Happy New Year 2011!

Dear Friends of Malaysia Desk Ladakh,

As the year 2010 is coming to an end and the New Year is coming to dawn. I take immense pleasure in wishing you a very happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year.

May true peace, happiness, harmony and peaceful co-existence prevail all over the world.
May all kinds of conflicts, confusions, violence, war and division disappear from every corner of the world.

May the light of pure love shines brightly and boundlessly.

Let us contemplate on the gone year.
let us feel regret and repent for all the mistakes we have committed and let us take a vow not to repeat those mistakes in the coming year.
Let us also contemplate on the good things we have been able to achieve and let us rejoice in them.
Let us pray and invoke the blessings of the Lord to give us stronger strength and means and ways not only to continue the noble service, but to redouble them.

May all beings be happy and well.
Yours Sincerely,
Bhikkhu Sanghasena
Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre
Devachan, P.O. Box # 22, Leh - Ladakh 194101, INDIA
Ph: +91-1982-264372 Mobile: +91-9906902025, +91-9419178667
www.mahabodhi-ladakh.org

Report on Chandigarh events

Inauguration of Mahabodhi Padmaloka Girls Hostel, Chandigarh Branch,
Mahabodhi Int’l Meditation Centre, Chandigarh Branch
&
One-Day International Seminar on Buddhism

in Panchkula, Chandigarh

For hundreds of poor children in Ladakh, the miracle of education came as a blessing in disguise called Mahabodhi. Mahabodhi has been a haven for hundreds of children to realize their potential and dreams, a support for old to live with dignity, a shelter for the sick to get care and medical attention and a solace for the truth seekers. The Mahabodhi Residential School was started in the year 1992 by Ven. Sanghasena, in a deserted place in Ladakh with 25 little girls selected from the most remote areas of Ladakh. Today, the school has grown in its size and facilities embracing more than 700 children in Ladakh who are provided the most essential education and other facilities free of cost. Mahabodhi school has also successfully established its three sister branches in three of the most remote villages of Ladakh. However, the main school in the campus has facilities up to 10th std only after which the students have to move out of Ladakh to pursue their higher education. Accordingly under the Mahabodhi higher education scheme, the 1st batch girls who passed out in the year 2002 from Mahabodhi were sent to Bangalore for their further studies. Thereafter, the subsequent batches of students were sent to Bangalore every year.

With the growing number of students each passing year, the expenses involved were becoming unbearably expensive in a metro city like Bangalore. Thus, choosing an alternate place closer to Ladakh and less expensive for the post-metric students became inevitable and crucial. Chandigarh being an educational hub with a wide range of educational institutions and colleges offering students a wealth of curriculum choices apart from its beauty was the most appropriate place in all aspect to send the girls for their higher studies. However, there were currently no existing hostel facilities to accommodate these students, as a result, they either had to hire rented rooms or stay with the local residents as paying guest (PG) in their houses. Moreover, the issues of social security in rental accommodation and the growing expenses of the PGs provisions are matters of great concern and worry for the parents and guardians of these Ladakhi students.

As such, to facilitate our girl students to pursue their studies in a safe and congenial environment, Ven. Sanghasena very kindly made efforts to established the Padmaloka Girls Hostel at Ramgarh where at present 32 girls are comfortably continuing their studies in different schools and colleges of Chandigarh. The hostel building is designed to accommodate 100 students in the future. A branch of the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre is also being established alongside the hostel, to provide spiritual guidance for students studying away from home, and for the residents of Chandigarh city, Panchkula city, Punjab and surrounding areas who are also inspired to follow the teachings of the Buddha. Ven. Sanghasena again has taken the pioneering initiative to establish a meditation centre alongside the Padmaloka hostel, enabling the Mahabodhi Meditation Centre to impart holistic, spiritual and value-based education along with the more conventional curriculum subjects. It will serve as a vital source or nucleus to facilitate both spiritual and secular education to the students in this most challenging of times, bringing together and bonding a strong sense of shared community and values for the future.

The formal inauguration of the hostel and the meditation centre was scheduled on Saturday the 4th of Dec 2010. The meditation centre was very kindly inaugurated by Most Ven. Lama Lobzang, Hon’ble President, Ashoka Mission, New Delhi and the Padmaloka Girls Hostel was very kindly inaugurated by Datuk Dr. Victor Wee, Hon’ble President, Buddhist Gem Fellowship, Malaysia. The inaugural ceremony was studded with the blissful presence of Ven. Sanghasena, President, Mahaobdhi Int’l Meditation Centre other venerable monks and nuns from Taiwan, Myanmar and delegates from Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand and India. The hon’ble members of Mahabodhi from Ladakh, Jammu and the Tricity were also present along with many other well wishers from various parts of India and abroad. Many students from Ladakh, north-east states of India, Lahaul Spiti, Bhutan and Myanmar were also present on the occasion.

Mahabodhi also organized a One-Day International Seminar on Buddhism on the theme “Resurgence of Buddhism in the land of its birth” at Inderdhanush Auditorium Hall in Panchkula city on Sunday the 5th of Dec, 2010. His Excellency the Governor of Haryana, Shri. Jagannath Pahadia very kindly inaugurated the seminar. Datuk Dr. Victor Wee, Hon’ble Chairman, Tourism Malaysia and President, Buddhist Gem Fellowship, Malaysia, Most Ven. Lama Lobzang, Hon’ble President Ashoka Mission, New Delhi, Mr. Charlie Chia from Malaysia, Prof. P.R Trivedi Pro Chancellor, Global Open University, Nagaland, Dharmacari Lokamitra, President, Jambu Dvipa Trust, Nagpur, Dr. Ravindra Panth, Vice Chancellor, Nava Nalanda University, Bihar, Lt. Gen. M.S Buttar, Chief of Staff, HQ Western Command, Lt. Gen. S.S Grewal, (Retd), Shri. Phunchok Stobdan, Hon’ble Vice-President Ladakh Buddhist Association and Shri. Tsewang Thinles, Hon’ble President, Ladakh Buddhist Association Youth wing were among the guests of honour who graced the opening ceremony along with Ven. Sanghasena, the founder President of Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre.

Many eminent personalities and scholars from India and abroad shared their insight and addressed the various challenging issues such as Buddha’s teaching and the Global Weather Change, Ancient wisdom for the modern problems, Peace through Vipassana Meditation, The Buddha’s teachings and challenges of the 21st century; terrorism, fanaticism and sectarianism, Importance of Pali language and the History of Buddhism, Buddha’s teachings and modern education, Balance between spirituality and materiality etc. Over 1000 audiences including students’ community of Chandigarh and Buddhists from the adjoining states thronged the auditorium. The Mahabodhi cultural troupe and delegates from Malaysia presented a colourful songs and dances during the opening ceremony as well as the valedictory function. The Ladakhi cultural troupe was invited to perform at the SAARC Folklore and Heritage festival, where they were honoured with a cash prize. All the electronic and print Medias did a wide coverage of the inaugural function of the Girls Hostel and Meditation Centre on 4th of December and the seminar on 5th of December.

We express our grateful thanks for the generous donation by the members of Buddhist Gem Fellowship (BGF) and the Mahabodhi Desk for Ladakh (MDL) towards the construction of the Girls Hostel. Our special thanks to Datuk Dr. Victor Wee, President BGF and Mr. Charlie Chia for organizing the big group of devotees and we also thank all the Malaysian delegates for their participation in the Inaugural ceremony of Mahabodhi Girls Hostel, Mahabodhi Meditation Centre and the One Day seminar on Buddhism. The talks and the Dhamma songs presented by Datuk Dr. Victor Wee and Mr. Charlie Chia were applauded by everyone present on the occasion.

May all the Buddhas, Bodhisattavas and the Devas shower their blessing upon all of you.
May all of you continue to progress on the path of Dhamma.

With kind regards and much Metta,
Bhikkhu Sanghasena

Havoc Flood in Ladakh

Photos update by Bhante Nagasena >>

Havoc of Flood in Ladakh

Dear friends of Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre, Leh, Ladakh.

The beautiful valley of Ladakh turns into a valley of horror in minutes. The noisy thunder, torrential rain and swift wave of storm and wind turn the atmosphere dark and gloomy. Suddenly an unprecedented flood created destruction, devastation, havoc and turn the city and valley into ghost city. Hundreds of residential houses are destroyed, several hundreds lives lost, thousand of people are severely injured and effected. Search for lost lives are in search process. Lots of cattle, wealth and crops are destroyed.

“I didn’t witness and heard about such devastation in my entire life” says an 80 years old man. Apart from lost of lives and property, all infrastructures, communication and social welfare installation are affected. Radio station, power supply, mobile phones, hospital are severely effected. There is no telephone, no power and no communication facilities for the last two days. Roads and bridges are cut and totally destroyed.

The Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre also witnessed flood resulting the Old Aged Home, the main secretariat and the hospital are made to non-functional. Drug store, ration store are flooded and water supply is partially destroyed. Thanks to the Triple Gem, there is no lost of life in Mahabodhi. All inmates are busy in cleaning process and revive the vital installation. Inmates of all residential buildings are evacuated to safer places on elevated points.

More detailed report will be submitted later on.

With Prayer
Bhikkhu Sanghasena
President,
MIMC, Ladakh.

Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre
Devachan, P.O. Box # 22, Leh - Ladakh 194101, INDIA
Ph: +91-1982-264372 Mobile: +91-9906902025, +91-9419178667
www.mahabodhi-ladakh.org

Touching lives - article from TheStar

Excerpt from "Touching lives by MAJORIE CHIEW" from this article from TheStar Monday February 22, 2010.

Far-reaching aid

The compassionate arms of volunteers reach out to the far ends of the Earth. Some 39,000m up in the Himalayas lives a small community of 400 impoverished Ladakhis at the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre in Ladakh, Kashmir, in Northern India. For 23 years, they had to rely on well water which was not available during winter. Power supply was also disrupted after a certain time at night.

“Each building had a small well for water supply. This well water was pumped up to tanks on the roof-top. However, the pipes were not winter-proof, so piped water was frozen in the winter. A tanker would make its rounds to supply water to the buildings during winter,” explains retiree Lee Keat Hin, 68.

Lee from Petaling Jaya, Selangor, had volunteered his services as project manager for a solar hot water project in Ladakh. The project was funded by an anonymous donor from Sandakan, and Malaysian volunteers readily offered their services.

“The new water supply system has an insulated 450,000-litre reservoir and insulated pipes for distributing water during winter,” says Lee.

With the installation of solar panels for the seven buildings, at a cost of RM600,000, hot water was available to the community, even during winter.

The Ladakhis were overjoyed to find water gushing out of the tap to meet their daily needs. They could enjoy hot water too, thanks to the solar hot water system.

Lee was a technical assistant with a plantation company, prior to his retirement.

In 2006, Lee was approached by a friend, Charlie Chia, 54, general manager of a property firm, for his expertise during a charity lunch. For his volunteer work in Ladakh, Lee had to forego a one-and-a-half-year contract as project manager of a new palm oil mill in Papua New Guinea.


Devachan going through a harsh winter in the desert. Thanks to a generous Malaysian donor, folks here were able to get piped water and a solar hot water system after years of depending on well water and in the winter, tanker water.

Lee’s first trip to Ladakh was in 2007. He was there for 10 days to get a feel of the place and to see if he could fit in.

“For the first two days, I was gasping for air and was advised to take it easy to allow the body to acclimatise to the high attitude,” Lee recalls.

The Ladakhis call the area surrounding the meditation centre, Devachan (which means shangri-la). Located on a sprawling 80ha of desert land, the centre has a school, hospital and guesthouse for visitors.

Devachan, an integrated community, was set up by Ven Sanghasena, a Ladakhi monk, in 1986.

“Initially, Ven Sanghasena took in 20 children, aged three to four, from poor villagers in the Himalayas to provide them with education. The young charges were housed in a small school and hostel,” says Chia.

“In 1992, the first batch of children graduated and six stayed behind to work in the school,” says Chia, who plans to revisit Devachan soon.


‘For the first two days, I was gasping for air,’ says Lee Keat Hin of his first trip to Ladakh
Lee himself has been to Ladakh thrice. His second trip was in May 2008 to implement the water and solar power project. He stayed on for four months. When he left, the reservoir was completed and water pumped into it, ready to be channelled to the buildings.

According to Lee, the reservoir of reinforced concrete was built to store water for domestic use and for irrigation of orchards. Two wells were dug to channel water to the reservoir.

Lee’s last visit in July last year was to oversee additional piping works for the solar hot water system. He was there for two months.

“It is satisfying to know that I can do my bit to benefit the folks up in the Himalayas,” says Lee.

A New Year Message by Ven. Sanghasena

Dear dhamma friends,

As the New Year is about to knock at the doors, before it enters your life, I wish you all a very good beginning of the year 2010. May it brings you all enormous joy, happiness, contentment, prosperity, good health and real peace of mind.

Dear friend, in the novel year, let our lives be;-
A source of happiness for those who are unhappy,
A source of water for the thirsty,
A source of food for the hungry,
A source of healing for those who are ill,
A source of light for those in darkness,
A source of companionship for those who are lonely,
A source of protection for those without protection,
A source of help and friendship for all in need,
A source of crutches for those with broken limbs,
A source of parental love and care for the orphaned,
A source of shelter for the homeless,
A source of asylum for those who have no safe place,
A source of warmth, of real love and compassion for those who are abandoned in the coldness of war and hatred.

May each moment of the New Year give you and your near and dear ones real happiness, real peace and real harmony.


With best wishes for a very happy and prosperous New Year 2010


Yours truly
Bhikkhu Sanghasena

Letter from Bhante Sanghasena > Search for Sis Jennie Cheong in Ladakh

Dear Charlie,

First of all please accept my sincerest condolence on the unfortunate and sudden demise of our sisters in dhamma Late Tan Guat Gnoh, Late Ang Ee Lee, Late Lee Ah Yem and our missing sister Jennie Cheong. It has shaken our consciousness and definitely all of us will take a very long time to overcome this grief. We are still in a state of shock and despair.

We are very sorry; we couldn’t share many emotions when you had to leave Ladakh with an utter sense of deprivation and sadness. When I came to see you off at the airport, my emotion charged with a great despondency. I had no words in my mind to share with you that would have equated your sadness at that moment. I still cannot believe that we are having such a harsh moment to experience. What we anticipated a pleasant trip, turned into a fearful nightmare. I am feeling deeply sorry for what has happened with our departed dhamma sisters and their grieving families.

Though we all had a tough time to live through, I deeply appreciate the state of equanimity and courage that you had maintained during that phase. You had taken more than half of my loads on your own shoulder. I shall ever remain grateful to you for your supports. I can imagine the hardships that you had to go through in the entire process. I don’t know how to thank you for all your helps, the state of mind that you maintained and the heavy responsibility that you took to manage everything in that distressed situation. Please accept many many thank from the depth of my heart.

On the 26th, 27th and 28th of this month we had arranged for a very special Puja and Merit Sharing Ceremony in our campus for our departed sisters and for sister Reena’s and the driver’s speedy recovery. A condolence meeting was also held on the 28th along with the prayer and merit sharing sessions. On the same day robes and alms bowls were offered to the members of the Sangha in the name of the departed sisters especially Sister Julie. The other gifts from the Malaysian devotees were also distributed and the merits were offered to the departed ones. We had also arranged for special Pujas in various monasteries in Ladakh for all of them. And we are praying day and night to find Sister Jennie at the earliest.

We have also decided to build a small Stupa on a very nice site in the campus in the memory of our departed sisters. Our prayers will continue for them and we do hope our sincere efforts and prayers will be answered soon.

Regarding Sister Jennie’s search operation, we had approached the top civil authorities in Ladakh to get resourceful helps from the Indian Army in the search operation. They agreed to pass on the appeal, but their response has not been as prompt as we expected. And today we have approached to them to pressurize the India Army in this regard yet again.

I have heard that the Malaysian embassy has sent an appeal letter to the Indian Ministry of Defense to render help in the search operation of Sister Jennie. I guess it would be really helpful in intensifying the operation from the Army’s side if we can get a copy of that appeal letter. Thus, I have requested Mr. Paul in this regard to try and get a copy of that letter to us.

At our own level we are trying all efforts to find Sister Jennie as soon as possible. The Mahabodhi search teams from Leh and Tingmosgang branch are continuing the search with sincere prayers and efforts. A group of 30 volunteers have spread out in various regions in search for her in the last two days but unfortunately they still couldn’t trace. Never the less the search is still on. The police from the Khalste stations are also continuing the search in all the possible areas.

The Mahadbohi Tingmosgang branch had called for an emergency meeting yesterday and they have formed a “Search Team” to intensify the search process further for the next one week. We have also sent posters of Sister Jennie, with an appeal to inform at the earliest, to Leh town and many villages, especially towards the regions where people can possibly find her.

We have also made repeated announcements in the local radio news so that more and more people can join hands with us to look for her at various places. We shall try every way out and will make all possible arrangements required in this operation.
And regarding sister Reena, we are constantly in touch with sister Bee and Mr. Sonam in Delhi to enquire about her health progress. We leant from them that Sister Reena is fine and getting better. Mr. Sonam and Gurmet are there in Delhi to give any help that she and her family require.

Yesterday the rest of the Malaysian guests left for Delhi. We were very sad that we didn’t have sweet memories to send with them. All the members of the Devachan family were really heart broken to send them with such harsh experiences. But our Malaysian friends were so encouraging and strong minded that they boosted our hopes and determinations. They also collected donations for the suffering driver and his family before leaving. It was really touching and all were moved by their gesture. I must say we really feel proud and fortunate to have such friends like you all, around us. And they also expressed that they would love to visit Ladakh and Mahabodhi again in the future. It was very kind of them to show such enthusiasm and interest in continuing the friendship and understanding with Mahabodhi. I am grateful to all the members of the Malaysian team, to have shared their emotion, wisdom and co-operation in the hour of sadness. And thank you once again for your help and concern.

I shall update you soon as things develop.

Yours in Dhamma,
Venerable Bhikkhu Sanghasena

Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre
Devachan, P.O. Box # 22, Leh - Ladakh 194101, INDIA
Ph: +91-1982-264372 Mobile: +91-9906902025, +91-9419178667
www.mahabodhi-ladakh.org

Update from the Ladakh Tragedy

Funerals for sis Julie Ang and sis GG Tan was held on 29th Aug 2009 and the funeral for sis Lee Ah Yem was held on 28th Aug 2009. Sis Reena is recovering in Apollo Hospital in Delhi accompanied by her family members. Sis Jennie Cheong is still missing and efforts have been amplified to search for her, including giving out posters to the villagers living along the Indus River.

Click here and here to view the funeral updates and some photos taken by Nalanda Buddhist Society.

Below is email from Bro. Lee KH currently in Ladakh sent on 31st Aug 2009 >>

Dear Bro. Charlie,
The search for Sis Jennie is till going on -
30th. Aug. 09.
V. Nagasena together 5 members of MIMC equiped with the walkie talkie you brought and about 100 copies of the posters set out to paste at stragistic location of villages along the Indus. They will try also to hire two rafts to again check and look out at the two sides of the Indus river at the likely stretches to locate the body. (We understand the police had enlisted some assistance with two rafts on the 25th Aug. to scout along the two banks).
At the same time the police from Khaltse and the members of Mahabodhi Tingmosgang Mngmt.continue wih their search.
They MIMC search team stayed back in Tingmosgang for the night after calling of the search when darkness fell. Still no good news has been received so far.

31st Aug.09 ( Merdeka Day)
Today An Executive member of the Ladakh Hill Autonomous Authority came to MIMc to discuss with Bte. Sanghasena on the next course of action. The meeting is still on.
Will update on the status in the atfernoon as soon as fresh information is received.
Meanwhile progress on the water supply project No. 1 (2008) and drip irrigation for orchard project No. 2 (2009) has come to a halt due to the Holiness Dalai Lama's visit, and during your group's visit and compounded by the tragic accident. Two friday meetings have been missed to-date.It is my intention to finallise everything within whatever is available that is reasonable to put them together the accounts and impending project costings for presentation.

I will be leaving MIMC 2 to 3 days earlier (likely on 12th.Aug. 09 ) by road to Delhi to board my flight back to KL on 15th. Aug.09.
Sukhihotu.
Leekh.

Three Malaysians Killed In Road Mishap In Kashmir

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=435667
By: Ramjit-->
By P.VijianNEW DELHI, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- Three Malaysian tourists died in Ladakh, Kashmir, when the vehicle they were travelling in skidded and plunged into the Indus River on Tuesday.The Press Trust of India (PTI) reported that the three victims, Angee Lee, 52, Lee Ah Yem, 59, and Tang Guat Gnoh, 54, died on the spot.Another passenger, Lin Bee Wong, 47, was injured and admitted to a nearby hospital.Meanwhile, police are still searching for another Malaysian, Cheon Swee Chuan, 42, who is missing in the mishap.The local driver of the vehicle was also seriously injured.The accident happened in Leh, one of the largest districts in Ladakh, located about 450km from Srinagar, capital of Jammu and Kashmir.-- BERNAMA

Thank You Letter from DDVW

Heartfelt Thanks from Ven. Sanghasena

Warmest greetings from Mahabodhi Ladakh. I sincerely hope this finds all of you in the best of physical, mental and spiritual health. I arrived back to Devachan safely and am now immersed fully in the various summer actives.

On behalf of all the staff, students and members of MIMC, I would like to express my heartfelt grateful thanks to each and very honorable members of BGF, the members of the MDL, and everyone else, including the group of performers for the significant and grand program you have organized.

Under the chairmanship, proficient leadership and guidance of Datuk Dr. Victor Wee, the Malaysian desk for Ladakh and the BGF, have worked very hard to make the fund rising program ‘Compassion in Action’-Dinner a magnificent success. The speeches by Datuk Dr. Victor Wee, his brother Mr. Lee Lee Kim and others, and the Dhamma songs and music performed by various groups were most inspiring and encouraging, I am sure they touched the hearts of the audience.

My sincere thanks to Mahaupasaka Charlie Chia for his continued help and support in organizing the event and liaising with various groups right from the beginning and for his wholehearted support for such a grand event. I also wish to express my deep appreciation and thanks to all of you for organizing my talks in KL, Penang, Kuching and Singapore. I greatly enjoyed meeting so many devoted Buddhists and in sharing some words of Dhamma with them. I am grateful for the opportunity given to me to present slides about Ladakh and the spiritual and humanitarian activities of MIMC. I do hope they are satisfied with my Dhamma talks and our missionary works.

Our staff and students were thrilled to watch the video films and the photographs so nicely prepared by Bro. Peter Tan (offical photographer) and Bro.Lim Teik Leong (official videographer) of the fund rising dinner program. They requested me to convey their heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all of you for the profound compassion, love, the time and the vigorous efforts you put in to organize such a grand and wonderful fund raising event.

We will be showing the film and the photographs to more of our members in our forthcoming yearly General Body meeting.

The unreserved wholehearted financial, moral and spiritual support extended by you all, is a great inspiration to me and my fellow staff to carry forward our mission and vision - to bring smile and beauty on the faces of less fortunate children, and confidence and dignity in the hearts of more underprivileged people and more specifically to the visually-impaired children, the differently abled people, the destitute elderly, the sick and the infirm, the deprived children from economically marginalized families of far flung villages and the novice Monks and Nuns.

I wish that all the people of the world draw inspiration from the devout Buddhists of Malaysia. If they could show concern to each other like the Malaysian Buddhists do, the world would be totally different, no one would be suffering from poverty, illiteracy and exploitation, and this very earth would become a heaven.

But, alas! This planet has become a battle field and human lives are in chaos, misery and fear. The root cause of all these misfortunes, as Lord Buddha said, is greed, hatred and ignorance. And no other religious teachers have explained as precisely and clearly as the Buddha, the ways and means to overcome these miseries and achieve ever lasting bless of Nibbana. We the Buddhists, particularly those who are blessed with all the necessary conditions to practice like the Malaysian Buddhists, are indeed most fortunate ones. Having realized this, let us redouble our efforts for our own further progress as well as to share with others who are deprived of this precious teaching of compassion and wisdom taught by our Lord Buddha.

The creation of Devachan campus would not have materialized without your continued patronage, good-will and generous support. Therefore our staff, students and members are sincerely striving to create a beautiful and harmonious space here at the Devachan campus; spiritually enlightening, mentally peaceful, culturally rich, environmentally harmonious and globally focused for all our supporters, sponsors and friends and for the benefit of all the lovers of peace and seekers of truth right across the world. We have been able to create a simple guest house called "The Mahabodhi Global Family Guesthouse" in the campus. We extend a humble invitation to all our supporters, sponsors and friends to come and visit Ladakh and to be our guests and friends here at the Devachan campus. You will then have an opportunity to see and experience directly what we have managed to achieve through your generous donations and support. Our team of staff, students and members will take immense pleasure and joy in serving you and in making your stay at Devachan truly memorable and meaningful.

Devachan belongs to all !! It is yours ! we are eagerly looking forward to the pleasure of welcoming you to Devachan! A great sage said, " This opportune physical form is worth more than a wish granting gem, you only gain it once. So hard to get, so easily destroyed!" Another sage said "No self deception could be worse, after obtaining such an opportunity, then not using it for virtuous end, nothing could be blinder".

It is indeed very fortunate that we have been able to cultivate such a gracious association with one another in this lifetime, and we are truly blessed with the opportunity to work together and offer some virtuous service. May our friendship, rooted in nobility, grow ever stronger! Pray:

May you all be healthy, happy and peaceful.
May all of us be blessed with the necessary conditions to continue our mission of creating peace in the hearts and smile on the faces of more and more people.
May all our words, actions and thoughts be a constant source of inspiration as we seek to dispel misery and ignorance far and wide until our very last breaths have been taken!
May the darkness of hatred and violence disappear from every heart, every house, every nation, every continent and every corner of the world!
May the light of pure love shine in every heart, every continent and every corner of the world!

Once again I, on behalf of all the staff, students and all the other residents of the Devachan campus, express my sincere thanks and gratitude to all of you for and the many opportunities I got in sharing my Dhamma talks at many different places. My heartfelt gratitude to all those who spared their valuable time and energy and so enthusiastically participated in the fundraising event.

May you be well and happy.

May the Buddhas and Boddhisattavas bless you and your family members.

Thank you so much.

With very kind regards and much metta.
In the Dharma,
Bhikkhu Sanghasena.

Congratulations! Ven. Sanghasena conferred Doctor of Philosophy by Master Hui Hai

It was truly a miraculous twist of event for Ven. Sanghasena, when he arrived at BGF from Singapore at night on 31st May 2009. What we thought was an informal reunion between two old friends, turns out to be a conferment ceremony of the honorary degree to Ven. Sanghasena by Master Hui Hai, Chancellor of the Darma Buddhist University (大马佛教大学 - 慧海法师) for his selfless humanitarian works. We can now address him as Dr. Bhante Sanghasena eh? It is indeed joy and happy moment for all the members, staff and students of MIMC and its supporters through out the world. Present were Datuk Dr. Victor Wee, Mr. Charlie, members of Buddhist Gem Fellowship, and honorable staff from Dharma Buddhist University, Malaysia.

Pictures from the Charity Dinner on 24 May 2009

Photographer > Peter Tan

Compassion In Action Dinner - Updates

A record number of 115 dinner table tickets sold!

Donation amount received RM90,000++ to date!

Sadhu for being part of this miracle... see you on Sunday, 24th May 2009 for the Dinner at Sunway Convention Centre! (Inside Sunway Pyramid)

Miracles begin in the mind. What began as an idea in the mind of Venerable Sanghasena has now become a miracle in Himalayan Ladakh. That idea which was mooted more than 25 years ago has today blossomed into reality, nurtured by sheer persistence and compassion by the monk who started it all.

Who would have thought that one monk could do all the work that would require the resources of a town council. He built residential schools for poor students, hospital and mobile clinic for the sick, monastery and nunnery for the training of monks and nuns, home for the aged and physically and mentally-challenged children, and started programmes for communal harmony, youth development, emergency relief and environmental preservation.

Welcome to Malaysia ~ Ven. Sanghasena ~ 16th May 2009

Venerable Sanghasena visit to Malaysia/Singapore :: 16th May - 1st June

Presenting a series of Dhamma sharing by Venerable Sanghasena >>

Sun 17 May, 9.00am > Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
Sun 17 May, 1.15pm > Subang Jaya Buddhist Association
Sun 17 May, 8.00pm > Mudita Buddhist Society, Klang
Mon 18 May, 8.00pm > Kinrara Metta Buddhist Society
Tue 19 May, 8.00pm > Sungai Long Buddhist Society
Wed 20 May, 8.00pm > Buddhist Maha Vihara, Brickfields
Thur 21 May, 8.00pm > Nalanda Buddhist Society, Serdang
Fri 22 May, 8.00pm > Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple, Sentul
Sat 23 May, 8.30pm > Buddhist Gem Fellowship
Sun 24 May, 9.00am > Shah Alam Buddhist Association
Sun 24 May, 7.00pm > "Compassion-In-Action" Dinner
Mon 25 May, 8.00pm > FGS-BLIA, SS3
Tue 26 May, 8.00pm > Mahindarama Temple, Penang
Wed 27 May, 8.00pm > Kuching Buddhist Society
Thur 28 May, 8.00pm > Kuching Dhamma Vihara
Sat 30 May, 8.00pm > Singapore Buddhist Library

Letter from Buddhist Gem Fellowship

DINNER “COMPASSION IN ACTION”

Dear Friends in the Dhamma,

Warm greetings from Buddhist Gem Fellowship and Malaysia Desk Ladakh. As the Chairman of the Joint Organising Committee of the above function, I would like to extend an invitation for you to join us for dinner with Venerable Sanghasena from MIMC Ladakh as follows:

Date/Time: Sunday 24 May 2009 at 7.00 p.m.
Venue: Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre (1&2)

The main objective of the Dinner is to raise funds to support the exemplary work undertaken by Venerable Sanghasena at the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre (MIMC) Ladakh. The venerable had worked tirelessly in live-transforming projects in Ladakh. The campus he established is a virtual oasis in the sparse arid landscape outside Leh, the capital of Ladakh. He built schools for underpriviledged children in several places in Ladakh, monastery and nunnery for the training of monks and nuns, home for the aged and visually impaired, hospital, vocational training for youths, meditation facilities for international practitioners, and many more. Young children from destitute families in isolated villages now have the opportunity of studying in MIMC’s top performing schools, and some of whom had graduated from university.

Be a part of this Compassion in Action and help to transform lives in the Himalayas. MIMC needs funds to complete some of the building projects as well as to operate the campus activities. By buying or helping to sell the tickets, you will help to contribute to the much needed funds for these projects and activities.

• You can purchase a few tickets/tables for your family members, friends and even your staff. As the date of the dinner has been set two weeks after Wesak, it would be a lovely way to practice generosity taught by the Buddha by supporting this worthy and meritorious cause. Tickets are priced at RM500, RM300 and RM200.
• You can opt to make some contribution if you are unable to attend the dinner.

For your convenience, we are enclosing a reply slip. We look forward to your generous support to enable the Buddha Dhamma to flourish. Should you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact -

• Doris Choong : 012-311 0294
• Elaine Low : 013-352 7662
• Dolly Teoh : 019-356 8879

Thank you. May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you and your family.

Yours sincerely,

Datuk Dr Victor Wee
President
Buddhist Gem Fellowship

COMPASSION IS OUR MINISTRY

He blazed a trail for others
Where there was no path to follow
A wilderness in the mountains
Becomes an Oasis of Love

Miracles begin in the mind. What began as an idea in the mind of Venerable Sanghasena has now become a miracle in Himalayan Ladakh. That idea which was mooted more than 25 years ago has today blossomed into reality, nurtured by sheer persistence and compassion by the monk who started it all.

Who would have thought that one monk could do all the work that would require the resources of a town council. He built residential schools for poor students, hospital and mobile clinic for the sick, monastery and nunnery for the training of monks and nuns, home for the aged and physically and mentally-challenged children, and started programmes for communal harmony, youth development, emergency relief and environmental preservation.

You, too, can be part of this miracle. You can help by giving your support in the form of donations or pledges.

For more information, visit www.mahabodhi-ladakh.blogspot.com

Date >> 24th May 2009 (Sunday)
Time >> 6.30pm
Venue >> Sunway Convention Centre
Theme >> Compassion in Action :: Transforming Lives in the Himalayas
Dinner tickets >>
Gold RM5,000 Silver RM3,000 (per table)
Get your tickets from -
Sis. Elaine Low +6013 352 7662
Sis. Angie Ng +6012 712 0210
Bro. Charlie Chia +6012 289 3887

Story of Dechen

DECHEN ANGMO
KUKSHOW (KARGIL DISTRICT)

Dechen Angmo came from Kukshow, one of the most backward and isolated villages in Kargil district of Ladakh. Half of the population is Buddhist and the other half is Muslim. To this day, Kukshow has no access roads or electricity. There is still much that needs to be done for the development of this area. There is only one government school, and education is given extremely low priority.

Dechen joined MIMC in the year 1992, at the tender age of 5 years old. She is among the 25 girls who make up the first batch of students in MIMC. She came from a very poor family, and in this remote region in Ladakh, girls are neglected and most end up staying in the house to do household chores. Her father was a farmer, while her mother takes care of the household. She has an elder brother who is married and has a family of his own, and a younger sister who is studying in the government school. In MIMC, Dechen was given the opportunity to learn different skills. She excelled in her studies, and was chosen as the most deserving child to pursue higher education. Through full sponsorship from MIMC, she studied and graduated from Bangalore University with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc). She studied Math, Physics, Computer Science, English and Hindi.

Dechen aspires to further her studies in Malaysia, and intends to make full use of her knowledge and skills to contribute to MIMC. She wants to use her capabilities to help MIMC to uplift the standards of education and give opportunity to more poor Ladakhi people a chance for education, social change, and development.