Vipassana Buddhist Church, Center for Buddhist Development

"Fast for Food Challenge"

Friday Saturday Sunday March 22-23-24, 2013

Fast for Food Challenge: You may already be familiar with this event from the latest Middle Path newsletter. Some of the children in our locality have little, or nothing, to eat from Friday when school is out, until the school provided breakfast on Monday. We are trying to get people in our local religious community and others to join us in this effort. The idea is that everyone will meet in the upstairs of the Vipassana Buddhist Church / Center for Buddhist development on Friday March 22 at 7:00 PM for a kick off. We'll fast from lunch of Friday the 22nd, until Sunday March 24 at 12:00 PM. At that time we'll meet again in the upstairs of the Church to break the fast with a potluck lunch and we'll make donations to the Food Bank for their "Buddy Pack" program in whatever amount you feel like giving after having gone without food over the weekend. Eva Seibert from the Food Bank will be there on Sunday to speak to us and to personally accept our donations for Buddy Pack.

"Peace begins when the hungry are fed."

Vipassana Buddhist Church / Center for Buddhist Development
The VBC/CBD was founded by the Reverend H. B. Dhammaruchi (aka. Rev. William Edwards) in September of 2001 and was established as a non-profit religious organization on October 24, 2001, in the State of Missouri.

Our Mission
The mission of the VBC/CBD is to make the original teachings of the Buddha available throughout mid-Missouri. Vipassana Buddhist Church is unique in the central Missouri area in that we are the only Buddhist organization that provides church services and ceremonies in the Theravada tradition. Reverend Dhammaruchi was ordained in the Order of Buddhist Ministers in 1997 by his primary teacher Venerable Bhante Chao Chu, and Venerable Havanpola Ratnasara Nayaka Thero, along with other monks of the of the Buddhist Sangha Council of Southern California.

Because his primary teacher was from the Theravada school, VBC-Jefferson City is centered in that school; however, all Buddhist teachings are accepted and often incorporated into our practice.

The Center for Buddhist Development has as its focus, providing opportunities for individuals to learn more about Buddhism through a lending library, involvement in our local community, hosting lectures, movies, cultural events and other educational opportunities. We strive to cultivate a community of compassion in the greater Jefferson City area and Mid-Missouri and to assist in the bringing diverse viewpoints to the Heartland of America.

We provide Sunday morning services (Uposatha), discussion classes on the Buddha’s teachings (dharma), meditation training, meditation retreats, and Buddhist observances such as Vesak (the Buddha’s Birthday celebration).