WELCOME to the University Buddhist Education Foundation

The University Buddhist Education Foundation (UBEF) is a not-for-profit trust, which was established in December 2000 for the purpose of funding the teaching of Buddhist Studies within universities in Australia. The UBEF was formally launched on the 8th of April 2001 at the Chinese Gardens, Darling Harbour, Sydney, in the distinguished presence of Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, Governor of New South Wales. Since its launch the foundation has contributed significant financial support to the Buddhist Studies program at the University of Sydney, which is jointly run by the Department of Indian Subcontinental Studies and the Department of Studies in Religion
(see http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/departs/indian/ & http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/departs/religion/index.php). From initially funding units of study in Buddhist Philosophy and the Pali language, the UBEF has since expanded its contribution to fund the following within the Department of Indian Subcontinental Studies:

• Four years of funding for a lectureship in Buddhist Studies. This position was initially occupied by Dr Mark Allon (Lecturer in South Asian Buddhist Studies, September 2006 to July 2008) and is currently held by Dr Andrew McGarrity (Lecturer in South Asian and Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, February 2009 to 2011) (see http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/departs/indian/staff/index.shtml).

• Beginning in 2008, a three year Pali Prize to the amount of $1000 per year, which is awarded annually, on the recommendation of the Lecturer in Pali, to the most proficient student in first year Pali (see http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/departs/indian/undergrad/prizes.shtml). The 2008 recipients were Ariya Chittasy and Daranee Nuntivanich.

• $2000 in 2008 to improve the Buddhist Studies holdings in Fisher library, University of Sydney.

• $30,000 to fund the teaching of second year Pali ($10,000 per year for three years, starting 2009).

• $768,000 for a Visiting Professorship of Buddhist Studies which will bring notable international scholars to Sydney in order to expose students and academics to current trends in research and in order to raise the profile of Buddhist Studies in Australia. The inaugural distinguished visiting scholar in 2009 was Professor Peter Skilling, Maître de Conférences, École française d’Extrême-Orient (see http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/departs/indian/staff/profiles/skilling.shtml).

UBEF funding has been instrumental in enabling the University of Sydney to development Australia’s first Master of Buddhist Studies program and to improve its undergraduate offerings. (see http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/departs/religion/postgraduate/?id=DC049∂ =overview) The University of Sydney now offers an extremely rigorous and robust Buddhist Studies program, which is the most extensive in the southern hemisphere, ranging from Pali and Sanskrit language study to studies of Buddhist thought, literature and practice in India, Gandhara, Tibet, North East Asia and the West. The UBEF has also provided ongoing financial support, most notably for conferences, to the Australasian Association of Buddhist Studies, which was established in 2005 to promote the academic study of Buddhism. Its activities include hosting a seminar series, an annual conference, and posting a regular electronic newsletter. The next conference will be in December 2009 (See http://www.buddhiststudies.org.au/)