The International Conference” Buddhism & Australia 2013” will be held in 7 - 9th of August, 2013 in Perth, Western Australia.The 2012 conference covered a large variety of topics, which clearly indicated the direction for the next year.

The  2013 conference will have 4 working panels and we estimate to have 100-120 specialists from around the globe. Like the first conference, 2013 will have emphasis on in-depth Buddhist studies.

The first annually planned academic conference “Buddhism & Australia” was held from 2-4^th of February, 2012 in Murdoch University, Western Australia.

The main emphasis of the annually planned series of conferences is academic/scientist approach to Buddhism in the 21th century. On the first conference 34 delegates from 19 countries around the world had gathered to present their works, cultivated from years of studies, research and experience.

The conference was officially opened by Vello Vaartnou, the main organizer of the conference. In his opening speech he outlined some of the goals of Buddhism & Australia conferences:

„The teachings of Buddha have spread throughout a variety of cultures spanning a widely in geographical terms, especially in the last 60 years. It is thought that in a few thousand years the teachings of Buddha helped attain a totally different mental dimension and method of thinking compared to the forms we know today.

The world is changing in all its forms and so are we, things that surround us become sources of knowledge and such is the way of Buddhist knowledge. From this concept manifested the idea of calling together monks, scientists, lay Buddhist and other people, who are interested in researching the way of the Buddha. This works to fulfil knowledge both within the context of practical wisdom and academic knowledge as well.

We live in a period of increasingly rapid globalization. This means we have to talk about subjects within a wider geographical perspective tapping in to the ways how various countries think.

Globalization comes through changes and one of the ideas of the conference is to develop new ways how Buddhist teaching, using the technology and circumstances of the 21th century.

The purpose of „Buddhism & Australia“ conferences is to provide a channel for information of interest and relevance to scholars in Asian & Buddhist studies in Austral-Asia.

To research and investigate the buddhavacana, the original teachings of the Buddha, without bias to any particular school or discipline (such as Theravada, Mahayana or Vajrayana); to promote both the academic study of Buddhism, and the application of the teachings to daily life.

Technology allows us to publish information online. Gautama Buddha, who was the ultimate model and the source of highest knowledge towards enlightenment, might agree with the proposition to gather and preserve the contribution of today’s followers of the teachings of the Buddha – to record their achievements whether they are in nature practical or theoretical. The goal of our activities is to gather and preserve materials and facts about the Buddhist of our times for the future generations”