Abstract: Bikkhuni Sangha in Vietman and Australia: An Overview on its History and Contemporary Developments

by Most Venerable Thich Quang Ba

Not only that in this paper I will brief the audience a whole picture of how many exile Vietnamese bikkhunis (as well as hundreds of bikkhus) could survive, revive, re-establish and redevelop their thousands-year-old monastic/ordained communities after risking their life on high seas or landmines fleeing Vietnam for freedom during 70s to 90s, but I will also discuss options and manners that I believe active Sangha bodies in the West could consider to apply for establishing or re-establishing thriving Bikkhuni communities there.

The congress is organized by the Studienstiftung für
Buddhismus (Foundation for Buddhist Studies) and
takes place in co-operation with the
Asia-Africa-Institute of the University of Hamburg.
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: Most Venerable Thich Quang Ba

Biography of Most Venerable Thich Quang Ba

Born in Vietnam during 1950s, Thich Quang Ba entered monastic life since 1964 and obtained formal monastic education and trainings at various famous monastic colleges and university until early 1970s when he started working as Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV)'s - Dhamma Preacher for Binh Dinh then Khanh Hoa Provincial Congregation (1971-1975); - Head of Phu Bon Provincial Congregation and Abbot of Buu Quang Temple (1976-1977), - Sutra/Vinaya Lecturer at Quang Huong Gia Lam Monastery, Editorial Board Member for Vietnam' first Buddhist Encyclopedia Project, and Deputy Secretary for the UBCV's Grandeur Ordination Platform (1980-1981)

After fleeing Vietnamese Communist persecutions in early 1983, Thich Quang Ba have been / served as : - Abbot of various Buddhist Temples in Malaysia's Refugees Reception Centres (1983); - Commissioner for Laity and Youth Affairs (1983-1987) then General Secretary (1987-1991) of the Vietnamese Buddhist Federation of Australia; - Founding Abbot of Van Hanh Monastery Canberra (since 1984) and Nguyen Thieu Monastery Sydney (2001); - Senior Deputy Chair (since 1999) and Commissioner for Social-Charity Affairs (since 2003) of Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation of Australia-New Zealand.

A world-wide Tripitake acarya, Dhamma Courses' and Retreats' lecturer/preacher and also a public speaker, Thich Quang Ba has since mid-1980s joined other senior Sangha in Australia, European and N. America for ordaining hundreds of monastic Sangha members of various nationalities, especially being as a co-Convenor / Preceptor of the Ananda-Giac Tanh Platform ordaining 21 new Bikkhu and Bikkkhuni (including 10 nuns from Tibet tradition) in 2003 at Van Hanh Monastery, Canberra, Australia.

Since 2005, he is appointed as a Member of the National Elders Council for the Sangha Association of Australia.