Bodhisattva Retreats - Bodhi Tree Educational Foundation

The Bodhi Sattva Retreat is designed to enable participants from around the world to cultivate compassion through action, not merely thoughts.

This retreat serves as a humble and sincere tribute to Dwarko Sundrani, the founding father of the Bodhi Tree Educational Foundation, who lived a vibrantly compassionate life until his last breath on March 31, 2021, at the age of 100.

Dwarko Jee, as he was affectionately known, carried the torch of Gandhian wisdom throughout his life, emphasizing that compassion is innate in every human being. His teachings encourage participants to water these seeds of compassion with gratitude, which in turn defines their altitude of being.

Compassion as a Skill

Compassion, according to Dwarko Jee, is not an inherent trait but a skill that can be nurtured and developed through practice.

The Bodhi Sattva Retreat emphasizes that practicing compassion can liberate our hearts from a narrow sense of well-being and bring about profound benefits. By learning to work with adversities and fears, participants gradually become more open, joyful, and free.

This newfound freedom allows them to be truly available to the people around them, fostering a sense of interconnectedness and community.

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Journey to Authentic Self

The retreat invites participants to dismantle their fake identities and delve deeper into their authentic selves.

Dwarko Jee believed that the longest journey in our lives is the one between our heads and our hearts. This journey, he explained, is the way of the Bodhisattva—a path where there is no right or wrong way, only the human way.

The retreat encourages participants to commit to living a life of purpose, guided by compassion for themselves and others.

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A Weeklong Transformation

During the weeklong retreat, participants engage in activities and reflections that foster an understanding that circumstances do not matter as much as one's attitude toward life.

The retreat teaches that having compassion for oneself and others is essential for personal and communal well-being. Dwarko Jee emphasized that the concept of "others" is an illusion, as we are all interconnected through our shared human experience.

He viewed everyone as long-lost friends, connected through cycles of birth and karmic equations.

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Reconnecting with Humanity

The Bodhi Sattva Retreat highlights the tendency of humans to be self-centered and seek absolute comfort (AC). However, realizing that we are not alone and that our struggles are similar to those of others can lighten our burdens.

The retreat encourages reconnecting with other beings, which is essential for bringing peace and prosperity to our planet. In India, often referred to as "Mother India," motherly love is seen as the most unconditional type of love, exemplifying the compassion participants are encouraged to cultivate.

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Impact and Legacy

The Bodhisattva Retreat was envisioned by Dwarko Jee to inspire privileged individuals to support the educational aspirations of underprivileged children.

The retreats provide much-needed financial support to improve the educational infrastructure and resources of Bodhi Tree School. Recent retreats have funded essential projects such as repairing the school bus and launching a mobile library to serve children in nearby villages.

Future retreats aim to fund sustainable initiatives like installing off-grid 10KW solar panels to help the school go green.

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