NTI Conversation - Mapping Buddhism in Australia: Froom Seeding to Flourishing

Mapping Buddhism in Australia: From Seeding to Flourishing

Presented by Professor Anna Halafoff A/Prof Venerable Juewei

• 12 August 2026
• 1.00pm-2.00pm (AEST)
• This is a hybrid event – Will be held on campus and on zoom

The “Buddhism in Australia: Belonging, Wellbeing and Social Engagement” research project is a collaborative initiative led by Nan Tien Institute and conducted in partnership with Deakin University, Western Sydney University, and Charles Darwin University. It examines the development of Buddhism in Australia over 150 years, from the early days when Sri Lankan migrants planted the first Bodhi tree on Thursday Island to the present.

In this conversation, Prof Anna Halafoff, Chief Investigator, will discuss findings from fieldwork conducted across Australia, from Christmas Island to New South Wales, and from the Northern Territory to Tasmania. The research team interviewed descendants of early Buddhists, community leaders, educators, and curators, and documented Buddhist heritage and materialities at Buddhist temples, centres, schools, and cemeteries.

In doing so, the project centres the voices of Asian Buddhists in Australia, whose contributions have often been overlooked in the past. This conversation also foreshadows the Buddhism in Australia Digital Atlas, an educational resource that maps Buddhist figures and places across time and space, that will be released at the Project Launch in on 22 September 2026 at Nan Tien Institute.

About the Presenter

Anna Halafoff is a Professor of Sociology, coordinator of the Spirituality and Wellbeing (SWell) Research Network, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. She currently leads an Australian Research Council Discovery Project (ARC DP) on Spirituality in Australia: Wellness, Wellbeing and Risks, and was a Chief Investigator on two recent ARC DPs on the Worldviews of Generation Z Australians and on Religious Diversity in Australia. Her other research interests include interreligious relations, religion and education, preventing violent extremism, and Buddhism.

Anna is a Chief Investigator in the “Buddhism in Australia” Research Project.

Tickets are free, but bookings are essential.