The following are minutes from the Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils held at the BCNSW's office in Crow's Nest, Sydney, on 3 May 2008.

The following is a letter from Cluster Munitions Coalition Australia seeking to have the Australian Government support a treaty against cluster bombs. The Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils is a signatory to this letter.

{You can download the original letter from here.}

It is with pleasure that I provide this message to the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils for the Vesak on 20 May 2008.

The Buddhist festival of Vesak marks the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. With lanterns and lights adorning temples and homes this is an important time for spiritual renewal when Buddhists recommit to the Buddha's teaching.

Australia is home to a diversity of faiths united by tolerance, mutual respect and a commitment to democratic traditions. As an inclusive society we support and respect the rights of citizens to maintain and develop their cultural and religious beliefs.

This year Australia's Buddhist community is encouraged to celebrate Vesak with the theme Acts of Kindness. This reflects the commitment of the Australian Buddhist community to compassion, peace and harmony.

I send my best wishes to the Buddhist community in Australia as it celebrates Vesak in 2008.

The Honorable Kevin Rudd MP
Prime Minister of Australia

Dear Mr Smith,

I am writing to you about the ongoing unrest in Lhasa and other provinces in Tibet.

I urge the Australian Government to make all efforts to bring peace to the streets of Lhasa. The issue of the status and acknowledgment of Tibet the Tibetan people and their Buddhist faith need to be discussed at the highest levels.

One main cause for the unrest is the lack of religious freedoms in Tibet. When monks, nuns and lay people can study and practice their Buddhist beliefs free of official controls and censorship, then this will be a road to peace and understanding at all levels of society in China.

I am aware of the statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs and I hope much more can be done to bring a lasting peace to Tibet.

Yours faithfully

Brian S. Ashen
President
Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils

From the 4th to the 6th of December 2007 I attended the Regional Youth Interfaith Forum in Perth, Australia which was co-hosted by the Australian Government and the European Union (EU). Here I was one of six Australian Youth Delegates representing Australian Buddhist Youth. Delegates came from a range on countries including: Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and various others representing the EU. The purpose, and the motto, of the three day event was “Embracing Diversity: delivering messages of peace and understanding”. This was set out to be achieved through a range of stimulating presentations and following break out discussion groups on three topics, one being covered per day. The three topics included: the importance of youth in promoting understanding, what can government really do, promoting understanding through new media.

Dear Mr. Rudd,

I am writing to you on behalf of the State Buddhist Councils of Australia to express their support for the Sorry statement to be given to the Stolen generation, their families, and the wider indigenous community.

I commend the Federal Labor Government for wasting no time in righting this moral and human injustice. As the Australian public has heard, the word sorry is a simple but symbolic and healing word.

I attended along with Buddhist monks and nuns the first Sorry Day gathering held at St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Melbourne. Many people had their say to the stolen generation on that day, and a sole Buddhist nun stood in the middle of this great Christian sanctuary and recited teachings by the Lord Buddha and of the 14th Dalai Lama on the topic of loving kindness and to be aware of one’s actions. This was an example on how times had changed. Sadly, it took many more years for the healing process to move on.

Please pass on our respects and acknowledgement to the indigenous community who attend the Sorry Day event in Canberra on Wednesday the 13th February 2008.

Yours faithfully,

Brian S. Ashen
President
Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils.

H E Mr. Jalil Abbas Jillani

Your Excellency,

It is a sad day for Pakistan to lose such a valiant Leader. I express my personal condolence to you and to the Pakistan people on the tragic death of Madam Benazir Bhutto at the hands of an assassin.

Benazir was a beacon to men and women everywhere, especially to the subjugated, suppressed and downtrodden women of Pakistan. Aware of the threats on her life, and yet feeling a responsibility for and to her people she continued to be the voice of her people and give a voice to her people, male and female, determined to bring order to disorder, undeterred by threats on her life, she paid the ultimate price.

May her death inspire the people of Pakistan to continue her work, not by violence but by peaceful means to bring about a change for the better, to eradicate and reject all forms of terrorism, of discrimination, of bigotry, and bring back the vision of those who founded the nation.

May peace prevail amidst the confusion which I feel may follow such a tragic event.

Mohini Gunesekera

(NEW YORK, 19 December 2007)-Senior international religious leaders of different faiths met in war-torn Jaffna, Sri Lanka, to identify peaceful means for ending Sri Lanka's violent ethnic conflict. The summit of religious leaders from seven countries was convened by Religions for Peace, the world's largest and most representative multi-religious coalition.

In 1999 the United Nations voted that the thrice holy day of Vesak should be marked by an annual meeting of Buddhists from numerous countries and schools, subject to funding and organisational capacity. The first celebration was held in 2001 at the United Nations Headquarters, New York. From 2004 until 2007 the celebrations were held annually in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2008, for the first time, this meeting will be held in Vietnam (May 13-14th). Almost a thousand Buddhist leaders are anticipated to attend as guests of the Vietnamese government. The venue for the meeting can accommodate four times that number. While there are concerns that Hanoi’s hotels will have trouble hosting a large number of foreign visitors, many others are nevertheless anticipated to attend.

The theme of the 2008 meeting will be “Buddhist Contribution to building a Just, Democratic and Civil Society.” Confirmed speakers include the leading Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hahn, Ven Bhikku Bodhi (http://www.buddhanet.net/budmsg.htm), and the 1998 Nobel Laureate in economics, Professor Amartya Sen.

On the second day of the meeting workshops will be held on a range of topics, including war, conflict and healing, and climate change and environmental care.

The chair of the IOC is Professor Lê Manh Thát. Professor Thát is a remarkable and charismatic individual, who was sentenced to death by the Vietnamese government, in 1988, before spending 15 years in prison. The return to Vietnam of Thich Nhat Hahn, an internationally known leader in socially engaged Buddhism, is also an encouraging sign that democracy and genuine religious freedom are returning to this beautiful country, which has seen so much suffering in the last century.

Dr Colin Butler

This week marks the release of the first edition of the "The Australian Buddhist" Newsletter . The Australian Buddhist Newsletter is produced by the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils and is intended to inform people around the country about information and events within the Australian Buddhist community. Everyone is encouraged to download a copy (in PDF) and make copies available in your respective temple, monastery or retreat centre. Let us know what you think!