Inspiration
The history of dharma textual efforts is an inspiration for us now.
The sentiment is to honour and acknowledge the efforts of the past in creating the texts. Particularly the initial transcription done at Aluvihare Rock Temple during the 1st century BCE . This was done by inscribing the text on leaves of the Palmyra palm tree. Imagine that! Then over the centuries inscribed on stone, carved into wood blocks (the first printing method) and then to paper. It was the Pali Text Society in England that did the first translations into English. And most recently the english translations of the Sutta Pitika and Vinaya Pitika by Bhante Sujato and Bhante Bramhali.
There also is the recognition of the difficulties faced by people who did the transcription, the effort and hard work they undertook. And recognising the epic journeys that monastics undertook to obtain the texts for transcription and translation.
In 2024-25 the Sutta Pitika and Vinaya Pitika translations were printed in Sri Lanka. These 28 book sets were distributed to the Pirivenas, Buddhist monastic education centres, in Sri Lanka. This was done by a crowdfunding campaign by SuttaCentral in Australia.
All these inspirations came together as a calling for Tom to initiate this project to bring these translations to Australia and New Zealand.
The Sutta Print ANZ team
Program manager
Tom Halbert has been a buddhist for 50 years, ever since taking refuge under the little willow tree in the front yard in Perth. This was after reading that you become a buddhist by repeating the refuge three times in ‘The Three Pillars of Zen’ by Roshi Phillip Kapleau. Since then, he has taken teachings from many of the traditions. Firmly believing in ‘Many Rivers, One Ocean’ (the theme of Metta Centre’s 10th anniversary). More recently, inspired by the Humanistic Buddhism emphasis from Venerable Master Hsing Yun in the chinese buddhist tradition. A teaching retreat with Bhante Sujato in Sri Lanka on Early Buddhist Meditation inspired Ling and Tom to read the Sutta Pitaka and Vinaya Pitika end to end. Seemingly this led to a calling to start a project to print these texts for Australian and New Zealand distribution.
Tom has also had a 45 year IT career which is helping with doing the Sutta Print project. He has two sons, two wonderful daughters in-law and 4 grandchildren. Ling and Tom have now been married 21 years.
What a fortunate life!
Outreach manager
Ling Halbert was born in Laos in the Teow Chew chinese culture. Her engagement with buddhism flourished after coming to Australia. She has attended teachings across the traditions and is a keen learner and practitioner of the dharma. The volunteer opportunities Ling has taken up also span the traditions. SRE is a passion for Ling to bring enthusiasm for dharma practice to youngsters at school. She has participated in many events with Metta Centre, Nan Tien Temple and Santi Monastery. The Chan, Pure Land and Humanistic Buddhism of Fo Guang Shan provides a broad platform for Ling’s practice in daily life. There is a resonance of many rivers, one ocean in Australian Buddhism with Ling seeing the light of the dharma in all these rivers.
Ling’s passion is for teaching; a 15 year career teaching a pre-school, and for a long time teaching cooking, taichi, horticulture therapy and ecotherapy through her own business Health and Happy Heart.
Steering Committee
Bhante Sujato
Feeling the call to the Buddha’s path, he took full ordination in Wat Pa Nanachat in 1994, where his teachers were Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Jayasaro. In 1997 he returned to Perth to study with Ajahn Brahm at Bodhinyana Monastery.
In 2005 he founded SuttaCentral together with Rod Bucknell and John Kelly. In 2015, seeing the need for a complete, accurate, plain English translation of the Pali texts, he undertook the task, spending nearly three years in isolation on the isle of Qi Mei off the coast of the nation of Taiwan. He completed the four main Nikāyas in 2018, and the early books of the Khuddaka Nikāya were complete by 2021. All this work is dedicated to the public domain and is entirely free of copyright encumbrance.
deepika werakoon
Deepika was instrumental in organising the printing and distribution of the first edition of these Sutta Pitika and Vinaya Pitika translations in Sri Lanka. She has been a long time event organiser of wonderful teachings and retreats by Bhante Sujato for the benefit of the dharma community.