Dharmalaya Ashram is a service-learning institute to be constructed in 2010-2011 near the Himalayan town of Bir in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram, which united social activism with personal development, Dharmalaya Ashram will offer an integrated programme of experiential learning, meditation and yoga, and volunteer service. The Ashram will provide green job skills to Himalayan villagers and will also serve as a model showcasing sustainable practises, including eco-friendly construction, high-yield organic agriculture, renewable energy and more. Dharmalaya Ashram will also serve as a destination for altruistic ecotourism where international visitors will work side-by-side with villagers to develop and implement solutions for sustainable village development while learning about Himalayan culture and its wisdom traditions.

Accordingly, the Ashram, when fully funded, will integrate three core components:

• Seva school: A village service-learning institute providing education and training for sustainable, compassionate, and healthy living. The initial focus will be on green village development, beginning with technology transfer and training programmes providing local villagers with green job skills.
• Retreat centre: A nonsectarian retreat facility to support practitioners of meditation and yoga to conduct individual and group retreats to deepen their practises, and also to integrate their meditation practises with altruistic service work so that the benefits of these internal practises are applied in the world at large.
• Charitable services: The Ashram will serve as one node in a community partnership supporting a small-scale sustainable village development project for the Bir area. It will also organise and support other initiatives to benefit the local community, including the promotion of green jobs in the sectors of natural building, organic agriculture, renewable energy, etc., and other services.

The Next Steps

Dharmalaya has identified an ideal site for the Ashram, just outside the village of Bir in the Himalayan foothills. We are now in the process of raising funds for construction of the Ashram, and donations of any size are very much appreciated. For more information, or to request a formal proposal, please contact us.