Buddhism

In 1919 Frank Woodward, teacher and Pali scholar, settled in Tasmania and for thirty years devoted himself to translating the Pali scriptures. He was the first Buddhist to reside in Tasmania, though possibly some of the Chinese miners pre-empted him. A Buddhist Society of Tasmania functioned from 1960 till 1978.

In the early 1980s followers of Tibetan Buddhism developed a retreat centre at Lorinna and set up the Buddhist Information Service. Both are still operating. In 1985 a Theravada Buddhist centre called Woodward House opened, and continues as the Buddhist Society of Tasmania Inc with a monk in residence. The 1990s saw a Chinese group, Jin Gang Dhyana, in Hobart, and a Vipassana meditation centre at Dromedary. A Tibetan-based centre with resident monks was opened in Launceston in 2002.

Further reading: M Powell, Manual of a mystic, Canberra, 2001.