The renowned Buddhist leader and socially engaged monk Venerable Bhikkhu Sanghasena, founder and spiritual director of the non-profit Mahabodhi International Meditation Center (MIMC) in Ladakh, in India’s far north, led a Free Medical and Menstrual Hygiene Camp in Iggo Village of Ladak’s Leh District on 15 December.
The medical camp and health awareness program were organized by the MIMC’s Mahabodhi Karuna Charitable Hospital, in collaboration with 153 General Hospital. The camp provided specialized ophthalmology, general medicine, ENT, and surgery services to a total of 157 patients.
Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena founded the Mahabodhi International Meditation Center (MIMC) in Leh, the joint capital of Ladakh, in 1986. He has since become an exemplar of socially engaged Buddhism in the region, launching numerous humanitarian projects, events, and initiatives. His outreach work includes providing educational opportunities and refuge for underprivileged children, empowerment and literacy programs for women and other socially disadvantaged groups, healthcare for the sick and needy, and a care home for the aged and destitute. The MIMC’s expanding campus has evolved into a hub for a multitude of socio-cultural and community programs in the region.
He is also the founder of the Mahakaruna Foundation, the Save the Himalayas Foundation, and is an advisor to the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB).
With support from the Humanity Infinite Foundation, New Delhi, and led by its chairman and founder trustee Shri Prem Singh Dhingra, the Mahabodhi Karuna Charitable Hospital also conducted a Menstrual Hygiene Awareness Camp. Sanitary pads were distributed free to all female residents as part of the initiative, aimed at supporting women’s health and hygiene.
The founder and chairman of Mahabodhi Karuna Charitable Hospital, Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena announced that the program was committed to extending monthly sanitary pad distribution to all major villages across Ladakh.
Addressing the community, Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena, highlighted the significance of healthcare—especially women’s health and hygiene—and assured local residents that the Mahabodhi Karuna Charitable Hospital would continue its unwavering support for education and healthcare. Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena also expressed gratitude to Shri Prem Singh Dhingra for his support and for the collaboration of the Humanity Infinite Foundation.
“The Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre (MIMC) also distributed spectacles to those in need, and ensured that the beneficiaries received the care and attention that they required,” the MIMC said in an announcement shared with BDG.
Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena also expressed appreciation for the role of India’s military in Ladakh, particularly the efforts of personnel from 153 General Hospital. he thanked the commander and military doctors and paramedics for providing essential healthcare in Iggo Village over the harsh winter months, and urged the villagers to make full use of the services.
In addition to integrating spiritual development and human and animal welfare, Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena and the MIMC are also closely involved in peace-building and interfaith dialogue, environmental conservation, and in promoting Buddhist and Himalayan cultural heritage through national and international festivals. Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena has traveled extensively to participate international conferences, seminars, and workshops to promote spiritual and cultural values, environmental awareness, non-violence and world peace, and elevating the status of women in society—especially those from underprivileged communities.
In 2021, Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena led a team from the MIMC on a humanitarian relief mission to the border regions of Ladakh, offering material COVID-19 relief as well as much-needed emotional and spiritual counseling for local residents who were living in fear during the dual crises of the pandemic and the military-led border standoff between Indian and Chinese troops. The same team also led a peace campaign in the conflict zone, appealing to the two nations not to resort to violence, but to resolve the standoff through peaceful means.*
* Work, Walk, and Pray for Peace: Bhikkhu Sanghasena Undertakes Peace Pilgrimage in Ladakh (BDG) and Buddhist Monk Bhikkhu Sanghasena Urges Peaceful Resolution amid Sino-Indian Border Tensions (BDG)
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Mahabodhi International Meditation Center
Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre – MIMC (Facebook)
Bhikkhu Sanghasena
Bhikkhu Sanghasena (Facebook)
Mahakaruna Foundation
Save the Himalayas Foundation
International Network of Engaged Buddhists
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