The Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation Of
Australia – New Zealand
A Brief History of the
QUANG DUC
BUDDHIST WELFARE ASSOCIATION
105 Lynch Road, Fawkner, Vic. 3060. Tel: (03)
9357 3544 Fax: (03) 9357 3600
Email:
tvquangduc@bigpond.com
- Internet: http://www.quangduc.com
The
Quang Duc Buddhist Welfare Association was established in 1990
in a small three-roomed house at 30 Bamburg St, Broadmeadows, in
the northern suburbs of the City of Melbourne. The house was
used for worship, religious education and many various Buddhist
activities. As time went by, and as the Buddhist community grew,
Ven.Thich Tam Phuong had to find a new place for a temple which
would meet the needs of the Buddhist community of the northern
suburban region.
On 20th
May 1997, thanks to the Buddha's blessing, we were lucky enough
to purchase, from the Victorian Education Department, an old
primary school in the suburb of Fawkner. The land, an area of
7,411m2 was purchased for AUD $351,200. We also received
approval from the local Moreland City Council to set up a
Buddhist Welfare Centre as part of the new Fawkner temple. This
new temple is within easy reach of Melbourne airport and within
easy access of the northern ring road.
The
areas our congregation are drawn from, are the City of
Moreland, the City of Hume, the City of Whitesea, the City of
Darebin and the City of Maribynong
From
our initial establishment in 1990, we have strived to serve the
local Vietnamese communities living in the northern region
(including the suburbs of Broadmeadows, Coburg, Preston,
Reservoir, Thomastown, Bundoora, Epping and Lalor), the western
region (including Footscray, Sunshine and St Albans), the south
& east regions (including Richmond and Springvale).
Contributions of Quang Duc Buddhist Welfare Association to the
society of Australia and the region:
-
Quang Duc Monastery is the only Buddhist Monastery in
Moreland, its architectural Main Shrine, fence, gates, and Four
Kindness Stupa and all Buddha Statues, etc… combine Eastern and
Western Culture which contributes the beauty, art and spirit for
our multicultural country.
-
The non-profit Quang Duc Buddhist Welfare Association of
Victoria has approximately 2,000 members from within the
north-west regions of Melbourne including from the cities of
Hume, Darebin and Moreland. Since 1990, we have successfully
helped many refugees, given support to those community members
in need and continue to devote much time in delivering various
social services to the Vietnamese and also the general
community.
-
Abbot, Senior Venerable Thich Tam Phuong and Vice-Abbot,
Senior Venerable Thich Nguyen Tang who are both members of the
Chaplaincy Council of Victoria, have contributed their time and
skills to visit Prisons and Hospitals in Victoria to help the
both prisoners and patients.
-
Abbot Senior Venerable Thich Tam Phuong is a JP (Justice
of Peace) who is also a marriage celebrant.
-
Some of the more notable contributions of the Quang Duc
Monastery & Quang Duc Buddhist Welfare Association of Vic.
Include:
o
Since 2000 - Working with the Department of Justice to support
the ‘Work for Dole’ program and now the ‘Community work’ program
to help the people in Victoria.
o
2001 - Together with the Moreland City Council - conducted the
memorial ceremony to pray for the victims of the ‘9/11’
terrorist attack.
o
2002 - Together with the Moreland City Council - conducted the
memorial ceremony for the victims of the Bali terrorist attack.
o
2004 - Conducted a memorial service for Tsunami Victims and
raised and donated $ 45,000
o
2009 - Together with our Head Congregation -
The Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation of Australia & New
Zealand - conducted a memorial ceremony for Black Saturday
Bushfire (7 Feb 2009) victims and raised and distributed over
$200,000 in donations to individuals and communities to aid in
their recovery.
o
2009 – Displayed the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace and
conducted special services, bringing over 15,000 people together
from many faiths, to pray for peace in our home, our community,
our country and our world.
o
2010 - Conducted a memorial service for Haiti Earthquake victims
and raised and donated $11,000.
o
This does not include the many fundraising events for relief to
victims of many other natural disasters in the region in general
and also within Vietnam.
Current
Quang Duc Buddhist Welfare Association activities include:
1.
Religious prayer services, every weekend:
§
Prayers for peace and happiness and lectures for all people, so
as to promote quality of life, peace and happiness in society.
§
Wedding Services & special prayers for weddings.
§
Memorial Services.
§
Funeral Services.
2.
Classes for the teaching both Buddhist and secular
subjects:
§
Teaching doctrines to improve the knowledge of Buddhism and
other Religions to cultivate life knowledge and understanding.
§
Organised entertainment for Aged people.
§
Sundays - morning tea and discussions about the quality of life.
§
Provide advice and consultations for parents on family problems.
§
Provide temporary accommodation and support for people, until
they find stability in life.
§
Provide counseling services to both problem gamblers and
drug-addicted persons.
§
Other services as required
Our
current activity timetable is as follows:
5:30-7am:
Morning recitation and meditation;
6pm-8pm:
Recitation of Sutras and sitting mediation. This includes
training in meditation from beginners to advanced levels
9am - 4pm:
Activities, including sitting meditation, Sutras
recitation,
Vietnamese Buddhist Youth activities,
Buddhist doctrines, teaching and
discussion etc.
Sunday
Services and Special Services as requested..
We
welcome all inquiries, for further information please phone us
on (03) 9357 3544 or Fax: (03) 9357 3600. Email:
tvquangduc@bigpond.com
The
Most Venerable Thich Quang Duc
The
Quang Duc Temple and Buddhist Welfare Association are named
after Most Venerable Thich Quang Duc, a Vietnamese
monk, who was known throughout the world by his self-immolation
at the age of sixty-seven in central Saigon. Whilst sitting in
the lotus position, with full resolve, 4 metre flames consumed
his body. This event happened at midday, on 11th June
1963, witnessed by thousands of Vietnamese, and through the
media, seen by millions more around the world.
The
Most Venerable Thich Quang Duc,
whose lay name was Lam Van Tuc, was born in 1897 in a small
village in a province in central Vietnam. At the age of seven he
entered into the religious life and became a disciple of the Zen
master Hoang Tham. At the age of twenty, he was ordained as a
full Buddhist monk (Bhikkhu). After ordination he spent many
years practicing isolated and extremely demanding ascetic
purification practices in the Ninh Hoa Mountains, near Nha Trang
City.
In 1932
he started his Buddhist teaching career at Ninh Hoa. He then
went to a central Vietnam province to rebuild temples. By 1943
he had rebuilt nearly 20 pagodas and in the same year moved to
Saigon, South Vietnam. He lived in the Long Vinh temple finally
taking permanent residence in the Quan The Am temple.
In
1953, he was appointed Head of the Rituals Committee of the
United Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation, a position that he held
until the time of his death.
In
1963, after four years of increased oppression by the Diem
government towards Buddhist priests and the Buddhist community
the Most Venerable Thich Quang Duc perfomed his heroic deed to
highlight Bhuddhist demands for religious equality in South
Vietnam. This act was literally flashed around the world by
television. At midday, on June 11, 1963, he took a ride to the
intersection of Phan Dinh Phung and Le Van Duyet Streets, in
central Saigon (now Nguyen Dinh Chieu and Cach Mang Thang Tam
Street). Pouring petrol over himself, he sat in the middle of
the intersection, struck a match and immolated himself. His
body was consumed and all that remained was his heart. Later
when the Buddhist community tried to cremate his heart it
remained intact. It was subsequently placed in the Reserve Bank
of Vietnam and became the symbol of the Holy Heart.
Millions all over the globe saw his self sacrifice, and The
Most Venerable Thich Quang Duc became a
world-famous figure. Before he passed away he left a letter to
the government of the day, and through them, for the people of
Vietnam. In Vietnamese culture, this letter is now known as the
letter of Heart Blood. The core of his letter was a plea for all
Buddhist believers, monks, nuns and lay people, to unite and
strive for the preservation of Buddhism. His plan was to
demonstrate to the world the injustice that was being
perpetrated on the Buddhist religion and community by a
repressive regime and it worked extremely well. Many nations
worldwide brought pressure on the South Vietnamese government to
soften its attitude to the traditional Vietnamese religion. The
Saigon government complied.
Current Developments at Quang Duc Monastery
At
present, the Quang Duc Monastery has just completed the
construction of a Sangha Accommodation, Temporary Accommodation
Shelter and Welfare Office and is in the midst of the
construction of a four level Stupa for the safe care of the
mortal remains of those Sangha and Lay members who have passed
away.
The
Quang Duc Monastery is a major Vietnamese Buddhist Centre for
the northern and western regions of Melbourne. According to the
1996 Census statistics, there were about 65,000 Vietnamese in
Victoria, 80% of that population being Buddhists. The areas our
congregation is drawn from include; the cities of Moreland,
Hume, Whittlesea, Darebin and Maribyrnong, which share a
population of approximately 30,000 Vietnamese within their
boundaries.
It has
been found that, despite this population, there were no specific
facilities for welfare services for the Vietnamese community. We
require support from the various governmental bodies to provide
services specifically for our community members. At present
there are no welfare workers at the Monastery and only three
temporary accommodation rooms available for homeless people.
Approximately 50 Vietnamese families use the Buddhist Centre
each week, with personal counseling services being conducted by
the Abbot and other staff regarding problems such as family
breakdown, domestic violence, substance abuse, gambling and
other social problems as well as those seeking other advice.
In
2009 we experienced specific counseling cases related to:
-
Gambling per week - 5 to 7
-
Seeking aid or shelter - including:
-
Young people affected by family breakdown due to gambling
- 17.
-
Adults affected by domestic violence or gambling related
problems - 13.
-
Persons affected due to substance abuse problems - 11.
About
Quang Duc Buddhist Welfare Association Website
http://www.quangduc.com
The
Quang Duc homepage is an official Buddhist bilingual website in
both Vietnamese & English situated at the Quang Duc Monastery.
It was created in May 1999, and contains many valuable documents
and much educational information such as:
§
Biography of The Most Venerable Thich Quang Duc.
§
The life of Lord Buddha & His Teachings
§
Buddhism throughout the world, news & events on the establishing
and developing of Buddhism on the five continents. especially
Buddhism in Vietnam
§
Buddhist scriptures
§
Buddhist concepts toward our lives
§
Buddhist tales
§
Famous Buddhist People
§
Meaning of being a Vegetarian
§
Buddhism & women
§
Writing about the Buddha's birthday
§
Writing about the Parent's celebration
§
Writing about the Buddhist lunar New Year
§
Buddhist temples in Australia
§
Buddhist Poetry & Poets
§
Buddhist painting & Art
We do
hope you and your friends will take time to come and see and
enjoy our website. We also like collect new documents on
International Buddhist activities. Please do not hesitate to
send us your contribution..
Any material & or spiritual contributions are welcomed.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on 613 9357 3544 or Fax: 613 9357
3600. Email:
tvquangduc@bigpond.com
We wish
enlightenment, peace and happiness to you all.
Yours
sincerely,
By
Senior Venerable Thich Nguyen Tang
Deputy-Chairperson
