About Dharmalaya
Dharmalaya is an Indian charitable organisation devoted to education and empowerment for compassionate living, with a practical focus on sustainable village development, contemplative service-learning, immersive ecotourism, and preservation of traditional wisdom.
Mission
Dharmalaya’s mission is to unite the best of traditional wisdom with creative innovation to produce compelling possibilities for sustainable and compassionate living in the Himalayas and beyond.
Vision
We envision local and global communities that apply humanity’s gifts of intelligence, creativity, and caring to synthesize the very best of both tradition and modernity, particularly as manifest in ecological sustainability, applied compassion, and shared prosperity.
Activities
In service of its mission, Dharmalaya conducts an array of complementary educational and charitable programmes spanning the fields of economic self-sufficiency, environmental stewardship, experiential education, community service, health, and personal development. Most of our programmes are offered either free of charge or on a donation basis for local residents and international participants alike. All these diverse activities serve a common prime objective: to develop and promote innovative, integrated approaches to sustainable development, meaningful real-world education, and altruistic service. › More…
Legalities & Formalities
Dharmalaya is a Charitable Society registered under the Himachal Pradesh Societies Registration Act of 2006 (registration number 4305). It is also a member project of the Earthville Network, an international non-governmental organisation (INGO) recognised by the US government as a 501(c)(3) public charity. › More…
People
Dharmalaya is founded and managed by a multi-disciplinary, international team of people committed to creating a more compassionate and sustainable world. › More…
Principles & Practices
Dharmalaya is a neo-traditional NGO, meaning that we endeavor to learn from the past and experiment in the present to forge a more harmonious future.
Dharmalaya is rooted in the traditional principles of karuna (compassion), ahimsa (non-harming), maitri/metta (loving kindness to all) and seva (service). A complete understanding of these values as applied in the modern world includes not only caring for all living beings, but also ecological responsibility expressed in a commitment to sustainable living. › More…
The Meaning of the Name ‘Dharmalaya’
The name Dharmalaya could be translated in several ways, due to the richness of meaning of the two Sanskrit words from which it is formed dharma and alaya. ‘Dharma’ is a word with many levels of meaning: the literal meaning is ‘that which is held’, and traditionally it is used to refer to both philosophical views and spiritual practice. ‘Alaya’ also has different layers of meaning: the literal meaning is ‘abode’ or ‘repository’, and the deeper meaning is something that could be described as a reservoir of energy. Thus, the two words together could be translated literally as something like ‘abode of dharma’ or ‘repository of truth’. Taking all these meanings together, we translate ‘Dharmalaya’ as ‘a sanctuary for kind heart, clear mind and positive energy’. We aspire to make our hearts, our minds, our homes and our communities a true Dharmalaya.
