The Venerable Dr. Bodagama Chandima Thero participated in the recent events at Buddhist Town explaining the type of Dharma Center he planned on building at Buddhist Town and the Stupa he would build there. He also conducted a Blessing Ceremony for the Bodhi Tree that we had installed at out Holy Vajrasana Temple and Retreat Center in central California. He has also visited the king of Bhutan and will be going back there this fall as a guest of the king.
Ven. Chandima founded and is currently the Vice Chancellor of the Nagananda International Institute for Buddhist Studies (NIIBS) shown below. NIIBS is a degree awarding institute, recognized by the govenment of Sri Lanka. The mission of NIIBS is “. . . the discovery, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge rooted in Buddhist principles of compassion and wisdom. Nagananda International Institute of Buddhist Studies will foster lifelong learning, critical thinking , and personal accomplishments and partner with communities spanning the globe in furthering human endeavors that serve all manking in the fields of health, culture, and social well-being.” NIIBS offers under-graduate degrees and certificates in Buddhist Studies, humanities and social sciences, and information technology as well an masters and doctorate degrees in Ayurvedic medicine, counseling, and Buddhist Studies. The profound vision of NIIBS is “to provide leadership necessary for creating an enlightened world full of peace and unity by disseminating the philosophical and ethical teachings as well as the noble exemplary character of Buddhism.
The first photo with the gold colored roof buildings show the administrative offices, lecture and examination halls, libraries, and research facilities as well as a large auditorium. You can also see part of the 1,000 Buddha Statue Building in the center of the right with the other side on the left of the next photo.This second photo below that also includes the various hostels, dining halls, a large outdoor theater and the like. The large grey roof building on the green terraces is the Viharaya–the temple and residence for the monks.
There is also a Bhutanese center at NIIBS being built there by the king of Bhutan as shown below next to the lake and below the 1,000 Buddha Statue Building with the giant gold Buddha on top.
The Bodagama Chandima Nahimi Foundation provides scholarships to both Buddhist women and bhikkhus (monks).
Ven. Bodagama Chandima has authored numerous Buddhist texts and published them in various languages including English, Chinese, Tamil, and French and distributed them around the world.
In addition to his academic accomplishments, Ven. Chandima has built housing, provided medical assistance and financial aid to those in need and impacted by natural disasters including those affected by the earthquake in Myammar and tsunamis in Taiwan.
Ven. Chandima told me that when he met our Buddha Master several years ago, His Holiness told him that he should and could go forth and spread the correct Dharma of all the vehicles–Theravada, Mahayana, and Tantric Vajrayana and help many living beings and that is what he is doing. Like what our Buddha Master has said many times that all the traditions–the tri-yanas–are needed to meet the needs of the different karmic conditions of living beings. May we all work together to accomplish this goal.
CLICK for link to article on planned fall 2025 trip to Bhutan.
CLICK for Bodhi Tree Blessing Ceremony conducted by Ven. Chandima at the Holy Vajrasana Temple, June 5, 2025.
CLICK for event at Holy Heavenly Lake, Buddhist Town in Hesperia, California, June 3-4, 2025.
CLICK for video of Ven. Chandima and others at Holy Dharma Assembly celebrating the Holy Birthday of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, May 30-31, 2025.
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