Carolina Buddhist Vihara is happy to announce the completion of a Stupa enshrining sacred relics on the 13th May, 2023.

It was witnessed by about fifty devotees who were fortunate enough to place little sacred mementos inside the Stupa.

The venerable Nanda Thero planned and constructed it in Sri Lanka and with infinite patience and help from many subscribers and the indefatigable efforts of the Board members the Stupa was shipped to US.

We were able to collect a certain amount by the generous funding of certain individuals, but the ultimate successful completion was due to the untiring active participation of Mrs. Mallika Wijewickrama.

SCB Vihara wants to share the merit of building the Stupa and also thank all those who participated and donated the money for the construction.

We like to invite youto come and see "ehi passiko".

Thank you and "anumodana",
SCB Vihara

Contact information:

Vihara phone # 864.329.9961
Address: 113 Woodridge Circle, Greenville SC 29607
Email: greenvillebv@gmail.com

Good News! With the recent guidelines that the CDC issued we can begin to reopen the Vihara.

We request that all sangha members who attend in person follow CDC guidelines in relation to masks and social distancing. Due to social distancing in person attendance will be limited to 9 sangha members and Ayya. If you would like to attend in person for any scheduled offerings you must call first to reserve your space. The Vihara phone number is (864) 329-9961.

Meditation:

The Vihara is open for meditation every Monday & Thursday from 6.00- 8.00 PM.

Women only Meditation: A meditation session for women will be held every Friday from 9:00 -10:00 AM.

Sutta Study every other Saturday:

Sutta Study will continue every other Saturday on Zoom and will also be open to attend in person for those who are able to. The next Sutta Study will be May 29th. Please call to reserve your space if you intend on attending in person at the Vihara.

Vesak Day Celebration

On Sunday May 23rd CBV will hold a Vesak Day Celebration beginning at 10:00 AM with a Pot-Luck Lunch.

The morning session will be conducted OUTSIDE to accommodate all those individuals who would like to attend. Please remember to RSVP. As we do not have enough chairs it may be useful to bring a lawn chair to sit outside.

The afternoon session, of continued chanting, will be conducted inside, in the Shrine Room and be limited to 9 sangha members. This will be conducted in person. You must reserve your space in advance to attend this session.

With Metta,
Ayya Sudinna

864-329-9961
greenvillebv@gmail.com

As the time nears to re-open the Vihara after the long Covid-19 shut down we’d like to have another clean-up day as we did in 2019. Sunday May 16th is the day Ayya has chosen. We’d like to combine this with a Pot-Luck lunch outside.

This year there will be both outside and inside clean-up.

Outside:

Raking, cleaning up the gardens, if anyone has the skill to mend the fence and replace some of the boards that would be very much appreciated. There may be a few potted plants to replant. If there are any ideas to secure and strengthen the cover and netting over the gazebo they would be welcome. Bring your own rakes, soil for replanting etc. Re-arrange the contents of the shed to make room for the items that will be moved from the attic to the shed for storage.
If a power washer can be obtained for the day the outside chairs and gazebo floor can be washed. If not just hosed down. The chairs may need a fresh coat of spray paint.

Inside:
While a general vacuuming, dusting, floors, bathroom clean-up is always welcome the big project for this year will be the attic.

The attic project will take a few strong, able-bodied individuals (3 or 4).

1. All items in the attic must be brought downstairs for Ayya (and whom ever is assisting her) to go through the boxes to determine what should be kept, what can be donated and what no longer has value.
2. Vacuum as much dust up as possible, with a shop vac if one can be obtained for the day.
3. Once the attic is emptied bring the boxes and containers that will remain out to the shed and put those things to be disposed of out front for trash removal.

Please contact Ayya directly at the Vihara to let her know if you will be able to participate, whether your participation is inside or outside, how you would like to participate and if you will be able to donate any of the needed items, potting soil etc.

Ayya does look forward to seeing everyone once again and being able to welcome us all back!

864-329-9961
greenvillebv@gmail.com

Ayya Sudinna visited Cambodia in December 2019. Cambodia is predominantly a Buddhist country with Buddhist Temples & Pagodas common throughout. The people are friendly & hardworking. It's a country that has faced many hardships and is now emerging out of the gloom to take its due place in the international community.

A primary aim of the trip was to stimulate the revival of the Theravada Bhikkhuni Sasana in Cambodia. Ayya Sudinna arrived in Cambodia on the 18th of December, and returned to the Vihara on January 10, 2020. Her program in Cambodia included Fourfold Sangha participation in inaugurating a new Cetiya which contains a Buddha's relic and commemorative art of ancient Bhikkhunis (the first to feature Bhikkhunis in Cambodia), meeting with the Sangharaja about supporting Bhikkhuni Sangha revival at his invitation, attending a Bhikkhuni Seminar, meeting with nuns, and a visit to the ancient temples in Siem Reap including Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat

The beauty & grandeur of Angkor Wat draws many people from all over the world to Cambodia.

Angkor was the capital city of the Khmer empire, which flourished from approximately the 9th to the 15th centuries. Angkor was a megacity supporting at least 6.1 % of the global population during 1010-1220. In addition to the palace, the living quarters of the king & his family,  there were many Buddhist temples & cells for Monks built in the 12th & 13th  centuries. Some are built entirely of sandstone. There are also ruins of temples dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

Below are some pictures from the trip.

Ayya Sudinna will be departing the Vihara on December 16th, 2019 on a trip to Cambodia, arriving on the 18th in Cambodia. She will return to the Vihara on the 10th of January, 2020. The program in Cambodia includes Fourfold Sangha participation in inaugurating a new Cetiya which contains a Buddha's relic and commemorative art of ancient bhikkhunis (the first to feature bhikkhunis in Cambodia), meeting with the Sangharaja about supporting Bhikkhuni Sangha revival at his invitation, a Bhikkhuni Seminar, meeting with nuns, and a visit to ancient Angkor Wat temple. The aim is to stimulate the revival of the Theravada Bhikkhuni Sasana in Cambodia.

Exciting news!

Ayya Sudinna has a vision for the backyard at the Vihara.

This vision is centered around a new Stupa and would be a place where we can sit on benches, meditate, pay homage to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha and/or make offerings to our dearly departed.

One of the Vihara's co-founders has completed research and found that we can have an authentic Stupa from Sri Lanka fabricated, shipped and installed at the Vihara for approximately $10,000.

Today begins our fundraising campaign to raise these funds and see Ayya's vision become reality.

If you can please consider a donation to CBV for the Stupa Fund. You can donate to this worthy cause on our Facebook Page

Please note that you MUST have a Facebook Account and be signed in to Facebook on your browser to donate via the previous link. If you do not have a Facebook account, please click on the Donate link in the top menu to find out how to donate directly to the Vihara for this fundraiser.

Let's do this!!

Some photographs from the Children's Dhamma class held on July 14, 2019

A few pictures from the non-residential silent meditation retreat held at the Vihara from Friday June 21st through Sunday June 23rd are shown below.