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 organized a free medical camp at the MIMC’s Mahabodhi Karuna Charitable Hospital.
The medical camp was organized in cooperation with the 153 GH Army General Hospital on 14 July.
“The camp offered free consultations and medications, catering to various medical needs,” the MIMC shared with BDG. “Specialists available at the camp held at the Mahabodhi Karuna Charitable Hospital, Devachan Campus, included a diabetologist, a gynecologist, an ENT specialist, an ophthalmologist, a radiologist, a pain-management specialist, a surgery specialist, and a dental surgeon.”
Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena founded the Mahabodhi International Meditation Center 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 an advisor to the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB).
Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena was on hand during the clinic to welcoming the medical practitioners and hundreds of patients who had come to receive medical attention: “Welcome to the Mahabodhi Karuna Charitable Hospital. Your health is our wealth, your vision is our mission, your happiness is our happiness!”
Medical professionals from the 153 GH Army General Hospital, who volunteered their time and expertise were: Lt. Col. Ankit, medical specialist; Maj. Ajay Yadav, surgeon specialist; Maj. Sagar Arora, radiologist; Maj. Parul, ENT surgeon; Capt. Sujata, eye specialist; Capt. Rashi, medical officer; Dr. Pravin Kalvit, diabetologist; Dr. Shubada Kalvit, gynaecologist and fertility specialist; Dr. Pradyna Kutte, gynaecologist; Dr. Sahithi Bellala, dental surgeon; and Dr. Shalini Kulkarni, medical officer.
“Many senior nurses also participated, ensuring the smooth running of the camp and providing compassionate care to all attendees,” the MIMC added.
Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena expressed his profound appreciation to all the doctors, nurses, and medical staff of the Army Hospital for their kind support and collaboration. “A hospital with karuna [Skt. compassion] becomes a temple of the Buddha; a doctor with compassion becomes a Medicine Buddha,” he said. “There can be no greater service to mankind than reducing and relieving them from diseases and suffering.”
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
Umandawa Global Buddhist Village
International Network of Engaged Buddhists
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