MBSI, Sarnath Centre

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Link details for participation in the Global Dhammachakka Day Seminar, organised by Maha Bodhi Society of India to be held on Saturday, 24th July, 2021 at 3.00 pm –

Participants should download Zoom Cloud Meetings from the Play Store / App store.

2) The link for participation in the meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81146531054

3) After clicking the link, a screen will appear and click on Join Meeting using zoom application.

4) For any technical difficulty, please contact Mr. Sarbajit Raha at 7980956514.

Aims & Objectives of the Centre

The Maha Bodhi Society of India (MBSI), founded in 1891, has completed 129^thyear on May 31^st, 2020. The MBSI has played an important role in the preparation of the second generation of Indian Buddhist scholars. In the first generation of prominent Indian Buddhist scholars from Calcutta were Rajendralal Mitra, Hara Prasad Shastri, Sarat Chandra Das and Satish Chandra Vidyabhushan. From Maharashtra, R. G. Bhandarkar had included Buddhism among his Indological Studies. In the second generation of Indian Buddhist scholars, Rahul Sankrityayan and Bhadant Anand Kausalayayan were sent to England in 1932 under the aegis of MBSI, Sarnath to teach Buddhism to the Europeans. They stayed there for twenty months. Rahul ji met with Bhikkhu Jagadish Kassapa in 1933 and he guided him in the translation of Dīghanikāya and other texts in Hindi. Translation of Dīghanikāyain Hindi was published by MBSI, Sarnath. He also translated Abhidhammatthasaṅgaho in English as The Abhidhamma Philosophy or The Psycho-Ethcal Philosophy of Early Buddhism, which was published by the International Buddhist Institute, Maha Bodhi Society of India, Sarnath. He also became first Principal of Maha Bodhi Inter College, Sarnath and continued the teaching of Pali there. Venerable Acharya D. Sasanasiri was appointed as the Principal of the Institute in 1930 and he became Lecturer of Pali in the Mahabodhi College, Sarnath later on. He also assisted in the editing of the Pali Abhidhamma texts, published by the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda in the fifties under the Directorship of Bhikkhu Jagadish Kassapa. Rahul ji also translated Vinaya Piṭakain Hindi, which was also published by MBSI, Sarnath. Another scholar form Pune was Dharmanand Koshambi, who played a great role in the revival of Buddhism. He taught Pali at University of Calcutta and later joined University of Bombay and Fergussan College, Pune to establish the Pali subject. He also came to Sarnath and composed a Pali text Abhidhammatthasaṅgahowith Navanitaṭīkā, which was published by MBSI, Sarnath. He prepared a band of Pali scholars among them P. V. Bapat and C. V. Joshi were prominent. The International Buddhist Institute, which was established in Sarnath in 1930 by MBSI, continued for more than twenty-five years and contributed in the publication of more than forty Pali and Buddhist texts, edited and translated by Indian scholars.

Conferences and Other Activities

Pali is the name given to the language of the texts of the Theravada Buddhism. It has always remained a language of the scholars of Buddhist countries of South-east Asia. It was influenced by commentators and grammarians and by the native languages of the countries in which Theravada Buddhism was established over many centuries. It has become cultural link between India and South-east Asian countries. It preserves the original teachings of the Buddha. It contains in the form of various Jatakas, Avadana tales, commentaries, Vamsa etc. and it became a repository of Indian culture and heritage as well as philosophical and religious traditions.

Study of Pali language and literature will definitely make a better understanding of religious, philosophical, literary and aesthetic traditions that have enriched world culture. The Official Language Commission constituted by the Government of India in 1955 had emphasized the need to encourage the Studies of Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit and Apabhramsa languages, accepting the linkage between these and Indian vernaculars. Ministry of Human resource Development, Government of India has taken special efforts for promotion of the study of Pali language and literature.

Maha Bodhi Society of India, Sarnath, Varanasi has taken great interest in planning and organizing the events of celebrations of Maha Bodhi Society of India. With a view to promote the study of Pali language and its literature comprising the great ideals of Buddha and to celebrate the 150^thBirth Anniversary of Anagarika Dharmapala, MBSI, Sarnath organized First National Conference on Pali: Retrospect and Prospects from September 16-17, 2014 at the Bodhi tree of Mulagandhakutivihara, Sarnath, Varanasi, which provides a suitable place for deliberations and discussions for spiritual and academic upliftment. The main objective of this conference was to bring the scholars of Pali at one platform to exchange their ideas and share their new researches in the discipline of Pali & Buddhism. In this conference various aspects related with Pali language and literature in general and Theravada Buddhism were discussed. Ten senior scholars of Pali and Buddhist Studies were conferred Bodhisattva Anagarika Dharmapala Samman for their contribution in the field of Pali and Buddhist Studies. It was resolved in the end of the conference that this conference on Pali be made an annual feature of the activities of the Maha Bodhi Society of India, Sarnath to commemorate the birth anniversary of Anagarika Dharmapala and this conference be named as International Conference on Pali & Buddhism. Further, it was resolved that this International Conference be held on the occasion of anniversary celebration of Mulagandhakutivihara, Sarnath every year. The Second International Conference on Pali & Buddhism was organized from November 10-11, 2015 in which more than thirty scholars presented their papers. Third International Conference on Pali and Buddhism was held at the sacred place of Bodhi tree of Mulagandhakuti Vihara, Sarnath, Varanasi on November 11-12, 2016. Fourth International Conference on Pali and Buddhism was also organized at the sacred place of Bodhi tree of Mulagandhakuti Vihara, Sarnath, Varanasi from October 30 to November 1, 2017.With the same spirit and enthusiasm, Fifth and Sixth International Conference on Pali & Buddhism was organized in 2018 and 2019. Due to Covid-19, this Seventh International Conference on Pali & Buddhism is going to be organized virtually on the main theme of Traditional Buddhist Wisdom: Challenges to Modernityfrom November 01-02, 2020. About twenty-five scholars from India and abroad are presenting their research papers in this virtual meet.