Graeme Lyall AM
After taking Refuge in the Triple Gem on the Holy Day of Vesak, May, 1953, Graeme Lyall served as Secretary of the Buddhist Society of New South Wales from 1953 until 1956. In 1982, he founded the Sydney University Buddhist Society, now known as UNIBODHI, and served as its President until 1986. In 1984, he served a short ordination as a novice monk at the Brickfields Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From 1986 until 1992, he was President of the Australian Buddhist Mission under its Spiritual Director, Venerable Mahinda. From 1992 until 1994, he was Founder Director of the Buddhist Library and Meditation Centre. From 1997 until the present he is a Committee Member of the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP) New South Wales Chapter. Graeme Lyall was Chairman of the Buddhist Council of New South Wales from 1985 until 2006. Since 2001, he has been a Member of the Executive Council of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, President of the Amitabha Buddhist Association of New South Wales under the spiritual guidance of Venerable Master Chin Kung AM, since 2001 and is the current Chairman of the University Buddhist Education Foundation, which funds Buddhist Studies at the University of Sydney. He is also the Buddhist Chaplain at Parklea, Dilwynia and John Moroney Gaols, teaching inmates meditation and Buddhist philosophy. Having been practicing Buddhism since 1953, he is the oldest surviving Australian Buddhist from this era. He has represented Australia at many international Buddhist conferences and was awarded the Award for Volunteering by the Community Relations Commission for a Multicultural New South Wales in 2001, the Membership of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2002 and the Centenary Medal in 2003.
Profile of Graeme Lyall AM
BORN: 8/10/31 at Ashfield, N.S.W., Australia
PRIMARY EDUCATION: Haberfield Demonstration School
SECONDARY EDUCATION: Sydney Technical High School
TERTIARY EDUCATION:
Sydney Technical College - Radio Trades Certificate
University of Sydney - Faculty of Arts (Psychology, Philosophy, Anthropology, Religious Studies)
University of New South Wales (Institute of Languages) TESOL Certificate (Teachers’ Journal yet to be submitted before Certificate is issued)
POSITIONS HELD:
1953 - 1956 - Secretary - Buddhist Society of New South Wales
1982 - 1986 - President - Sydney University Buddhist Society
1985 - present - Chairman - Buddhist Council of New South Wales
1986 - 1992 - President - Australian Buddhist Mission
1989 - 1992 - Discrimination Adviser - University of Sydney
1992 - Trustee - Wat Buddha Dhamma Foundation Trust
1992 – present - Trustee - Buddha Dharma Education Trust
1992 - 1993 Member - Management Committee - Wat Buddha Dhamma
1992 - 1994 Director - Buddhist Library and Education Centre
1993 - present - Adviser - Australian Buddhist Mission
1997 – 2002– Committee Member – World Conference of Religions for Peace (N.S.W. Chapter)
1999 – present – President – Amitabha Buddhist Association of New South Wales
1999 – 2001 President – Amitabha Buddhist Association of Queensland
2001 – Present – Honorary President – Amitabha Buddhist Association of Queensland
1999 – 2000 – Committee Member – Auburn Interfaith Forum
2000 - Trustee - University Buddhist Education Foundation
2001 - Executive Council Member, World Fellowship of Buddhists
2002 - Committee Member – Civil Chaplains’ Advisory Committee (CCAC)
2002 - Committee Member – CCAC Correctional Services Sub-Committee
2003 - Committee Member, Australian Partnership of Ethnic and Religious Organisations (APERO)
2004 - Accredited as Buddhist Chaplain, New South Wales Department of Corrective Services
2006 – Guest Lecturer - Mahachulalongkornrajvijaya University – Bangkok, Thailand
2011 – Guest Lecturer – Bond University – Two lectures per year – Buddhism and Social Action
2011 - Parklea Correctional Centre Local Community Consultative Committee
EMPLOYMENT:
1973 - 1992 - Technical Officer - University of Sydney
1992 - 1994 –Founder Director - Buddhist Library and Education Centre
2004 – Current – Buddhist Chaplain to Parklea Correctional Centre, John Morony 1 and John Morony 2 Correctional Centres and Dilwynia Women’s Correctional Centre
CONSULTANT:
1991 -1993 - Board of Studies, New South Wales - Studies in Religion Course for Higher School Certificate
OVERSEAS CONFERENCES:
1990 - Seoul, Korea - World Fellowship of Buddhists 17th General Conference
1991 - Taejon, Korea - Conference of World Religious Leaders for World Peace and Reunification of North and South Korea organised by Won Buddhism
1992 - Kaoshiung, Taiwan, R.O.C. - World Fellowship of Buddhists 18th General Conference
1993 - Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. - First International Conference on Buddhist Co-operation for World Peace
1994 - Bangkok, Thailand - World Fellowship of Buddhists 19th General Conference
1995 - Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. - Second International Conference on Buddhist Co-operation for World Peace.
1998- (Wollongong, NSW, Australia) - World Fellowship of Buddhists 20th General Conference
2000 - Bangkok, Thailand – World Fellowship of Buddhists 21st General Conference
2001- Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. - International Conference on Religious Cooperation
2000– Seoul, Korea – Lecture at Chogye Sa Temple
2001- Kyongju, Korea – Lecture to the Buddhist Association of Professors, Chosun University
2002- Seoul, Korea – Lecture at Chogye Sa Temple.
2002- Phnom Penh, Cambodia – World Buddhist Summit
2002- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 22nd Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists
2002- Australian Institute o International Affairs – Victorian Branch - Lecture: Spirituality in the World Today: What Has Buddhism to Offer.
2006- Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists – Bankok Thailand
2009- International day of Vesak Conference – Bangkok, Thailand
2010- Visit to Di Zi Gui Institute – Lujang Village, Anhui Province, China
2010- Tokyo, Japan – Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists
2011- Ground Breaking for the Institute for Han Studies – Melaka, Malaysia
AWARDS
2001 - Community Relations Commission For a multicultural New South Wales (N.S.W. Government) Award for Volunteering
2002 - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to the Buddhist community, promotion of multiculturalism, education and welfare from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
2003 - Awarded the Centenary Medal for services to the Buddhist Community
PUBLICATIONS
Ethnic Buddhists in New South Wales in Atta, Abe(Wade) Ed. Religion and Ethnic Identity - An Australian Study: Vol.3, Richmond, Spectrum, 1990
Buddhism: Australia’s Reaction to a New Phenomenon in Without Prejudice, No.7, April 1994, Melbourne, Australian Institute of Jewish Affairs.
The King Asoka: The Idealistic Leader of Buddhists in WFB Review, Vol.XXXI, No.4, Oct.-Dec., 1994, Bangkok, World Fellowship of Buddhists.
Religion, Racism and Tolerance in Without Prejudice, No.8, April 1995, Melbourne, Australian Institute of Jewish Affairs.
The Rise of the Mahayana in WFB Review, Vol.XXXII, No.1, Jan.-March., 1995, Bangkok, World Fellowship of Buddhists.
Exploring Religion Beck, Margie, Tatz, Pam, Lewin, Ruth (Eds.) 1997, Melbourne, Oxford University Press (Graeme Lyall is the author of the main chapter on Buddhism and sections of several other chapters on cross-religion studies). Second Edition Published 2000
Some other articles appear on his website: http://www.buddhismaustralia.org/articles.htm
