KSHITIGARBHA APPEAL
This is our third year running for JustGiving appeals. So far we have raised £6919.00 (July 2010). We raised £2960 for the 2009 retreat, and £3959 for the 2010 retreat. This coming year (2011) we plan to run TWO 5 day Kshitigarbha retreats in Raipur and Pulgoa, so need to raise £5100.
Since 2008, two Triratna Order Members, Saddharaja and Karunashura (from UK and India, respectively) have been running annual dana-based 5-day retreats in Maharashtra state, India. These retreats are for rural Buddhists who are very poor men and women who cannot afford to come on anything longer than a Day retreat, but want to have a deeper experience of the Dharma. Most are agricultural workers, and many are not educated.
The retreats are cheap, they cost around £5 per person. This £5 covers everything: the cost of the retreat with full board, plus any travel costs. Since 2008, we have run many retreats, both 5-day residential and countless local day retreats and evening programmes in village and town localities around the Wardha/Nagpur area. Between 500 and 700 men and women attend the large residential retreats. They are very successful and contain a full programme of meditation, puja, Dhamma study groups, and Dhamma talks. There is a lot of friendship and joy on these retreats. Karunashura (who was born in the Wardha area) thinks that the Kshitigarbha project has already positively affected the Dhamma lives of at least 7000 people in the region.
These retreats are ably supported by a large and competent team of men and women Order members and mitras. For a retreat of 500 we will have a team of around 14-18 Order members from the locality. Many of these Order members continue 'follow through' work from the the January retreats, i.e. running regular Dhamma clases in village localities: teaching meditation and the Sangharakshita approach to the Buddha's teaching.
In January 2011, we are planning to run two more large retreats for rural men and women. The first retreat will be in Raipur in Chhatisgarr state, and the second will be another retreat in Pulgoa, Maharashtra. The Raipur retreat will be our first attempt to lead a Kshitigarbha retreat outside Maharashtra.
We're calling this evolving project The Kshitigarbha project. Kshitigarbha is the bodhisattva who reaches down into the hellish realms to teach beings the Dharma.
In January 2010 we ran a successful Ksitigarbha retreat in Wardha City for around 500 men and women. Several Western men and women Order Members supported us along with the excellent Indian Order team.
You can see a report of this retreat and the accompanying rural Day retreats on the Triratna News website
http://www.fwbo-news.org/resources.html
Can you give? Just giving £5 could completely change someone’s life. If you give more then more people can benefit: £5 is one person on a week's retreat, £10 = two people, £50 = ten people, £100 + 20 people.
Karunasura and Saddharaja are paying their own expenses entirely, so every £1 of dana goes directly to helping Indian men and women to go more deeply into the Dharma. There are no administration costs.
Please donate using this website. It is completely safe and convenient, and we recieve Gift Aid from the Government on top of your donation.
Thankyou so much.
Saddharaja and Karunasura.