Main fundraiser photo

Securing the Future of Sunyata


Save Sunyata Buddhist Centre


 
Sunyata needs your support to sustain our wonderful refuge!

 
The future of Sunyata is at risk

For almost 25 years, Sunyata Buddhist Centre has existed as a place of spiritual refuge and support, teaching and sharing the practices of meditation, mindfulness and Buddhism with people from all walks of life. But now, the long-term viability of Sunyata is at risk.

 Sunyata has a debt from the purchase of the property and this debt must be resolved as a matter of urgency to ensure we can continue to operate.

Sunyata is a unique place which we believe makes invaluable contributions to the community. Since opening, thousands of people have come through our doors. The centre is sustained entirely by donations, and is accessible to everyone regardless of their background or means.

We believe our centre, which offers peace and spiritual community to countless people, is needed in the world, something we see especially during these turbulent times. Help us to secure the future of Sunyata and continue all that the centre offers by supporting our campaign.

 We need help from our friends and supporters

Sunyata moved from private ownership to being run as a charitable body in 2011. To do this, we received a loan from one of our supporters to pay the centre’s mortgage.  The majority of this loan has been repaid. However, there is still an outstanding balance of €120,000.

The individual to whom the debt is owed has generously offered match-funding of €1 for every €5 raised, meaning your donations now will count for even more. Due to this generosity the outstanding debt can be repaid in full by raising €100,000.

As we are run entirely on donations, which cover the day-to-day costs, our income is modest and will never enable us to repay the debt in time.

We need your support to raise this €100,000 to continue to offer this beautiful retreat space freely to all - and to realise our vision of offering a place for Buddhist monastics to practice in residence in Ireland.


About Sunyata

Situated in the hills of rural County Clare, Sunyata is a Buddhist retreat centre inspired by the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho. Opened in 1998, our centre is managed by a board of trustees and is a registered charity (No: 20205822)

Since its inception, Sunyata has endeavored to support all those who wish to practice and learn about Buddhism, meditation and mindfulness, regardless of background or means.

Sunyata has been, and continues to be, a place where people of all faiths and none can come for quiet and sanctuary, and to find tools and support to meet the stresses and difficulties of our lives.

For many people, this has been experienced through Sunyata’s residential meditation retreats. Over the years, Sunyata has held over 250 residential retreats attended by over 2,000 people. In more recent years, people have also had the opportunity to stay and volunteer at Sunyata outside retreat times, partaking in the rhythm and practices of the residential community. Sunyata has also offered other long-term supports, including:

●     Daily pūjas (chanting and meditation)
●     Weekly meditation workshops
●     Mindfulness-based recovery from addiction meetings;
●     Monthly women’s day retreats;
●     Beginner’s meditation workshops;
●     Children’s creative mindfulness workshops;
●     Community work days;
●     An annual family camp.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have run all of our events online - from daily meditations and retreats to the family camp - to continue supporting the community in these difficult times.

In addition to supporting the lay community, Sunyata has a long standing tradition of hosting and supporting the Buddhist monastic community.  Buddhist nuns and monks regularly teach retreats at the centre and in recent years we have been privileged to host monastics during their 3 month rains retreat (Vassa).

Our Vision

Our vision is to continue the work of our retreat centre and to establish a monastery in the Thai forest tradition of Buddhism. We are working towards this vision with a wholehearted commitment. We have had a long standing association with Amaravati Buddhist Monastery  in the UK and we look forward to continuing this in the future. 

If we are successful in raising the 100,000 we will use any surplus funds to help pay for essential buildings repairs and maintenance. 

Your support now can save this wonderful refuge and help us to continue to provide a space for retreat and spiritual practice long into the future.

Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • €20 
    • 2 yrs
  • Susan O SHEA
    • €80 
    • 2 yrs
  • Anonymous Donation
    • €9,662 (Offline)
    • 2 yrs
  • Artem Kushnir
    • €240 (Offline)
    • 2 yrs
  • Thai Community Ireland
    • €159 (Offline)
    • 2 yrs

Organizer and beneficiary

Sunyata Centre
Organizer
County Clare
Sunyata Buddhist Centre .
Beneficiary

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