Buddhist Revival in India
Lord Buddha taught the Dhamma out of compassion for the good of the many and for the benefit of many 2600 years ago. Since then it flourished in India for over 1500 years. Like all things in the world, it too declined for various reasons. In the 20th century India saw a revival again. The first glimpses of revival were visible when Anagarika Dharmapala founded the Maha Bodhi Society in 1891 and started restoration of the Buddhist holy places. The year 1956 saw some of the great events in modern Buddhist history. It was the year when the 2500th Sacred Buddha Jayanti was celebrated with many programs all over the world and in India. It was the year when the Nava Nalanda Maha Vihara was started offering postgraduate degrees in Buddhist Studies. It was the year when Dr. B.R. Ambedkar took initiation into Buddhism along with 600,000 people which is one of the driving forces for people to become Buddhists. Shri SatyanarayaGoenka took Triple Refuge and started Vipassana meditation and later established several meditation centers throughout India. These events significantly contributed towards the revival of the teachings of the Buddha.
Maha Bodhi Society, Bengaluru
There was another significant event during 1956, when the Venerable Acharya Buddharakkhita, a Buddhist monk of deep insight and commitment, came down to Bangalore and started the Maha Bodhi Society, Bangalore and triggered several spiritual, educational and social welfare activities. In continuation of the activities, in the 50th year of this institution, and to commemorate the 2550th Sacred Buddha Jayanthi in 2006 Venerable Acharya Buddharakkhita initiated the Mahabodhi Academy for paliand Buddhist studies.
Late Venerable Acharya Buddharakkhita. AbhidhajaAggamahaSaddhammajotika, Ph. D, D.Litt.who started the Maha Bodhi Society and its sister organizations and who has tendered yeomen service to humanity for 57 years was the founder of this Centre. He was one of the most erudite Buddhist scholars. It was his cherished dream and vision to provide a systematic Buddhist education as widely as possible. MRC is the result of his efforts and research in this field which is the first of its kind in the whole of India.
He was a member of the Editorial Board of the Sixth Buddhist synod (ChatthaSangayana) in Yangon, which brought out a complete edition of the Pali Tipitaka. He was teaching Pali and Tipitaka at Nalanda University. He has conducted many Dhamma and Pali courses, meditation courses and written numerous books and translations of Buddhist texts.