On 1 September 2021, at the invitation of the monks and nuns of the Sangha Onlus Association, a meeting was held with Tenzin Osel Hita on the hill of the Monastery.
The theme of the meeting was “Dharma and environmental awareness: how to grow a community. Or how to develop the nucleus of the monastic community as a possible seed for an eco-community, combining respect for Buddhist principles with environmental awareness ”.
The importance of having a monastic community
Osel, after thanking for the invitation, expressed his satisfaction with the place where the monastery will be built and was very happy to see that at this meeting, organized mainly for the monastic community, there were also many lay practitioners from other regions and from abroad.
He talked about how important it is to have a monastic community that keeps its vows in a place suitable for this purpose which thus fosters the development and preservation of Buddha's teachings. The lay and monastic communities are mutually supportive. The laity have less time to devote to formal practice, as they are more involved with having to support the family and therefore go to work and carry out all those activities that serve to support it.
While the monastic community has more time to devote to study, teaching and formal practice. As representatives of the Buddha's teachings, the Sangha is of great support to the lay community who can find in the nuns and monks people who can help them cope better with daily life. It is very important that there is harmony between people and in particular in the monastic community in order to be truly promoters of peace.
Project eco-friendly ed ego-free,
Furthermore, Osel expressed his satisfaction in knowing that the monastery will be built entirely following a path of eco-sustainability, thus ensuring a low environmental impact, energy and resource savings. Jokingly he said the place must be eco-friendly ed ego-free, or friend of the environment and ecology but free from the chains of the ego.
It is essential to try to free yourself from the constant obsession with your own self-interest and instead try to have the well-being of others at heart.
-----
📽 Watch the full video of the meeting on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/3xOvcMZ9fyc