OUR NOBLE VISION

FUNDRAISER FOR A SANATANA DHARMA TEMPLE IN THE GREEK MOUNTAINS IN EUROPE

NAMASTE!

GREAT NEWS!

The first ever pure and authentic Sanatana Dharma Temple to appear in Europe that will be connected to the revered Sringeri Math in India, is taking shape in Greece - and you can join us and play a vital role in creating history.

Hello, my name is Subodhananda (Andrew David Boyle) and I am the President of Advaita Vedanta Ashram Europe, an NPO dedicated to establishing an authentic and traditional Ashram in Greek nature. The Ashram will be a place of refuge and inspiration, where the Teachings of the ancient wisdom of Sanatana Dharma, and in particular Advaita Vedanta will be offered freely to all.

OUR NON-PROFIT ORGANISATION

Our NPO has as one of its Directors, Dr. Gowrishankar, the former CEO of Sringeri Math.

Also, we are currently in dialogue with PA Murali, the current CEO of Sringeri Math, who we have asked to be our President. By offering the Presidency to PA Murali, we are in effect offering Sringeri Math complete control over our administrative affairs. Such transparency is as an indicator of our heartfelt wish to be a strictly Non for Profit Organisation. To this end, all our Teachings, now and forever, will be offered for free, as per the Scriptures.

It is also written in our statute, as dictated by Dr. Gowrishankar that: “The ashram shall diligently provide free food to all residents and visitors as an embodiment of the Hindu principle of ‘annadanam’ which considers food as a sacred offering and emphasizes the importance of selfless service (seva).”

Furthermore, our Ashram is very closely spiritually connected with Sringeri Math and the Jagadgurus of Sringeri.

OUR GOAL

In order to establish an Ashram in Greece and propagate the Holy Teachings of this lineage, I recently took out a bank loan to purchase an ideal piece of land of 6,000 m² in the beautiful region of Ancient Feneos, in Corinthos, Greece. Now we have the land, we are looking for donations to start our Noble Vision in earnest.

So far, we have succeeded in raising 5,500€ for a fence to go around our property, which was our first step. Construction of the fence will begin in October 2024. Our next step towards establishing our Ashram in Greece is to build a multi-purpose Temple for Teachings, Meditation, Yoga and Deeksha (initiation).

The building of the Temple will mean that for the first time in history, Teachings from the Holy Lineage of Adi Shankaracharya, as upheld by the Jagadgurus of Sringeri Math and the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, will be given in an Ashram in Europe.

A 70 m² Temple made from traditional building materials will cost around 85,000 euros. Can you help us reach our goal and create history?

We have already received a great amount of spiritual support from the Holy Lineage but now we need financial help:

You can make a donation here: Donate Now

SPIRITUAL SUPPORT FOR OUR ASHRAM:

Our Ashram, which is dedicated to Loca Sangraham (the upliftment of humanity through Spirituality and Teachings for Moksha) and the flourishing of Sanatana Dharma, has the following support:

• Dr. Gowrishankar who was the CEO of Sringeri Math, gave us a letter confirming that our vision to establish an Ashram in Greece has the Blessings of the Jagadgurus of Sringeri and that Sringeri Math will offer help with the establishment and flourishing of Advaita Vedanta Ashram Europe.
• Letter from Dr. Gowrishankar:

• Our Teacher, Sacchidananda Acharya, was given Deeksha [initiation] by His Holiness, Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Swamiji, the 37th Guru of Sringeri, into a sacred Shiva mantra, outside the Vidyashankara Temple at Sringeri Math in 2021, and permission to pass this Deeksha on to his qualified shishyas [students].
• In 2023, His Holiness, Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Swamiji, gave us two Blessed Murthis – one of Adi Shankaracharya and one of Sharadamba – to put in our Meditation Hall, when it is built.
• The two Blessed Murthis given by His Holiness:

• Sacchidananda Acharya was given permission by his Guru, Swami Paramarthananda, the highly respected Advaita Vedanta Teacher Swami Paramarthananda, to be able to use his transcripts as the basis for Sacchidananda Acharya’s Teachings. This is a very rare honour from such a highly regarded Teacher and means our Ashram will offer pure, authentic Teachings directly from the Holy Lineage.
• Photo of AVAE with Swami Paramarthananda, April 2024:

• Swami Satshatkrtananda the head Acharya at Swami Dayanada’s Ashram in Rishikesh gave Deeksha to the President of Advaita Vedanta Ashram Europe, and offered his blessings towards our Noble Vision.
• Photo of Subodhananda with Swami Sakshatkrtananda, Rishikesh, 2023:

• Dr. Gowrishankar is now legally registered as one of the Directors of AVAE. Even though he is no longer the CEO of Sringeri Math, he has told us that he will continue to mentor us.
• We have requested both Dr. Gowrishankar and PA Murali to provide us with a priest from Sringeri Math who will live with us and perform all the sacred rituals of Sanatana Dharma. They have assured us that this is possible.

READ ABOUT OUR NOBLE VISION IN MORE DETAIL:

Our Yoga and Meditation Centre, deep inside the beautiful Greek countryside will be a place of refuge and inspiration for generations to come; an oasis of peace outside of the city, where people can live in harmony with nature and each other.

The Ashram is ideally located in an isolated area 800 metres above sea level, surrounded by a circle of mountains and close to many forests, in the ancient region of Feneos, in Corinthos.

We are just five kilometres away from the well-known, paradisiacal Lake Doxa and it will only be around two hours’ drive from Athens airport.

At the Ashram, we will focus on the very peak of Indian spirituality – the tradition of Advaita Vedanta revitalised by Sri Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century, a tradition that has seen an unbroken lineage of realised sages from that time until the present day.

Visitors to the Ashram will also have the opportunity to engage in Meditation classes, Meditation retreats and Traditional Yoga classes.

The goal of our Ashram is to create a residential, self-sustaining, Eco-community, a sacred village, open to everyone, that is for the upliftment of humanity and where profound spiritual teachings are offered on an optional donation basis. Donations are welcome but are in no way a pre-requisite to receive Teachings.

All are welcome, even those who don’t necessarily want to engage in the spiritual programme. It is enough to want to live a peaceful life in nature, to live in accordance with the Ashram’s code of conduct and to help and support the community.

IN SUMMARY:

THE BENEFITS OF MAKING A DONATION

WHO WE ARE

THE TEACHER

The teacher at the Ashram is Sacchidananda Acharya. Sacchidananda Acharya has studied and practiced spiritual teachings throughout his life and has gained profound and stable experience of the deepest spiritual truths.

His first experiences of meditation began when he was only five years old. Even though he didn’t really know what he was doing, he always wanted to be in solitude and enjoy the bliss and peace that he found inside himself. Gradually he became more and more interested in truth and at 15 years old, started a deep search of religions, philosophy, and other paths of Self-Realization and enlightenment.

Since 1982, he has studied and practiced various forms of meditation and traditional yoga, including Jnana Yoga, the essence of non-duality teachings, and in recent years, he has focused exclusively on the teaching, practice, and study of Advaita Vedanta under the guidance of his guru, Swami Paramarthananda.

Since 2018, Sacchidananda Acharya has been associated with Sringeri Math, the home of Advaita Vedanta in India, where during his first trip in early 2021, he was granted initiation by successor-designate Jagadguru Sri Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Mahaswamiji, outside the ancient Sri Vidyashankara temple [1342 AD], and given permission to pass this initiation onto others.

Sacchidananda Acharya returns to Sringeri regularly to continue to understand and imbibe the tradition of Sanatana Dharma and the Vedantic teachings of Sri Adi Shankaracharya.

Sacchidananda Acharya currently has students in various countries such as Greece, Sweden, India, Denmark, Canada, and Austria and offers private tuition on a one-to-one basis through Google Meet.

He also teaches an ongoing weekly class, also via Google Meet, which systematically studies classic texts of Advaita Vedanta, such as The Bhagavad Gita. The class is currently studying Adi Shankaracharya’s, Vivekacudamani. If you are interested in joining the class please email us at ashramingreece@gmail.com.

Sacchidananda Acharya offers all of his teachings and healing sessions Free of Charge or with Guru-dakshina, which means that he accepts any donations of money, service, or food for his family although that is never a prerequisite.

He does not wish to own anything and indeed he does not own anything except for an old car. All donations are simply for paying his rent and to provide nourishment for himself and his family.

THE PRESIDENT

The President of Advaita Vedanta Ashram Europe is Andrew David Boyle. He has been involved in many different forms of meditation and spiritual practice for over thirty years, particularly in Buddhism. He was a Buddhist monk for almost eleven years, from 1995 - 2006, and spent several years teaching Buddhist meditation and philosophy in various towns and cities.

Andrew now lives in Greece, where he works as a video editor for an English-language publishing company. He studies and practices Advaita Vedanta under the guidance of Sacchidananda Acharya and helps organize classes for Sacchidananda Acharya, both in Greece and abroad.

After studying Advaita Vedanta for a few years and with the blessing of Sacchidananda Acharya, he recently contacted Swami Sakshatkrtananda, the head Acharya at Swami Dayananda’s Ashram in Rishikesh, and requested if he can take Sannyas vows.

Swami Sakshatkrtananda granted Andrew Deeksha and suggested that if Andrew were to complete a six-month Advaita Vedanta retreat at Swami Dayananda’s Ashram, he would grant him Sannyas Vows on the following Maha Shivaratri.