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    https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=56QZSU8VYV484Dear Devotees and Friends, It has taken nearly a year for conditions to be right, and now at last we are moving ahead with purchasing the house. The Charlotte Buddhist Vihara seeks to establish a stable refuge for bhikkhunis that is owned by an organization specifically for supporting the bhikkhuni order. After renting the east Charlotte property on Stonehaven Drive for years, the opportunity arose to purchase it, with a generous offer from George Lwin, the homeowner and landlord.And now we are asking you for your generosity and support in raising funds to purchase the Stonehaven property.The work of the Vihara is unique and has value.Ayya Sudhamma offers a blend of traditional training with Western upbringing, informed by personal wisdom gained through hardships - all from the female perspective that remains a tiny minority among Theravada monastics.She's "part of a small flock of very rare birds," as one friend put it.Women from all over the USA and occasionally from other countries contact Ayya Sudhamma to confide troubles that they feel hesitant to share with male monks. Many men feel drawn to a female spiritual teacher, and these being in short supply, they feel grateful to find Ayya Sudhamma. Despite their unique offerings, housing insecurity greatly troubles Theravadan female monastics such as Ayya Sudhamma, leaving them few places in the world to take refuge.Male monastics can feel at home in almost any of the many Theravadan monasteries around the world - 40,000 monasteries in Thailand alone.Generations of monks passed down properties to today's male Sangha, allowing men to go forth into relative security, assured that their basic needs will be met.Women go forth into unknown hardships.The Charlotte Buddhist Vihara in its efforts to purchase the property at Stonehaven Drive seeks to improve the infrastructure problem that bhikkhunis face. Only 25 years have passed since the revival of the Theravada bhikkhuni order; much work has yet to be done to create infrastructure that supports the lives of women in robes. "The root of a tree" ideal of the homeless life serves male monks only in amenable weather (the Buddha required them to take shelter during the Vassa monsoon season), and doesn't work at all for female monks whom the Buddha required to live in proper housing for safety. Mr. George Lwin, the homeowner, isn't asking for the current high estimated value of the Vihara property but only what he himself paid. Hence we need only a total of $125,000 plus closing costs, to make the purchase complete. We have raised a modest down payment, but the more paid now, the less interest comes due on a loan each month.Any donation will be welcome. For $108 you can donate approximately one square foot of the Vihara property. Once secured, we can consider how the Vihara may serve to host bhikkhunis from around the world. Rarely are enough bhikkhunis together on the east coast of the USA to be able to perform the ancient rituals prescribed by the Buddha, but once this Vihara is firmly established through ownership of the house, space can eventually be created for this to happen.The Buddha said: “Giving food you give strength.Giving clothes you give beauty.Giving a vehicle you give happiness.Giving a lamp you give vision. "And the giver of allis the one who gives a residence.But a person who teaches the Dhammagives the gift of the Deathless.”https://suttacentral.net/sn1.42Monks such as Ayya Sudhamma and her companion Ayya Saddha work without pay; laity take care of monks' material needs, thereby earning great kamma, and allowing monks time & space to fathom and freely share with laity the Dhamma. This relationship has worked for 2600 years.The Board of Directors, Charlotte Buddhist ViharaLet's keep it going.Donate at this link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=56QZSU8VYV484 ... See MoreSee Less

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    © 2022 Charlotte Buddhist Vihara. A community-supported monastic residence in Theravada Buddhism. Charlotte, NC