Jin-Gang-Dhyana ordered by court to fix drainage on Sandy Bay property

Chinese Buddhist group Jin-Gang-Dhyana, led by Master Wang, has been ordered in court to fix a problem on its Sandy Bay property that has led to serious water damage to its neighbour.

CHINESE Buddhist group Jin-Gang-Dhyana has been ordered in court to fix a drainage system on its Sandy Bay property by October 31, after its neighbour suffered serious water damage to her property.

On Friday, Acting Justice David Porter handed down a mandatory injunction, noting there was an “imperative for the works to be completed as soon as possible”.

The order comes in the wake of a Supreme Court of Tasmania decision on Monday ordering the religious organisation to pay its neighbour’s damages, in an amount to be assessed.

Master Wang Xin De (Bhagavan Zhi Ji Vimalakirti Xin De Wang) leader of the Holy Tantra Jin-Gang-Dhyana Buddhism group in Hobart

Following works done to the group’s driveway, rainwater escaped from its Randall Street property during three storm events in 2018 and 2021, flooding its neighbour’s sub-floor area.

Acting Justice Porter ordered the drainage system and plumbing works be completed by October 31 to keep things “moving along”, noting the group had asked to have until December 31.

He said the request by neighbour Karen Lee Fraser to have the works completed by June 30 were unrealistic.

Jin-Gang-Dhyana, which has also been ordered to pay Ms Fraser’s legal costs, may apply to the courts at a later stage for an extension of time if required.

The group is known as Holy Tantra Jin-Gang-Dhyana, headed by the high-profile Master Wang Xin-De, with its temple located at Campania

Woman battles Master Wang’s Buddhist group in court - May 30

A Sandy Bay woman has successfully taken action against Chinese Buddhist group Jin-Gang-Dhyana, after arguing the religious group’s renovations led to serious water damage at her home.

The woman won her bid for damages in the Supreme Court of Tasmania on Monday, with the amount still to be assessed.

Jin-Gang-Dhyana has denied any wrongdoing.

Acting Justice David Porter is yet to hand down his decision on whether to impose an injunctive order on the religious group to engage an engineer to design a drainage system to divert rainwater, and then install that system, by an agreed date.

In her amended statement of claim, Karen Lee Fraser said water had been escaping from Jin-Gang-Dhyana’s land in Randall Street, Sandy Bay, from about February 2018, flowing underneath the fence and underneath her house.

She claimed the group had constructed a large concrete slab driveway close to the boundary with her land, but didn’t install a drainage system.

President of Jin-Gang-Dhyana-inc Master Xin De Wang.

Ms Fraser claimed when significant rainfall events occurred in Hobart during February 2018, May 2018 and February 2021, the run-off caused “inundation” to her land by flooding, including flooding of her sub-floor area.

She also said the excessive water exerted pressure on her foundation brickwork, which caused movement in her home’s foundation walls.

Ms Fraser additionally claimed the group had a downpipe draining water from half its roof that had long been in disrepair and also led to run-off onto her property.

Jin-Gang-Dhyana denied the allegations, including denials that any work on its property was done unlawfully, that the rain events caused damage to Ms Fraser’s home, or that it failed to contain rainwater run-off from the renovations or its downpipe.

It also denied it created a nuisance or caused damage to property.

Ms Fraser’s legal team has asked for the court to give Jin-Gang-Dhyana “specific directions” to complete the drainage works, adding a “period of six to eight weeks” was “not unreasonable”.

The group is known as Holy Tantra Jin-Gang-Dhyana, headed by the high-profile Master Wang Xin-De, with its temple located at Campania.

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Originally published as Jin-Gang-Dhyana ordered by court to fix drainage on Sandy Bay property