After only 24 hours, the Buddha Blitz has raised $19,500 for much-needed renovations at the Sydney Buddhist Centre. We now have six weeks to reach our target of $30,000 through crowdfunding site StartSomeGood.org.

We launched the Buddha Blitz with an open day at the centre on Saturday 11 October. The open day allowed the sangha to welcome the local community into our centre so they could see for themselves the potential of what we have created here in Sydney but also the urgent need for improved facilities.

Open day activities included: led meditations and a puja; guided tours of our historic building (did you know the shrine room used to be a morgue?); a delicious curry lunch cooked by Padmadakini and Gillian Refell, and accompanied by music and drumming. Visitors could also create a tile as part of collaborative mosaic of Shakyamuni Buddha, designed by Aryadharma and completed by the end of the day.

Dharmananda gave an inspiring talk that provided a broader historical context for the Triratna Buddhist Community’s presence in Australia and linked the pioneering efforts behind the reclamation of the London Buddhist Centre in the late 1970s to the vision unfolding here in Sydney. Shubhavyuha spoke about generosity as a core spiritual practice that helps individuals transcend their limitations.

The Buddha Blitz vision has been spearheaded by Kamalamayi and Dharmalata. It goes much deeper than raising money for renovations, but also encompasses building friendships, introducing people to the Dharma and strengthening the ties of sangha in our own community.

The launch would not have been possible without the committed efforts of members of Young Triratna, and the local Order members and mitras on the Buddha Blitz team.

With the launch behind us, we can focus on raising the remainder of the money and planning our week of renovations in early December. Then the sangha working in harmony can transform the vision of the Sydney Buddhist Centre as an even more beautiful community space for practice into a powerful reality.

Visit StartSomeGood.org to learn more and discover how you can contribute. You can also follow our journey here on The Buddhist Centre https://thebuddhistcentre.com/sydney , or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sydneybuddhistcentre or Twitter @triratnasydney.