Madin Poya Program will be observed onSaturday, March 16th, 2024, from 7:30 am to 6:00 pmat the Georgia Buddhist Vihara.We invite you all to join the program.
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Sign up for the program
Madin Poya Program will be observed onSaturday, March 16th, 2024, from 7:30 am to 6:00 pmat the Georgia Buddhist Vihara.We invite you all to join the program.
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Dear Friends,
We wish you all a healthy, peaceful, and productive 2024. Please find the final report on our School Supplies Project that started last fall. Those items were distributed to two schools in Puttalam district on the 22nd of December, 2023. Please accept our deepest appreciation for your support. Although I am sure you do not expect a detailed report, we provide these details as our duty. Details are in different paragraphs below and have pages (Schools and donation details, images, receipts, etc) in order for you to select what you want to read. Again, a Big Thank You for your support.
School selection and support: I wanted to pick rural schools in SL. Dr. Manjula Dharmawardena said he knew a few schools in the Puttalam district while he was working there that were in dire need of school supplies even then. He also mentioned that his friend Dr. Ajith De Alwis is still working in the area. We found two schools, and the Deputy Principal of Mahakumbukkaduwela Kanishta Vidyalaya( Mr. Krishantha Dhammika, impressed me in our first meeting. He asked me to help him do a science project on the night sky. When I inquired him about his science background. He said He did one course in Astronomy at Univ of Peradeniya for his degree. To make a long story short, we (with Dr. Shameer Abdeen and Dr. Nalin Samarasinha) helped him organize a star night at the school (at very short notice), which was a success. We also picked the Punnavitiya Knahishta Vidyalaya again for the prompt responses from the principal and Mrs. Hasini Upamalika who was assigned as the teacher in charge for the project..
Supplies & Selection: We specifically asked for simple essential items that can be used by students for their day-to-day use in school and to start the school year with enough basic supplies. ( No school bags, lunch boxes, water bottles, etc.) These were selected in order to manage the packing volume and make sure we can distribute enough material to all the students equally. The support we received was commendable!.
We had 4 boxes full of material (totaling 24 Cubic Feet), which were shipped and distributed to two schools, two boxes each, distributed to the students on Dec 22nd, 2023, to start the new year with new books to write, pencils, and erasers, thanks to your generosity.
Best Regards,
Unil & Shrima Perera
Kumarasiri Rathnayaka
Manjula & Dasheema Dharmawardena
Bhante Panamwela Wajirabuddhi
School Supply donations for Two schools |
MahKumbukkadawala
Kanista Vidyalaya: (~200 students) Deputy Principal: Mr. Krishanatha:
Dhammika,
Two boxes ( six cubic feet each, labeled
M1, and M2) |
PU/Mahakubukkaadawala K.V., Maradankadawala, Madurankuliya,
Puttalam |
Box M1 |
Box M2 |
Composition
Books |
200 |
150 |
Spiral
Notebooks |
50 |
250 |
Pencils |
2450 |
1000 |
Erasers Grades 1- 2 |
150 |
200 |
Erasers (White, Pink, Pencil) |
350 |
250 |
Blue pens |
400 |
200 |
Black pens |
500 |
250 |
Punavitiya Kanishta Vidyalaya ( ~150 students): Mrs. Hasini
Upmalika 2 boxes, six cubic feet each, labeled as P1,
P2
Pu/
Punavitiya K.V., Punavitiya, Andigama |
Box P1 |
Box P 2 |
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Composition
Books |
60 |
100 |
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Spiral
Notebooks |
150 |
70 |
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Pencils |
1750 |
1200 |
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Erasers Grades 1- 2 |
25 |
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Erasers(white,Pink,
Pencil) |
250 |
185 |
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Blue pens |
200 |
232 |
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Black pens |
275 |
300 |
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Several devotees of the GBV helped sort and pack the boxes. Kumarasiri Rathnayaka was helpful in shipping the packages to SL, which were
cleared by Ven Kirinde Pangathisssa Nayaka Thero of the Padangaha Buddhist
Temple. The tireless efforts of Ven Welivitiya Sujeewa Thero should be commended, as he tried his best to get a tax exemption/reduction through the Buddhist Cultural Affairs ministry.
Puttalam District Hospital Physician Dr. Indika De Alwis graciously transported the material from the Padangaha Vihara to Puttalam. The parents picked up the boxes from the office and delivered them to schools. Dr. Indika participated in the distribution ceremony at both schools. Images of the packages and the distribution ceremony are also attached separately, Courtesy of Mr. Krishanatha Dhammika, Mrs. Hasini Upamalika, and Dr. Ajith De Alwis.
Two boxes each were ( six cu ft) shipped to the two schools:
M1 and M2 : Mahakumbukkkaduwela,P1 and P2 : Punnavitiya
( Only MI and M2 are shown)
Unpacking at the schools
Mahakumbukkaduwela Distribution Ceremony
Punnavitiya Distribution Ceremony:
Dear Devotees of Georgia Buddhist Vihara and Friends,
We would like to invite you for the Placing of the Sacred Pinnacle (Koth Wahanse) on Thursday, November 23rd, 2023, at 7:00 AM at the Georgia Buddhist Vihara Stupa/Pagoda.
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Dear Devotees of Georgia Buddhist Vihara and Friends,
-Namobuddhaya-
Atthi Dinnan: for those who believe in giving
Dear Devotees and Friends,
We were given a very rare and once in a lifetime opportunity to construct a Stupa or Pagoda in our Georgia Buddhist Vihara temple with blessings of the resident monks (maha sangha). The merits gained are enormous, in addition to the 18 benefits, by donating to such a noble project.
This project was initiated since 2015, when we finished our second Katina, and throughout 8 years we have donated over $80,000 in cash to initiate this project. In addition, the Kotha (Pinnacle) was built in Sri Lanka and brought over to the temple.
We were blessed to get the most difficult part of hiring the experts such as qualified architects, structural engineer and a site engineer to draw the plans and get it approved from city and county authorities in a very short time. We were fortunate enough to find a very reasonable contractor who agreed to complete the footing, foundation and inner walls, accessibility landings, and stage 1 & 2 of the Stupa/Pagoda with the funds provided.
Rejoice the merits of this project's progress through the following page.
To complete the rest of the project we need to raise another $60,000 as soon as possible. Therefore, we look forward to your kind participation, generosity and support.
You can also donate your effort through shramadana (gifts of labor) whenever you have time to contribute to the building of the stupa. Even moving one brick will produce enormous merits.
To complete the rest of the project we need to raise another $60,000 as soon as possible. Therefore, we look forward to your kind participation, generosity and support.
Tiles will be laid on the stupa's upper level (Salapathala Maluwa) by September 25th, 2023. Anyone who wishes to have their name engraved on a tile can donate before September 20th, 2023.
Please fill in the following form to sign up for contributions and donations made to GBV Stupa/Pagoda Fund. Donations can be made by:
With the blessings of this enormous meritorious deed, may you attain the ultimate bliss of awakening as you wish!
1. Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts suffering follows him like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox.
2. Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow.