Mission Goal: to spread the teaching of the Buddha to help people overcome suffering, live empowered and fulfilling lives, and contribute to a humane and harmonious society.
Millions of people have become open to Buddhism because of Dr. Ambedkar, but there are very few teachers to help them. Many of the Nagarjuna Institute students do what they can to share the Dhamma in their towns and villages but they are doing this with little guidance and planning. The Ashokadoot Programme aims to remedy this by developing confident, sustainable Buddhist communities all over India, each with core members who are committed to systematic Dhamma practice, help make the Dhamma available to others, and respond to social deprivation.
Activities:
- Classes: Weekly classes for 2 hours each
- Retreats: Day Retreats lasting from 10am to 5pm, will be held once every two months at least. Weekend retreats will be held every three or four months, instead of the day retreat for that month. The retreats will enable participants to concentrate more on meditation and study.
- Celebration of Festivals: The three main Buddhist festival days, Buddha Jayanti, Dharmachakra Pravartana Day, and Sangha Day (Kartik Purnima), will be celebrated. These will be open to the wider community.
- Conducting Ceremonies: The alumni clusters will conduct ceremonies for birth, marriage, house opening, death, and will train the local community in leading them. The ceremonies are laid out in the Vandana Sutta Sangha, developed by us.
- Attention: Special attention will be given to making sure local women are involved fully and emphasising the spirit of gender equality of Buddhism. Women will be encouraged to lead classes, rituals and festivals on an equal basis to the men.
- Visits: Visits to local Buddhist remains will be organised to give the community a sense of the Buddhist heritage in India.
- Meet: Each cluster will meet weekly to assess and plan their classes, to discuss any difficulties and share any insights/positives.
- Meeting places in each locality. The classes will take place in a community hall, or someone’s room, or other suitable place, until such a time as a community centre can be established by the local Buddhist group.