|
Bodhisukha School
|
Buddhist Relief Mission has been supporting Young Buddhist Student Literacy Mission for more than six years, but we had not met any of the monks until March of 2001, when, traveling from Sri Lanka and Bangalore, we visited the Burmese temple outside Calcutta. Ven. Nandobatha reported on the Mark Decker Scholarship Fund and gave us a tour of the monastery, set in lovely green surroundings, seemingly far from the chaos of the "City of Joy."
As we relaxed in the garden, he and Ven. Chow Nanda introduced their dream of creating a school for some of the poorest children of Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh, two of the most impoverished areas in India, near the monks' native Arakan. With no possibility of education at home, these boys could never improve themselves or help their people. The monks wanted to turn part of their spacious monastery compound into a boarding school, but they needed our assistance. Listening to their well-thought out project, we decided it would be an appropriate use for Mother's last donation to Buddhist Relief Mission. She had approved of and supported the scholarship bearing her son's name. She had enjoyed Ven. Nandobatha's gentle and thoughtful letters which we always shared with her. We were confident that the school would be a worthy tribute to her memory.
|
Opening ceremony, April 2001
|
|
The land was big enough for classrooms, and there was already a building that could be adapted for the students’ dormitory. We immediately pledged our support, and the monks began planning in earnest. They first enlisted the aid of a discerning lady educator with an abiding affection for Burma. She had been born and educated there before being forced out of the country by Gen. Ne Win. She still spoke fluent Burmese as well as Bengali and Hindi, and she knew how to organize a school. She oversaw the hiring of qualified teachers, and the monks began recruiting students.
Back in the States, we were pleased to read about the boys whom the monks had brought back from the Eastern provinces. The photos of the opening ceremony were great. We worried when we learned that one of the boys from Tripura was ill and that a doctor feared leukemia. Fortunately, it was merely anaemia from severe malnutrition, and he completely recovered. We rejoiced that the boys were putting on weight, overcoming their homesickness, progressing in their studies, and becoming friends.
|
In January, after our pilgrimage to the Holy Sites, we visited the school. It was wonderful to find the students mastering their lessons, enjoying their games, and learning Buddhist principles. We met the headmistress and teachers and observed all the classes. Buddhist Relief Mission will continue to support the school until it can become self-sufficient. Ven. Nandobatha expects this to take another two years. For the new school year, they hoping to recruit a few local children as fee-paying students.
This being the twenty-first century, we recognized the need for a computer for the children's studies. We had not needed to use the cash we had carried for emergencies, so, as our parting gift, we offered that for the computer.
|
All students and faculty with Ken and Visakha in front of the pagoda at the monastery in Calcutta.
|
| Mother would have been pleased. In far away West Bengal at the Bodhisukha School, her donation is already making a significant difference in the lives of these bright and promising young boys. |
|
|
