Successful fundraiser for the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Institute
A weekend retreat was held in February at Sudarshanaloka for the ITBCI
A nourishing weekend retreat was held in February at Sudarshanaloka to raise money for the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Institute (ITBCI) School in Kalimpong India. This was organised for the second year in a row by Tomoko Bruce - a Triratna mitra residing in Thames. The participants were fully nourished by yoga, meditation, art activities, music, movement and Japanese cuisine. Due to a fantastic effort by all involved the event raised a total of $1460 which has been sent to the ITBCI and will be used for maintenance projects there.
The ITBCI School was started in 1954 by the late Dhardo Rimpoche (1918-90). He wanted to provide a sound education for children from poor Tibetan families, as well as passing on Tibetan culture and Buddhist values to the young people. Dhardo Rimpoche was one of Sangharakshita’s (founder of Triratna Buddhist Order) main teachers and they established a close friendship. The school relies on donations from in and out of India for it to continue. Tomoko has been collecting and sending money to the school from NZ for the last seven years to help support Dhardo Rimpoche's vision.
After receiving wonderful feedback from the last two retreats Tomoko is intending to make these an annual summer event. You can keep an eye out for the next one by visiting Sudarshanaloka's website.
Karuna Trust, the principal donor of the ITBCI, has been funding the school since 1986. You can find out more about the fine work they do throughout India and Nepal here.