THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
DHAMMACAKKA ANU PAVATANA DINA AND ASHOKA VIJAYADASAMI
(With Three-Day Residential Meditation Retreat)
Community Centre, Siruseri, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
September 30 – October 2, 2025
Retreat Leader: Dhammamitra Gauthama Prabhu N, Triratna Boudha Mahasangha
Retreat Volunteers: Mr. Maneesh, Mr. Ajayan Babu, and Ms. Anushaya
Total Participants: 38 (Including 15 children)
Program Summary:
The program began with a three-days intensive meditation retreat followed with the celebration of Ashoka Vijayadasami and Dhammacakka Anu Pavatana Dina. Ashoka Vijayadashami marks Emperor Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism after the Kalinga War and Dhammacakka Pavatana Dina commemorates Bodhisatva Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s historic mass conversion to Buddhism at Nagpur in 1956. Celebrating this day reminds us of the triumph of Dhamma over violence and injustice, and the power of compassion to transform individuals and societies. It is a renewal of commitment to liberty, equality, and fraternity, values rooted in both Ashoka’s rule and Dr. Ambedkar’s vision. Such commemoration inspires followers to live by the Buddha’s teachings, spread peace, reject oppression, and continue the movement toward social and spiritual awakening. The meditation retreat covered topics such as the difference between meditation of other religious schools and Buddhist meditation, an overview on different levels of consciousness, an introduction to the stages of enlightenment, and the system of practice emphasising five types of meditative practices as taught by Ven. Urgyen Sangharakshita which corresponds to the five stages of the spiritual life. The three-day residential retreat provided a rigorous and well-structured environment for 38 participants to engage with both practical meditation techniques, and gave momentum to socially engage in order to realise Bodhisatva Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Prabuddha Bharat Vision.
