Buddhism

Introduction As Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world it is important that each society has a sound understanding of the diverse cultures and religions that are living in their area. We are striving to make everyone aware, appreciative and more understanding of a very prominent religion in their society. This religion is Buddhism. Buddhism is one of the worlds most popular practiced religions. It is also the largest religion in Australia that is non-Christian. “ To avoid all evil, to do good, to purify the mind- that is the teaching of the Buddha’s. “

History The religion of Buddhism comes from the life and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama who lived in India in the 6 th centaury BC. The first concrete Buddhist settlement in Australia was in However, their are some concepts that there has been people whom are Buddhist living in Australia hundreds of years before then.

Culture & Religion Buddhist do not worship a “God” as such. Although, majority of Buddhist will have statues of Buddha in their homes or temples and pray in front of them. These images are meant to be a reflection used for inspiration. Buddhist accept theories of science also, such as the “Big Bang” theory. Buddhist place a great emphasis on compassion. This is for all living beings even animals and small insects. One of these reasons is that they believe in reincarnation. This compassion also leads Buddhist to be completely exceptive of the Gay and Lesbian community. In Buddhist practice it leads to them doing no harm to anyone or themselves. Buddhist abide by Five Precepts of harmlessness. These are: 1.Refraining from intentionally killing a living being 2.Refrain from any form of stealing 3.Refraining from any sexual misconduct, in particular adultery. 4.Refraining from any for of lying 5.Refraining from taking alcohol or any non-medical drugs.

Greetings The Buddhist are very sensitive with their greetings and meeting new people. From some Monks and nuns it is inappropriate to shake hands with the opposite sex A very common way it to put the palms of your hands together, raise them to your chin and slightly bow your head Australian Buddhists, mainly Caucasian, will simply shake your hand and say hello. Key beliefs Reincarnation Law of Karma. They believe that each individual’s happiness, success or failure is a reflection on their own actions. Buddhists believe that whoever lives only for pleasure loses his soul's harmony and the power of good quality. According to the "no killing" precept, whoever kills animals or eats meat will lose the "purity of both body and mind“.

Demographics In the 2006 census the number of people living in Australia was up to 418,758 which was an increase of 60,945 from the previous census, a 17percent increase. There were 341 Buddhist living in Albury at the time which was an increase of 44 people from the previous census. It is the largest non-Christian religion in Australia. It is also the fastest growing religion in term of percentages. The first instance of a Monk is residence in Australia was in the 1970’s, and Buddhism has rapidly grew after that, mainly because of high rate of Asian immigration. The Buddhists that arrived to Australia in 2009 are mainly from the countries below: India- 5,000 Indians visited Australia. 80% of Indians are Buddhist. Therefore, approximately 3,000 Buddhist arrived to Australia from India. Thailand- 3,200 Thai visited Australia. 94% of Thais are Buddhist. Therefore, approximately 3008 Buddhist arrived to Australia from Thailand.

Dietary Needs When Buddhist choose the food that they eat they consider 5 things in which they think are the right choices for spiritual enlightenment. They “stop and think” about the food that they eat. The 5 contemplations why eating are: 1.What food is this?- The origin of the food and how it reached me 2.Where does it come from?- The amount of work necessary to grow the food, prepare it, cook it and bring it to the table. 3.Why am I eating it?- Do I deserve this food or not? Am I worthy of it? 4.When should I eat and benefit from this food? - Food is a necessity and a healing agent because I am subjected to illness without food. 5.How should I eat it? -Food is only received and eaten for the purpose of realizing the proper way to reach enlightenment. Buddhists who are extremely strict to their beliefs also prohibit the eating of any kind of meet, because: 1.The killing of animals violates the First Moral Precept 2.meat is considered an intoxicant to the body, which violates the Fifth Moral Precept. With the physical suffering of the animals believe that it will cause a type of suffering: Bad Karma. Killing a being means that it will be a painful process of rebirth (as Buddhists believe in reincarnation)

Rituals Buddhist has many rituals that they believe help in the journey to enlightenment and bringing blessings to themselves. The practice of meditation is the centre of nearly all forms of Buddhism. It also comes directly from the Buddha’s teachings. The main type of rituals are: Mediation- which is a form of mental concentration that leads directly to enlightenment and spiritual freedom. Mantras- Are sacred sounds that are believed to possess supernatural powers. Buddhist chant Mantras continuously as a part of meditation. Which then embodies the power and attributes of particular dieties. Mudras- are symbolic gestures, used symbolically in Buddha images and in practice to evoke particular ideas or Buddhas in the mind during meditation. Prayer Wheels- reciting Mantras with the turning of the wheel.