Legacy
For over 35 years the Himalayan Institute has undertaken numerous humanitarian projects and supported hospitals, colleges, and libraries throughout India and Nepal as a part of its global mission. The establishment of Hansda Ashram in Nepal (1982); the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, Medical College, Nursing School, and Rural Development Institute in Dehra Dun, India (1987); India Earthquake Relief (1991-1992); and the Himalayan Institute Indian Chapter in Allahabad, India (1997) are hallmarks in the Institute’s history.
Summary of the Institute’s Charitable Activities
In 2001 the Institute launched Sacred Link – The Healing Revolution. Sacred Link is the culmination of the Institute’s efforts to bring the practice of self-transformation into action, both at the individual and collective level, and create a world of our choice. It brings together the Institute’s core mission of personal development and social regeneration, to empower people to find peace in both our inner and outer worlds. Upon discovering that freedom for all fears in the cornerstone for lasting peace, we will have created a foundation for true health and happiness.
Cornerstones of Sacred Link are the Institute’s humanitarian and environmental initiatives aimed at “Healing the Heart – Infusing Life with Compassion” and “Healing the Planet – Nurturing Ourselves and the Natural World”.
The Healing the Heart initiative takes us beyond our personal needs and desires, and putting our compassion into practice by serving and empowering others. These Sacred Link initiatives include:
- Organizing prolonged group meditations (akhanda japa) to create a peaceful collective consciousness and bring love and compassion back into our families and societies. These are non-denominational programs open to all.
- Supporting schools in underprivileged communities in India to eliminate illiteracy and improve the quality of life.
- Actively working to eliminate the custom of dowry, adolescent marriages, and the mistreatment of women. North India is the center of this Healing the Heart activity.
- Sponsoring the translation of scriptures and the preservation of arts, crafts, and the wisdom of the oral tradition of different communities to restore indigenous cultures and preserve diversity.
- Supporting programs to heal and nurture the forgotten women and children of the Indian prison system.
The Healing the Planet initiative focuses on healing and revitalizing nature. In our modern era of extreme environmental degradation, it is more urgent than ever before to trust our common sense, personal experience and age-old wisdom—all of which tell us that we are an integral part of nature and the web of life. To stay closer to ourselves, we must not distance ourselves from nature. To stay healthy, we must not damage nature. To help heal the planet, the Institute has undertaken the following Sacred Link projects:
- In collaboration with Roshini Biotech of India, the Himalayan Institute is promoting biofuel development. This south India project promises reforestation and soil conservation, while providing a natural and organic substitute for fossil fuel. It is also a source of income for destitute people living far below the poverty level.
- To reintroduce the Vedic method of organic farming, the Varcho Veda Department of the Himalayan Institute offers an internship in BioVedic™ Farming, where students learn the ancient method of biodynamic composting, Vedic gardening, processing of herbs, Ayurvedic pharmacology, and medicinal and spiritual usage of herbs.
- To heal and nurture the entire web of life, the Institute organizes different forms of fire rituals (yajnas) in which participants offer detoxifying and rejuvenating herbs into a sanctified fire with prayers and mantras.