Name of the Project:
Mahabodhi Dhammaduta Vihara Project
Location: Cetana Vana, (Narasipura village, Dasanapura Hobli, Alur), Bangalore
Objective: To run a Center for
1. Meditation practice for monks and lay people
2. Dhammacari Training Program -to train community and rural leaders and educators
3. Moral and Spiritual Education & Training Center
Cost of the Project : Rs. 19,593,576.00
Project Undertaken by : Maha Bodhi Society,
14, Kalidasa Road,
Gandhinagar, Bangalore-560009
Tel: 080-22250684, Fax: 080-22264438
Email: info@mahabodhi.info
Background:
Maha Bodhi Society, Bangalore was founded by Venerable Acharya Buddharakkhita in 1956 to bring back the teachings of the Buddha in India. Since then the Society has been engaged in various spiritual programs like running a monastic training institute, meditation courses, Dhamma classes, Sunday Dhamma talks, conducting Buddhist festivals, pabbajja courses, Dhammaduta courses for monks, Mahabodhi Academy for Pali and Buddhist Studies, publishing books on Buddha's teachings, publishing monthly magazines and other programs.
On the humanitarian welfare side too the Society has been conducting several programs like building of Mahabodhi Burns and Casualty center, Rural mental health Center in Sakalwara, Arogya Hospital in Siddapura, Artificial Limbs Center, conducting camps to help leprosy patients, blind people, cancer patients, counseling prisoners in jails, distribution of clothes, blankets, mosquito nets to the poor and needy.
In the field of education the Society has given education to hundreds of poor students from all over India. The Society runs schools and hostels in Mysore, Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
Since the space at the Maha Bodhi Society premises in Gandhinagar is fully utilized, it is necessary to expand our programs in new places, hence the Mahabodhi Dhammaduta Vihara.
Objective of the Project:
The moral and spiritual degeneration has led to so many conflicts and violence in this world. It is due to lack of proper guidance and leadership to the people. The people are misled in the wrong way of corruption, violence, meanness, money mindedness, selfishness by the so called leaders who themselves have no moral values. What we need today is right kind of leadership who are themselves morally upright and who can guide people on the proper path of Dhamma. Therefore a project was conceived to train people in meditation, moral and spiritual values and to give leadership training. There will be three main programs at this new center:
1. Meditation practice for monks and lay people: This project will give opportunity to the serious meditation practitioners for longer practices in a conducive facility. The Buddha said that if mind is purified and freed from all evil, there will be only wholesome thoughts, deeds and speech. They in turn will bring only happiness as result. This can come through meditation. It leads one to enjoy peace and happiness here and now and it leads to better destiny in future and ultimately to Nibbana, spiritual liberation.
2. Dhammacari Training Program to train community and rural leaders and educators: This program will give training to leaders and educators who in turn will reach to maximum number of people in conveying the message of Dhamma and thereby bringing transformation in the society, particularly in rural areas. Today we have many so called leaders who only misguide the innocent people. This project will help to train good leaders and educators who will work in villages and among needy people and guide them for their overall development.
3. Moral and Spiritual Education & Training Center : This program will facilitate to give moral and spiritual education to as many people as possible. The level of morality in the society is going down. Many people don't know the noble teachings of the Buddha which are so simple and truthful and bringing happiness to all. If people, particularly rural people, are educated in the Dhamma, it will improve their lives in every way. They will prosper materially, develop in moral and spiritual values thereby leading to cultural and social reformation, based on love, compassion and understanding. Though many people are interested to learn Buddhism there is no proper place or teaching available. Dhammaduta project will fulfill this need.
To achieve all these objectives different courses will be conducted, i.e. one month/one week intensive meditation courses for monks, 10-day courses for monks and lay people, Dhamma study courses ranging from one week to one month, special abhidhamma courses, children's courses for character building moral education, community building courses, Dhammacari training courses, school teachers training program, etc.
What we have and what we need:
1. Human Resource: The project is conceived by the Most Venerable Acharya Buddharakkhita and will be guided by him. There are well trained monks at Maha Bodhi Society and some lay people who will be the resource persons to conduct different courses and to manage the Dhammaduta Vihara and its activities under the guidance of Bada Bhante.
2. Infrastructure: For this new project Maha Upasaka Nishkama Chaitanya (Shri Raghunath) has very generously donated a piece of land measuring 3.75 acres near Alur village in a serene area. This land has been cleaned up and leveled. There are 40 fully grown mango trees. A borewell has to be dug for water resource. Already electric line has come upto our land.
3. Now a plan has been drawn to build the following necessary structures :
a. Compound Wall: A compound wall all around is being constructed for the safety and calmness.
b. Mahabodhi Dhammavijaya Buddha Temple: This will be a temple measuring 30 X 40 ft. on the ground floor and at the basement there will be an office and two rooms for monks. This temple will be situated at the entrance of the premises and is accessible to everybody who wish to come and sit for meditation. Everyday there will be morning and evening puja and meditation in this vihara. There will be resident monks who will take care of the Vihara.
c. Mahabodhi Vishwa Shanti Stupa : A stupa enshrining the holy relics of the Buddha and the two chief disciples will be situated near the temple. This will be a place of worship to our Lord, Bhagavan Buddha and to create wholesome atmosphere for meditation practitioners and Dhamma students.
d. Sacred Siri Mahabodhi Tree: A sapling of the Bodhi tree has been planted in the land and this Bodhi tree will be a place of worship and meditation.
These three places will be near the entrance of the Dhammaduta vihara and will be accessible to everybody throughout the day for meditation and worship.
e. Mahabodhi Dhammaduta Training Center: This will be a building consisting of ground and first floor. In the ground floor there will be dormitories, dining hall, kitchen, library and class room and a meditation hall. On the first floor there will be 10 double rooms with bathroom attached. This building will be used for housing upto 30 candidates with dining and meditation facilities. Here the participants will be engaged in intensive practice and studies. The total built up area will be sft.
f. Satipatthana Kuti: This will be Bada Bhante's kuti where he would like to spend full time in Satipatthana meditation. Nearby there will be a room for assistant monks and a small kitchen.
g. One watchman room, four toilets for visitors, three store rooms
h. One overhead water tank and one sump
i. Electric transformer and control board
j. Pathways
k. Horticulture and herbal garden
The Estimations:
1 TRAINING CENTER 8,756,175.00
2 STUPA 2,000,000.00
3 SATIPATTHANA KUTEERA 1,833,185.00
4 TEMPLE 2,194,046.00
5 MONKS ROOMS 760,430.00
6 TOILETS 370,990.00
7 ENTRANCE PORCH 200,000.00
8 OVERHEAD WATER TANK 300,000.00
9 SUMP TANK 175,000.00
10 COMPOUND WALL & GATE 1,500,000.00
11 INTERNAL ROAD 350,000.00
12 YARD LIGHTING 100,000.00
13 WATER SUPPLY 200,000.00
14 SANITARY WORKS 200,000.00
15 ELECTRICAL WORKS 200,000.00
16 CEMENT GODOWN 453,750.00
TOTAL COST OF PROJECT 19,593,576.00
AN APPEAL
This project, intended to bring peace and happiness to so many people can be actualized only through your help. All good hearted people are requested to come forward generously to contribute towards this project and be part of this endeavor. No amount is ever so small. We will be very grateful to you for your donation.
All donations are exempted under IT 80G. Please send your donation in the name of MAHA BODHI SOCIETY, BANGALORE to
The President,
Maha Bodhi Society
14, Kalidasa Road,
Gandhinagar, Bangalore-560009
Tel: 080-22250684, Fax: 080-22264438
Email: info@mahabodhi.info
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