Venerable Geshe Khensur Rinpoche's Address to BCSA (AGM 2006-2008) Download.pdf (490kB)
   Venerable Rinpoche requested to be informed of the number of Buddhist Organisations in South Australia, how many have become Members and how many Member Organisations are in attendance here today.
   “Thank you all for coming. Thank you to all those who put effort, the administrators, the committee, previous committees and administrators, for all their effort and works. Thank you for inviting me to this meeting. Thank you for inviting me to speak.
   “I am extremely happy that all of us are working together. The BCSA attempts to preserve the pure teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni and I really appreciate you doing that. I am very happy to all of you for your courageous goal of preserving Buddha’s teachings. It is very encouraging that there is now 30 organisations in South Australia. It would be very beneficial to continue to encourage the other groups not yet involved to become involved in the Council. It is of great benefit to the community that the Buddhist Council preserves the Buddha’s teachings.

   “In 1992, Dr. Sylvia Barber asked me if I would request His Holiness the Dalai Lama to come to Adelaide. I told her I could do this if she was able to organise the event. There was much benefit to the wider community when His Holiness visited South Australia. The purpose of requesting His Holiness to come to Adelaide is for the benefit to the wider community, so that the awareness of Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings grow. A visit from His Holiness to South Australia brings benefits to all the Buddhist Organisations in our region. I recommend that the Council seek audience with His Holiness during his stay in South Australia and that the council seek advice from His Holiness on the best way to proceed with the activities and objectives of the Council.

   “To begin with we have the motivation of attempting purely to benefit others. There is the motivation to be of worldly benefit and then there is the motivation to be of spiritual benefit. The benefit to sentient beings through spiritual means is of supreme benefit. The motivation to preserve Buddha’s teaching and to have it spread to the entire community would have great benefit. This should be the motivation.

   “In the beginning there will be difficulties, but in the end the Buddhist Council of South Australia will prevail. The Buddhist Council of South Australia will last for long after we are all dead and gone. So through the hard work of establishing this organisation that benefit will be inexhaustible and will remain for a long time. We can together identify how to progress, how to skilfully involve and encourage others to join with us and become involved. This is my request, this is my wish. There will always be further progress.”

Interpretation - Ven. Nawang Thubten
Notetaking - David Revell
6th September 2008