this is that we are able to welcome teachable beings univocally. This means our Centre does not become a playing field for hungry ghosts and therefore it remains a suitable location with dazzling mental hygiene.

7.1 The strong version of our debtless approach

Our recent experiences in the rapid development, without debt, of our 7 websites makes us confident about three dazzling things to suggest why we may take a definitive scheme rather than an architectural approach to our needs.

The strong I.T. version appears “dazzling”.

The first dazzling thing we know is not to take a ‘real estate approach’ to development.

The second dazzling thing we know is to provide a Ch’an garden visible from each workstation.

The third dazzling thing is to actualise the outcome elements arising from the first two dazzling things, with a definitive starting date and track towards the completion of that element to a minimum level at the least within a deadline with persons who we can get to work with us.

The first dazzling thing is to develop I.T. without taking a ‘real estate approach’, as this inevitably necessitates borrowing. Our centre is designed to be a suitable environment with the correct ratio of resources of infrastructure (water supply, gas, power and waste disposal and recycling of resources), surrounds (such as for example, the contouring of the garden levels and layout) or site (the way we position walking pathways to enable unimpeded circumambulation of the Centre).

The second dazzling thing, our Ch’an garden, is designed to calm and delight all beings. By being able to see the four seasons from within our Centre, we maintain a healthy working environment. Seeing the garden, and the changes, which the seasons bring, ensures our members do not suffer from the fatigue and lifelessness, which can occur when ‘boxed’ in a traditional workspace. We do not borrow to develop our garden site. Most new plants are given as gifts.

Our existing spaces are refurbished one unit at a time. The arising and falling of this cause and effect is that we are able to achieve what is needed without borrowing funds and in so doing, we lay the conditions for this to continue to be achieved for the next 500 years.

Becoming stingy by not wishing to repay a large debt is an unwholesome state of mind. We remain debtless as an active policy because to be debtless is one of the four highest life conditions that a human being can experience. It is conducive to the common good.

If we were to embark on a plan to develop the whole dazzling mandala of our Centre at the one time, we would have to borrow to achieve it. Instead, we develop one unit or step at a time. Our focus remains defined and we create the causes for each future step to be achieved affordably by self funding.

Through the careful planning of each development step we create the conditions whereby resources become available, either through donation or at low cost, for each project to be realised without debt.

7.2 The weak Version of our debtless Approach

For those who believe the term “dazzle” is a bit much, we provide a weak version of our debtless approach.

Each new website is developed like another Suite or nascent office module for our Centre. We will continue to place more and more management information, newsletters and our flagship journal text with illustrations on our websites.

The advantage of websites is that they are time and place independent, as other persons are able to choose on their terms, when and where and how they read our material.

We do not borrow money to broadcast our data worldwide.

In the course of time, we will own our own broadcast facilities.

Such broadcast globalisation gives our overseas contacts quality information without us building more and more office space.

In fact, we believe it is improbable that the Internet system will last five hundred years. Technology breakdown would be expected to occur in future time.

We have proved it possible to go from local to regional, from regional to national and from national to global in a rapid period of time without incurring IT debt.

May others follow our weak version.

Year 2001 Website Rationale

Original Website www.bdcu.org.au

Presently in December 2000 this website includes:

- data in black and white
- general information and overview about the BDC (U) Ltd.
- our company information
- Membership information
- The Ch’an Academy
- Articles of Association
- Memorandum of Association
- The John D. Hughes Collection: currently being updated and is to be made machine searchable
- hot linked to the Gateway of Australian Libraries
- The Way You Are Looking For’ books by the Venerable Ajarn Chanhphy Manivong
- The 10 Perfections
- Buddha Dhyana Dana Review Vol. 10 No. 2
- World Fellowship of Buddhists Women’s newsletter (in preparation
- WFB data as requested by WFB regional officer

Server: U.S.A. based, one Gigabyte.

Future propositions

- plan to upload Photolan comprising an estimated 4000 photos
- we will broadcast the ‘Buddhist Hour’ radio show from this Website, both current and previous shows
- to install a web cam in the Centre to show live events
- to install a web cam to show our Ch-an garden

Blessings Website www.bdcublessings.one.net.au

Presently in December 2000:

The purpose of the web site is to bless visitors.
To do this, we use the Vandana for Buddha, Namo Tassa…

Further blessings are obtained from:

· the Buddhist Fanfare, the Triple Gem chanting and a video of John D. Hughes (dressed in white clothing) coming out of his three month retreat with a Monk presiding over the ceremony.

· A Dragon King image colour photograph is on the site so that offerings may be made to the Dragon King from outside our premises.

The site also carries:

· the text of our weekly radio broadcast scripts.

· The current scripts are uploaded weekly.

· A hot link from to Hillside Radio Website and GB Radio Website gives a live Internet broadcast, but it is not stored for future hearing. We intend to store these digital recordings of our broadcasts so the Buddhist Hour can be heard any time.

· Dates of coming events and courses to be conducted at the BDC (U) Ltd. are on the site. Dates include Ch’an and Sumi-e workshops.

· Certain key papers such as, for example Founders Day Opening Speech and Commendations are on the site.

· Links to our other Websites are available from this site.
- Links to other sites are available including the WFB home page.

Server: Australian. One.Net, 20 Megabytes.

Future propositions:

· Get another site to upload radio scripts before the present site is full

· Add more photographs to the site of Members who are mentioned in the text to humanize the site and bring about name recognition of our key writers and webmasters.

Buddhatext Website www.companyontheweb.com/buddhatext

Presently in December 2000 the site contains:

The Majjhima Nikaaja Suttas 1 - 101
chanting sheets in Pali and English
Buddhist Hour Broadcast radio script: ‘The benefits of chanting’
hot links to our other sites

Server: U.S.A based Skybusiness, 30 Megabytes

Future propositions:

· We plan to upload more Suttas and other Buddha Dhamma texts

Buddhamap Website www.companyontheweb.com/buddhamap

In December 2000 this site contains: