Ariyagiri Vipassana Foundation

Ariyagiri Vipassana Foundation
Is A non-profit organization devoted solely to the dissemination of the Buddha’s Dhamma and charitable activities that help in the spread of Buddha-Dhamma around the globe and the alleviation of suffering everywhere.

Ariyagiri Vipassana Meditation Center is ran solely upon the generosity of lay people. Any monetary donations are warmly welcomed and will be used only towards the upkeep and growth of the Ariyagiri Vipassana Foundation for the benefit of all meditators.

I am Suman Jyoty Bhante, a 32 year old Buddhist monk from Mizoram, a small state in northeast India. I come from the Chakma community.
After becoming a monk in 2006 I stayed in a meditation center at Bangladesh learning Vipassana meditation under the tutelage of the renowned meditation teacher Ven. Tejabangsha Mahathera .
In 2008 I returned to Mizoram to stay in a monastery in the town of Demagiri. I travelled offering discourses and continued my personal practise of meditation during the next few years.
It was during this time that I began to form some of the observations that would shape my present plans. The Chakma ethnic group form a Buddhist community in Mizoram, and though many nurture great faith and devotion towards Buddhism, very few have had the opportunity to learn and practise meditation.
I noticed the acute suffering, materially and physiologically of ordinary people with whom I came to contact and I witnessed that there is an immense need or necessity for people to have the chance to make real and lasting contact with living dhamma and to learn how to apply it in their daily lives.
My Discourses managed to arose interest and enthusiasm in the hearers, but I felt sincerely that this was not enough. People require much more substantial knowledge and experience of Vipassana meditation, in order that their lives maybe truly transformed.
With all of this in mind, I began searching around Mizoram for a suitable place where it might be possible to found a meditation center wherein anybody would be welcome to come and learn Vipassana.
Finally I found a wonderful place about 18km far from Demagiri, Which I named Arjogiri Sugh. It comprises 16acres of land spread across lush jungle. It offers panoramic views of the beautiful surrounding mountainous terrain, and it's high altitude means that the climate remains always pleasant and cool; a perfect environment for meditation.
After this land was donated to me I moved here in 2017 and have remained here since that time, living in a small Kuti (hut) where I practise Vipassana in solitude.
I am building a meditation center that maybe available for the use of both the nearby community and indeed anyone else from far or wide who might desire to come and learn the dhamma.
Unfortunately though the local population graciously donated this land to me they are largely unable to contribute financially.
I feel more strongly than ever that the practical application of the Buddha's teaching, provides the best means of improving and uplifting the lives of individuals and the wider society life is often a struggle for many of the people of Mizoram, and we are afflicted by many difficulties and social problems particular to a poor, impoverished and predominantly uneducated locality.
Taking all of this into consideration I would like to make a heartfelt appeal for any monetary donation large or small which may go towards the founding and construction of a meditation center.

With Metta and Goodwill to all living beings.

Suman Jyoty Bhante