enerable Bhikkhu Sanghasena was born in the remote Himalayan region of Ladakh, in the Northwest of India, high on the Tibetan plateau. He was brought up within a deeply religious family, amongst people who followed the ancient Buddhist traditions and believed in peacefulness, humility and innocence as the natural way of life. At the age of seventeen he joined the Indian Army, where he developed a strong sense of personal discipline and responsibility.
Year 1977 was a particularly significant year in his life, for this is when he felt the inner spiritual call and decided to leave the army. He left the mountains of Ladakh far behind and became a committed disciple of the renowned Buddhist scholar and celebrated monk, Venerable Acharya Buddharakkhita Mahathera, the abbot of the Mahabodhi Society Vihara, Bangalore, South India. Having received full ordination, Ven. Sanghasena undertook enthusiastic studies of the Dhamma and practiced various methods of Buddhist meditation.
In 1986, Venerable Bhikkhu Sanghasena, returned to Ladakh and founded the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre (MIMC) in Ladakh which is the first and only Theravada Buddhist monastery and institution in the entire western Himalayas. Since then he has worked tirelessly and selflessly to put the Buddha's teachings of loving kindness and compassion into action through multifarious charitable humanitarian services which are being carried out from moon- like desert sprawled over 250 acres that forms the impressive backdrop to the Devachan Campus at Choglamsar, Ladakh.
For the past many years, he has also worked day and night to provide:
- High quality education and safe shelter for underprivileged children
- Compassionate healthcare for the sick and the needy
- Empowerment and literacy programmes for women and other socially disadvantaged groups
- A caring home for the aged and destitute, and many other humanitarian services
- And many other humanitarian services
Today, MIMC's 250 acre campus which is known as Devachan Campus (abode of the divine) has grown to become a vibrant hub for the delivery of multifarious humanitarian and spiritual service programs, both within Ladakh and beyond.
Thousands of students and elders benefit and prosper from the facilities provided under M1MC's umbrella. At present, the Mahabodhi Residential School, Leh has about 500 children under its care with 300 more at its branches at Bhodkharbu, Tingmosgang and Ney. With a good student ratio with trained teachers, the schools are reputed for providing excellent academic education. As a result, the number of new admission increases every year. The school also takes care of 10 visually impaired student with utmost care according to their needs. The hostels have all the basic amenities needed to create a conducive study environment. Other activities at the schools engage the students to participate in other life skills programs. MIMC also supports hundreds of students pursuing their higher studies in Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and others cities in India. The old age home has more than 30 homeless elders, whose needs are taken care of. Various spiritual programs have been conducted since the inception and thousands of seekers of truth and lover of peace around world has been benefiting by this noble program.
With a strong desire to keep adding to the unique and inspiring appeal of the Devachan campus, Bhikkhu Sanghasena has, for the past few years, been working on an ambitious plan to create a "Buddha Park for World Peace", which is located at the very heart centre of the Devachan community. In fact, the foundation stone for this historic park was laid by His Excellency, the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, on 21 August 2017. The Buddha Park, envisioned as a symbol of world peace, holds immense significance in today's turbulent times. Spread across 10 acres within the MIMC campus, the park is thoughtfully designed to host a variety of spiritual and cultural programs, offering purpose-built facilities to cater to the unique needs of genuine seekers of truth and lovers of peace. At the very heart of the park stands a beautiful and serene statue of Lord Buddha, radiating an aura of peace and tranquility. One of the park's most awe-inspiring features is the magnificent “City of a Thousand Buddhas,” which comprises 1,000 life-sized statues of Lord Buddha, symbolizing unity and collective harmony. In addition to this centerpiece, the park is adorned with several other notable statues, including a 40-foot Sri Lankan Samadhi-style Buddha statue, a 15-foot sitting statue of Ven. Acharya Buddharakkhita— the revered teacher of Bhikkhu Sanghasena, a 20-foot standing statue of the Most Venerable Anagarika Dharmapala, and the reinstallation of a statue of Lord Buddha flanked by His two Chief Disciples, alongside Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Together, these sculptures create a profound space dedicated to promoting peace, wisdom, and spiritual awakening, making the park a beacon of hope and a sanctuary for all who visit.
Ven. Sanghasena has travelled extensively around the world and participated in many international conferences, seminars and workshops. He urges everyone to promote spiritual and cultural values of co-existence through literacy, environmental protection, non-violence, inter-religious harmony, and world peace to foster a global family. He actively supports the elevation of the status of women, poverty stricken and underserved people. Furthermore, he also raises his voice against issues concerning the whole world like destructive armaments, destruction of the environment and ecology, human injustice, consumerism, economic imbalance and racism.
Bhikkhu Sanghasena strongly proposes and advocates the creation of a global family as last solution to the serious crisis faced by the current world. He is actively working with several other leading national and international organizations, which are committed to the developmental works towards a safer, peaceful, and integrated world.
Dr. Vandana Shukla, renowned journalist from Chandigarh, India have written his biography titled “A Monk Postpones Nirvana” in the year 2017. That same year, a documentary on his life was also produced titled “SANGHASENA-A silent reformer”.
Venerable Bhikkhu Sanghasena has distinguished himself as both a charismatic and highly energetic social and spiritual worker over the years. Today, he is an internationally well recognized and respected Buddhist leader.