Benefits of the Nagarjuna Training Institute (NTI) courses

> The students come from some of the most deprived and oppressed situations in India, often with a feeling of no hope whatsoever. After a year of Dhamma practice most feel completely transformed, with a new vision of life, and the Dhamma tools to work on it.

> The confidence in the Dhamma and Dr. Ambedkar’s great vision they develop during the year gives them energy to share what they have learnt with many others in their villages and towns.

> The different Scheduled caste communities in India do not usually cooperate with each other, even after they have become Buddhists. At the Nagarjuna Institute they relate to each other just as Buddhists and not in terms of the caste they have come from. This in itself is an enormous contribution to a truly democratic society. The intensive practice for a year with other Buddhists from all over India means they cease to identify with the old untouchable caste but just as Buddhists.

> The ex-students make up a network covering over 19 states in India. This is the basis for organising local activities, retreats and lecture tours, making a very significant contribution to the development of Buddhism in these States.

> Many have started social projects. A group of the first students started two hostels in Tamil Nadu for children who suffered from the Tsunami.

NTI development

•  452 students trained from 20 states.

•  46 Scheduled Castes (SC) covered in training (SC is the official name of the people treated as the untouchables by the Hindu caste system).

•  NTI hosted INEB 2005 conference. HH Dalai Lama participated in this conference along with 120 delegates all over the world. INEB conference held in Nagaloka in 2005 brought attention of the Engaged Buddhists to the Engaged Buddhist movement in India started by Dr. Ambedkar. Most of the students of 2005-2006 batch interacted with people all over the world through this conference. The commitment to practice and signs of change inspired people all over the world. 

•  An international conference on ‘Dr. Ambedkar and Developments in the Modern Buddhist world’ was held in 2006 at Nagaloka to celebrate 2550th anniversary of Buddhism and 50th anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar’s coversion to Buddhism.

•    Hundreds of Buddhists from Taiwan, South Korea, England, America, Japan etc visited NTI including HH Dalai Lama, Ven. Ponyum Sunim, Ven. Thich Nhat Hahn and Sulak Sivakasa.

  

Sr. No

Name of State

Trainees Admitted Batch wise

TOTAL

Trainees participating in active Dhamma work

Communities/ castes

 

 

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

 

 

 

1

Andhra Pradesh

3

14

20

5

2

1

1

46

12

4

2

Arunachal Pradesh

 

 

 

 

 

1

2

3

1

1

3

Bihar

 

 

2

1

6

2

1

12

5

4

4

Chhatisgarh

2

 

2

 

2

5

7

18

8

3

5

Goa

 

2

1

 

1

 

 

4

3

1

6

Gujarat

 

1

3

1

1

3

1

10

2

2

7

Haryana

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

2

 

1

8

Karnataka

 

 

2

1

3

3

9

18

5

4

9

Kerala

6

6

12

3

3

1

10

41

9

2

10

Madhya Pradesh

2

 

 

1

1

1

1

6

 

1

11

Maharashtra

34

53

35

6

10

3

2

143

49

4

12

Mizoram

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

1

 

1

13

Orissa

 

 

1

9

9

3

11

33

11

5

14.

Punjab

 

 

 

2

2

1

 

5

1

1

15

Pondicherry

 

 

 

2

 

 

1

3

2

1

16

Rajasthan

 

 

 

1

 

7

4

12

5

2

17

Tamil Nadu

 

2

3

15

8

9

9

46

10

3

18

Tripura

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

1

1

19

Uttar Pradesh

 

2

18

7

8

3

9

47

12

4

20

Uttaranchal

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

1

 

 

47

80

100

54

56

45

70

452

136

 

Trainees were recruited from 45 castes in 20 states