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, recently launched a menstrual hygiene initiative, beginning with a free health camp at Gya Village in Leh District.
The menstrual hygiene camp was organized on 18 September by the MIMC’s Mahabodhi Karuna Charitable Hospital (MKCH), with support from the Humanity Infinite Foundation, New Delhi. Hygiene information and sanitary pads were provided free to all female residents.
“This initiative, with a commitment to monthly distributions, will be extended to all major villages across Ladakh,” the MIMC said in an announcement shared with BDG.
Addressing the Gya community, Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena emphasized the importance of healthcare and women’s health and hygiene, and assured the residents that the MKCH would continue to provide education and healthcare support. He also expressed gratitude to founding trustee Shri Prem Singh Dhingra of the Humanity Infinite Foundation, New Delhi for supporting the clinic.
During the health camp, Mahabodhi Karuna Charitable Hospital director Dr. Yangchan Dolma and administrator Shri Aman Ullah highlighted the critical need to raise awareness around women’s health.
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).
The team then visited Gya’s government high school to distribute essential toiletries and stationery to the students. The school’s head teacher, Sh. Jigmet, welcomed and thanked Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena and the MKCH team on behalf of the students and teachers for conducting the free clinic.
Adolescent health counsellor Mosna Aslam spoke in detail about menstrual hygiene and introduced a toll-free government number that students can call to receive free counseling.
Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena then invited the staff and students to visit the MIMC for an educational exchange program.
“Without education, even a robust person is handicapped, but with education, even a handicapped person is no longer handicapped,” he observed. “Together with the villagers and local communities, we continue our mission to uplift and empower people through education and healthcare.”
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)
See more
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
Related news reports from BDG
Engaged Buddhism: Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena Organizes Free Medical Camp in Ladakh
Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena Leads Week-long Vesak Celebration in Ladakh
Environmental Activist and “Ice Stupa” Innovator Sonam Wangchuk in Third Week of Climate Fast in Ladakh
Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena Attends Inauguration of New Buddhist Temple in Sri Lanka
Engaged Buddhism: Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena Leads Mahakaruna Diwas 2024 with a Call for Global Compassion
Related features from BDG
Are You Searching for Buddha or God?
Sacred Offerings of Compassion and Relief: Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena, the Silent Reformer
