Nan Tien Institute | Nan Tien Temple

Nan Tien is the Name
Where youths are learning to be saints;
East meets West at cultural exchange
It is the place for all race and religion
To embrace peace.

BACKGROUND

Since the grand opening of Nan Tien Temple in 1995, it has been enthusiastically sharing and promoting Buddhism, as well as reinforcing the understanding between Western and Eastern cultures.
“To foster talent through education” is one of the Fo Guang Shan’s main objectives. Over the last 40 years, Grand Master Hsing Yun – the founder of Fo Guang Shan (FGS) – has established 16 Buddhist Colleges and three universities around the world.
Nan Tien Institute joins its’ sister universities – University of the West in California, USA (est 1990), and Taiwan’s Fo Guan University (est 1993) and Nan Hua University (est 1996), and is Australia’s first Institute of higher learning grounded in humanistic Buddhist wisdom and values.

This innovative learning environment has grown from a belief that education is an essential part of a life-long quest for knowledge, skills and wisdom. NTI’s vision and mission is to provide a place for the exchange of Eastern and Western culture, and to broaden students’ knowledge and perspectives through subjects covering the arts, philosophy, humanities, business and science.

As part of a dynamic international learning community that spans Australia, the US and South East Asia, NTI offers innovative and distinctive subjects and courses designed to enrich and enhance lives. NTI provides an education with a strong foundation focused on multicultural and practical life applications.
NTI aims to be recognised internationally for their outstanding location, unique teaching methodologies, world renowned lecturers and researchers, and high-achieving and enlightened students.
With a campus on-site at award-winning major tourist attraction of the NSW South Coast, Nan Tien Temple, and a future $40million campus under construction, NTI has the facilities to support students in all academic endeavours.

LOCATION OF NAN TIEN INSTITUTE

It is located 6km south-west of Wollongong within the industrial precinct of Unanderra directly north of the Nan Tien Temple and the F6 freeway. The site is approximately 11.68 hectares or 116, 880m².

MASTER PLAN

The development is funded by the Fo Guang Shan Nan Tien Temple as part of our world-wide educational and cultural projects. Whilst the tertiary facility is affiliated with the Nan Tien Temple located to the south of the site, it will be a secular Institute campus open to local and international students.
The tertiary facility will ultimately cater for:

3, 000 students
360 staff members (12% of student population)
Up to 30% of students and staff in campus residential accommodation

The tertiary facility will provide undergraduate and postgraduate educational programs in:

Humanities
Economic and business studies
Social sciences
Religious studies
Asian studies

The overall design of the campus and its environment is underpinned by the Buddhist philosophy to:

Establish an institution devoted to the well-being of the body, mind and spirit
Provide an ideal environment of harmony, tranquility and serenity for the cultivation of the individual
Provide quality education based on western standards and traditions
Foster mutual recognition and respect among diverse religious cultures

The campus aims to:

Provide a conducive environment for learning in the 21^st century and beyond
Create a setting for community interaction, education and cultural exchange

In addition to the tertiary facilities and supporting student residential accommodation is a Multicultural Art Gallery, which will be a centre of learning for the campus as well as to house and exhibit the artifacts and artworks of the Temple and from time to time works of local artists.
The tertiary facility and art gallery will be a great landmark to the area and bring about a better understanding between the different cultures and religions, thus enhancing multiculturalism and harmony in this culturally diverse region.

PHASES OF DEVELOPMENT

The development is proposed to be built in two phases:
Phase One will accommodate 300 students and 30 staff with:

Over 20 000m2 gross floor area of tertiary facilities
Approximately 13, 600m² of residential accommodation for up to 30% of its student population
A Cultural Museum of approximately 2 500m²
On-site parking for 750 cars

Phase Two will be planned depending on the conditions in the future.

MILESTONES

Nov 2012 - Construction of $40million state-of-the-art NTI campus (Stage 1) & art gallery commences
Jan 2012 - Full scholarships offered
Nov 2011 - Master of Arts – Health & Social Wellbeing submitted to Dept. of Education
Mar 2011 - 1st intake of NTI students enrolled in Master of Arts – Applied Buddhist Studies
Sep 2010 - NTI registration & accreditation approved by the Department of Education
06 Oct 2007 - Ground-Breaking ceremony. Grand Master Hsing Yun led the ceremony and wrote the dharma word:
26 Jul 2006 - The Master Development Plan was approved.
16 Aug 2005 - The Master Development Plan was lodged to Wollongong City Council for examination and approval.
18 Mar 2005 - The plan to build the pedestrian bridge connecting the Temple and Institute was approved.
11 Sep 2001 - Wollongong City Council donated the land for building Nan Tien Institute and Art Gallery.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The mission of Nan Tien Institute is to:
1. Educate students in a context informed by Buddhist wisdom and values.
2. Facilitate cultural understanding and appreciation between East and West.
A highly qualified faculty and a supportive and physically attractive learning environment will be provided so that students can master a body of knowledge, acquire analytical and creative problem-solving and learning skills, cultivate moral and cultural discernment and develop personal and social responsibility.

Q: Why does Fo Guan Shan Nan Tien Temple fund Nan Tien Institute?

A: It was Master Hsing Yun's idea to leave wisdom to the self and to leave knowledge to world. He ha s a vision to build a university in Australia so that Nan Tien T emple can make contribution s to the local community and to educate students in a context informed by Buddhist wisdom and values. Our mission is to facilitate cultural understanding and appreciation between East and West so that Australians are better informed about Oriental Arts, culture and education.

Q: What are the values of the Institute and how is it different from other university?

A:Nan Tien Institute will be a private, nonprofit, co-educational Institute offering undergraduate and graduate programs with a wholistic approach in life and education.

Q: Will students have to be Buddhist to study in Nan Tien Institute?

A: No. We will not be discriminating and limiting the scope. Our purpose is to allow students to exercise options and be free to choose as much as possible. Our aim is to foster religion and cultural tolerance and courses offered will not just be on Buddhism, but other religious studies, theology and related courses such as philosophy, applied psychology will also be offered. Other courses will be offered when the Institute is fully accredited.

Q: What sort of students does it expect to attract?

A: We expect to take in both international and local students.

Q: Should meditation be made compulsory for all students who study at the Institute?

A: No. Students are free to choose. We will be very happy for them to meditate but it will not be compulsory. Meditation is only one aspect of Buddhist training- meditation is practiced in our daily life. For example, we can practice meditation in walking, sitting, working, chopping vegetables, sweeping the floor. We are very happy for them to practice meditation if they feel it will help them be calm and maintain balance in their lives, but it will not be compulsory.

SPONSORSHIP

Click here for the donation form

For most people, learning is a life-long zest thus promoting education is a ongoing commi t ment . It requires the continuous support and commitment from the general public. In particular, the funds required for building and construction are an enormous financial burden. this is not a project that can be carried out by Nan Tien Temple alone. Without strong funding support, the Institute and the Art Gallery cannot be completed. Therefore, the Fund Raising Committee is established to raise funds for the project as well as the ongoing operations to fulfill its commitment of providing a quality education for its students and a place of cultural exchange for the local community.
The campaign called the " Million Members Sponsorship " is launched to recruit at least one million Sponsors world - wide. E ach member may commit to donate $10 AUD on a monthly basis for three consecutive years (one term).
Also "Buy A Brick" is another option for people to contribute a brick at $20 AUD to the construction of Nan Tien Institute. Together with the dedication of a million people, we hope to bring our project to completion.

Sponsorship Options
Buy A Brick                    - Individual contributes one or more bricks to the Institute at the unit price of $20 AUD
Sponsorship Member - Individual committed to sponsor $10 AUD or more per month for three consecutive years.
Foundation Donation - Donation of $500 AUD
Building Donation        - Donation of $1,000 AUD
Crystal Sponsor             - Donation of $5,000 AUD
Bronze Sponsor             - Donation of $20,000 AUD
Silver Sponsor                - Donation of $40,000 AUD
Gold Sponsor                 - Donation of $100,000 AUD
Diamond Sponsor         - Donation of $300,000 AUD
Project Patron                - Donation of $500,000 AUD
Donation of $2 and above are tax deductible.
Methods of donation

Direct Deposit/Internet Transfer

BSB: 012-622
A/C No. 1010-13636
A/C Name: IBAA COLLEGE Building Fund

Cheque/Money Order

Cheque/Money Order payable to IBAA COLLEGE Building Fund and post to Nan Tien Temple
P O Box 1336, Unanderra, NSW 2526
Please download the donation form (PDF format) so that we can send you a receipt for tax purposes ( Australia only). Last but not least, please remember that you can support us by rejoicing and letting people know about the project.
Contact:
Nan Tien Temple (IBAA)
P O Box 1336, Unanderra, NSW 2526, Australia
Phone: +61 2 4272-0600 Fax: +61 2 4272-0601
email: info@nantien.org.au

Fo Guang Shan Universities.

Fo Guang University：http://www.fgu.edu.tw/
Nanhua University：http://www.nhu.edu.tw/main.htm
University of the West：http://www.uwest.edu/site/
Guang Ming University：http://fgsphilippines.org/