This Centre is located in Garuga, Entebbe. It can be easily accessible by most means of transport. It was founded in the year 2005 by venerable Buddharakkhita and was mainly dedicated to promoting Buddhist teachings in Uganda and Africa at large.
The temple is associated with the tradition composed mostly of Ugandans and Asians. They aim to expand the Buddhist culture through emphasizing the buddha’s teachings in Uganda and East Africa. As the first Buddhist Centre it has helped to foster and practice the Buddhist principles alongside African culture through promoting education, peace and doing charity work in the villages and local communities of Uganda it has also helped to teach values especially in schools
HOW THE CENTRE WAS ESTABLISHED
The Centre was founded by Dr. Steven Kakogawa Buddharakkhita born into a Christian family in Kampala Uganda. He got exposed to Buddhism in the 1990s when he was pursuing his education in India, he adopted to this culture and was later ordained in San Jose California. He has also founded some schools in Uganda for example the Buddhist Peace School, and African Buddhist High School in Garuga Entebbe. He has contributed a lot to spreading the message of meditation in Africa and worldwide since the year 2005
He emphasized that meditation is not about the content of our lives but it’s about how we relate to our daily experiences, waking up and seeing clearly how were doing, what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.
MAJOR ACTIVITIES OF THE UGANDA BUDDHIST CENTRE
Community outreach initiatives
the Centre carries out several programs that uplift the people in the communities which is part of the Buddhism culture, among those is:
Safe water projects
they take part in constructing, rehabilitating and renovating of various water sources in the communities for example the boreholes which are impactful to most people in the areas that need these services especially rural areas, slums and other places with a large number of people
Women and youth empowerment
In Uganda the women and the youth are among the groups that often face tough times in their daily lives and activities. This Centre offers skilling programs for example sewing and baking of which equip these people with skills to be able to earn a living thus improving their standards of living
Health services
It has promoted health services by setting up the Buddha medical Centre, compassion Care Centre in order to save peoples’ lives especially those that can’t afford the more expensive health services in the country
Sustainable Farming Programs
Uganda Buddhist Centre offers free training on how the People can use the land sustainably in order to produce crops for food and surplus for sale thus increasing household income
Buddhist peace school
The Centre also works hard in order to spread the Buddhist values together with education so that the young generation grows up recognizing their culture and respecting the values
Education programs
This centre has set up schools for example African Buddhist High School both day and boarding this brings together academics and the Buddhist values of compassion and humility. This program has greatly changed the narrative of the people especially the youth from desperation to optimism. They get to believe in themselves for and feel able to bring hope to the hopeless and be of an impact to where they live.
Meditation retreats
Uganda Buddhist Centre also offers several retreats to all the people who are seeking to regain and restore their inner peace, mindfulness and clarity of their own souls
Yoga
this Centre also offers yoga services aimed at promoting strength and flexibility to improve people’s health. This is always done near a natural space that gives one a great breath thus being transformed mentally
Spiritual guidance
the Centre also offers free spiritual guidance sessions to both the young and old where they are guided about the Buddhism values and how they can live in respect of their culture
HOW THE UGANDA BUDDHIST CENTRE HAS ADAPTED TO AFRICAN IDENTITY
The Centre has used the Buddhist spiritual path to harmonize with the traditional ways of Africa. They believe that the Dhamma teachings are the same as how the African cultural forms
Most Ugandan communities and Africa at large value love , working together cooperating , being kind respecting one another ,helping each other in case of any problems in the community for example when a certain family loses a member all the neighbors join efforts to send off the deceased person, they also value respect for elders and value the need to help the elderly people that are not in a position to help themselves through these values the Centre has helps to connect the Buddhism culture with the local people who share the same beliefs which strengthens them spiritually.
Local language, at the Centre the sessions and teachings are usually delivered using Luganda and other local languages that can easily be understood by the people. This eases the understanding thus strengthening the Buddhist culture in the people.
Solving African challenges , in Uganda like any other country in the world some people face challenges like poverty due to high expenditure levels , joblessness and lack of enough working opportunities, some face domestic conflicts , and mental challenges, the Centre has set up measures that help bring a solution to most of these problems, through women empowerment , mentorships, education programs and mentorship programs
Music and art, Uganda is known for preserving and showcasing its culture through the African made drums and songs especially during the special gatherings and ceremonies. The Centre has also developed architecture that made from the Ugandan local materials and designs copied from the African huts which shows respect and authenticity
The Uganda Buddhist Centre offers a peaceful place where people learn and get to understand the teachings of the Buddhist culture that is rooted in love, kindness, mindfulness and understanding. This Centre directly and practically shows that peace is developed and promoted by people within themselves rather than waiting for people far from the area that lacks peace.