A Bodhisattva is an individual who sacrifices personal comfort and lives a life characterized by compassion in action.
While we appreciate all retreats, Bodhisattva Retreat stands out by offering immersive experiences that go beyond words. Our retreats include cultural literacy and immersion, cross-community interactions, and spiritual assimilation.
Bodhgaya is located in the Bihar State of Northern India. The closest airport is Gaya Airport, and the nearest train station is Gaya Junction Train Station. Is the retreat faith-driven?
No, the retreat is not faith-driven. It provides tools recommended in the inter-faith domain, making it inclusive for individuals of all beliefs.
The retreats are conducted in English. Therefore, participants must have medium to advanced proficiency in English.
While there is no strict age limit, the retreat involves activities like meditation and kriya yoga. Therefore, we recommend participants be above 20 years old, with no upper age limit.
Yes, elderly individuals who feel physically fit to handle flights or local transport are welcome to join.
Yes, both individuals and couples who align with the spirit and energy of the retreat are welcome.
The best time to attend our retreats is from the end of July to the start of April. We advise avoiding the summer months from mid-April to mid-July due to extreme heat.
We provide three vegetarian meals daily: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Tea or coffee is served with breakfast.
We hire highly skilled chefs to ensure hygiene and nutrition, so we ideally discourage dining out.
Understanding the diversity of our participants, we ensure the food is not spicy.
Yes, but they must be clearly mentioned in advance.
We ensure safe drinking water is available, addressing any health concerns.
Smoking is not recommended but allowed in designated areas to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol is prohibited as Bihar is a dry state.
We request participants to go to bed early to ensure adequate rest for the following busy day, aligning with the retreat’s schedule.
We provide basic accommodation, usually a room with single beds (up to three). Specific requests for single rooms or double rooms for couples can be accommodated.
We ensure safe drinking water is available, addressing any health concerns.
Smoking is not recommended but allowed in designated areas to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol is prohibited as Bihar is a dry state.
We request participants to go to bed early to ensure adequate rest for the following busy day, aligning with the retreat’s schedule.
We provide basic accommodation, usually a room with single beds (up to three). Specific requests for single rooms or double rooms for couples can be accommodated.
Students
Special Children
Garden of Smiles
Years
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Education for all
Despite the social class or economic status, every children shall have access to the same education. Not even the social caste shall define it.
Therefore, the school foster kids from marginalized communities, that compose the lower social caste. The social value of the school is empowered by local teachers.
Furthermore, BTEF uses the highest education standards. The complex tests and close tutoring make possible that the children of the school shine over other from public, and even private, schools.
Self-confidence
Since their childhood , we instill in them self-confidence to develop their skills without feeling oppressed by society.
Like a mantra, they learn and repeat new concepts in that society, such as: “Believe yourself”, “Trust yourself” or “Don’t let anyone stop your dreams”.
We let them discover their own skills themselves through games and events, educational talks from various professions (eg, scouts, police) or visits from private school students.
They discover that they can go further than they had been told.
Social integration
In the School both children with and without disabilities live together. All children are taught to admit each one regardless of their abilities, and not to see them as inferior people.
This coexistence in the School makes them see everyone as equals. There are cases in which some of the children start integrating the “special” unit, because that is how their families saw them, but when we saw their development we included them in the general school. For example, there were cases of deafness or simple physical disabilities, but with 100% cognitive abilities that were reintegrated into general education. This is a great motivation for these children
Women independence
The role of women must not be relegated to the background. Every woman should be able to choose her economic development. On the other hand, gender equality and mutual respect when in couple has to be a reality, regardless of whether the marriage is arranged or not.
As an example, we teach sewing classes with machines, so they are taught to sew and make products that they can sell themselves. Empowering so their economic independence. In addition, menstruation, gender equality, nutrition in pregnancy, etc. workshops are taught. This concepts are taboo in their society and we break them by education. Normalizing menstruation is key to preventing girls from being detained for several days a month; for example, the school provides pads for free. Thanks to this simple gesture, they no longer miss classes.
Global Vision
We live in a globalized world, and the fact of not knowing other cultures it could be a danger in the development of the individual. For this reason, the school welcomes volunteers from all over the world, so they can share their culture and experiences. Furthermore, this shows the students there is a whole world outside their community and there are other ways of thinking beyond the borders of these villages.
Some of the activities (among others) in which volunteers can collaborate are:
- Preparing workshops in any topic they are experts: nutrition, hygiene, etc.
- Running sports championships that break the barrier between boys and girls.
- Showing their knowledge and experiences that are unknown in the local environments.
- Showing their lifestyle as couple, where the man and the woman are equal.
