Dear friends,

It is a great happiness for us, the monks and nuns of Plum Village to be living in the European Institute of Applied Buddhism, in Waldbröl, Germany.

 

The aims of the Institute can be summarised as follows:

1. The EIAB is a charitable organization established to bring peace, harmony and stability into the family, the society and the world by the non-sectarian practice of Buddhist meditation and mindfulness in daily life.

2. Courses are offered to deal with the real suffering being experienced in the family and the society. They cover subjects such as bereavement, terminal illness, protection of the environment, business and meditation and any other subject that is relevant to the needs of people of our time.

3. The courses of the EIAB are open to all people of every creed or no creed at all. It is not the aim of the Institute to convert to the Buddhist practice or convince anyone of the superiority of Buddhism to other creeds. The Institute helps people to go back to their own religious and cultural roots by means of the practice of mindfulness.

4. The Institute has a special commitment to help the young people of Europe and the world to have roots in a spiritual dimension which will enable them to be more stable, happy and compassionate.

5. The Institute engages in interfaith dialogue both at a local, national and global level in order to develop a global ethic. From time to time interfaith retreats are organized at the Institute.

6. Teachers of meditation from the Institute are willing to come to schools and other institutions in order to share and demonstrate the practice of mindfulness in daily life as is relevant to the particular institution.

7. The main campus of the Institute is in Walbröl, Germany, but its courses can also be held at other campuses in the world. Groups who wish to come to the main campus from other countries of Europe and the world can also request to come for specific courses, as can individuals.

The monks and nuns who live here to look after the Institute and its guests are supported by alms. In the time of the Buddha the monks and nuns made an alms’ round every day to be in touch with the lay friends who lived near to the monastic practice centre. It was a chance for the monks and nuns to speak to the people and offer them spiritual ways of practice to deal with their suffering. The alms’ round included every house from the richest to the poorest. Whoever could offer food to the monks and nuns did so. In our own time we do not go into the town with our bowl to seek alms. Instead we are writing this letter to ask you to help support the cost of our daily expenses.  You may like to make an arrangement to give a certain amount every month. A contribution of 15 euros per month will support one monk or nun for five days of the month. Please contact us for a form to help you do this. Your donation is tax deductible.

We look forward to seeing you at the Institute and we welcome any enquiries at info@eiab.eu

A lotus for you, the Buddha to be,

The monks and nuns of EIAB

  Alms Round Letter