Oceania

The talk given by Dr. Ditrich was well attended by Chung Tian branch and other English-speaking members.

The Fo Guang Shan Nan Tien Institute Humanistic Buddhism Centre Australia has reached its 10th anniversary and released a commemorative video on 17 December. The video looks back on a decade of achievements in advancing Humanistic Buddhism through education, scholarship, and community practice, showcasing the Centre’s far-reaching impact from Australia to the international stage and its compassionate response to contemporary challenges.

With the first rays of the New Year’s sunrise, on the early morning of 1 January 2026, Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple Auckland held a New Year pilgrimage and Sutra Transcription. More than 200 devotees, led by the monastics, practised the three steps and one prostration towards the Main Shrine, welcoming the rising sun and praying for world peace and family harmony.

Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple New Zealand was recognised by the New Zealand Gardens Trust on 15 December 2025 as a Garden of Significance, receiving a four-star rating out of six stars.

Nan Tien Institute, founded by Fo Guang Shan in Australia, held its presidential handover tea ceremony on 3rd December, marking a warm yet solemn moment of leadership transition. Professor Denise Kirkpatrick officially concluded her tenure as President, and Professor Alistair Noble—an academic leader with extensive scholarly and administrative experience—assumed the role, opening a new chapter for the Institute’s internationalisation and future development.

To mourn the innocent lives lost in the Bondi Beach terror attack and to express care and solidarity with the Jewish community, the Most Rev. Anthony Fisher OP, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, hosted a memorial service on the evening of 17 December at the forecourt of St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney.