Statute of the Bodhi Tree Foundation
Chapter I
General provisions
§ 1
1. The Bodhi Tree Foundation, hereinafter referred to as the Foundation, shall operate on the basis of the Act of April 6, 1984 on Foundations, the Act of April 24, 2003 on Public Benefit Activity and Volunteerism and this Statute.
2. The Foundation was established by a notarial deed drawn up on May 16, 2024 in the Notary’s Office in Gliwice at Wybrzeże Wojska Polskiego 5 loc. 1, before notary Daria Dąbrowska-Babińska, Repertory A number 1638/2024,
§ 2
1. The seat of the Foundation is the city of Gliwice.
2. The duration of the Foundation is indefinite.
3. The area of operation of the Foundation is the entire area of the Republic of Poland.
4. To the extent necessary for the proper implementation of the objectives, the Foundation may also conduct activities outside the borders of the Republic of Poland.
5. The Foundation may entrust foreign individuals and legal entities to represent its interests abroad.
§ 3
1. The Foundation shall have legal personality.
2. Supervision of the Foundation shall be exercised by the Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy.
3. The Foundation may cooperate with national organizations with the same or similar objectives.
4. The Foundation may cooperate with foreign and international organizations with the same or similar objectives of action.
Chapter II
Objectives and principles of the Foundation
§ 4
The objectives of the Foundation include tasks in the field of:
1. supporting Buddhist monastic life in the tradition of early Buddhism;
2. building and strengthening proper relations between the Buddhist monastic community (Sangha) and lay people;
3. promoting knowledge of the Buddha’s teachings and their practice;
4. protecting and improving the quality of physical as well as mental health by reducing stress and tension;
5. supporting and integrating local groups and communities interested in the Foundation’s activities and Buddhism;
6. popularizing knowledge of the history, traditions and culture of Buddhist countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Burma, Laos, Vietnam and India;
7. activities that support the development of local communities and societies;
8. ecology and protection of animals and protection of natural heritage;
9. charitable activities.
§ 5
The Foundation pursues its objectives through:
1. Establishing a hermitage in Poland for a small group of Forest Tradition Buddhist monks and nuns living according to the principles of early Buddhism. The hermitage is to be a place where members of the Sangha (Buddhist monastic community), as well as persons with intentions to join the Sangha community, will be able to devote themselves to meditation, study and practice the Buddha’s principled teachings. The rules of operation of the hermitage are defined by separate regulations adopted by the Program Council.
2. Taking care of the welfare of Buddhist monks and nuns and other people living in the hermitage.
3. Taking care of the proper condition of the hermitage and its proper functioning.
4. Establishing cooperation and collaboration with non-governmental organizations and entities in the public and business sectors.
5. Promoting and organizing volunteerism.
6. Organizing and supporting activities that promote Buddhism.
7. Organizing and financing travel and stays of Buddhist monks in Poland and abroad.
8. Organizing and financing meetings between monks and lay people.
9. Conducting information and publishing activities.
10. Maintaining the website and profiles of the Foundation in social media.
11. Organizing and supporting educational and artistic activities in all forms.
12. Charity collections.
Chapter III
Assets and income of the Foundation
§ 6
The assets of the Foundation consist of the founding fund in the amount of PLN 500 (five hundred zlotys) and income and funds obtained in the course of the Foundation’s activities.
§ 7
The Foundation’s income comes from:
1. donations, inheritances, bequests;
2. grants, subsidies, subsidies of legal persons and organizational units without legal personality;
3. collections, auctions, public donations;
4. interest and bank deposits;
5. assets of the Foundation;
6. paid public benefit activities.
§ 8
1. The Foundation shall carry out unpaid and paid public benefit activities.
2. All income received by the Foundation shall be used exclusively for statutory activities.
Chapter IV
Authorities of the Foundation
§ 9
1. The authorities of the Foundation are the Board of Directors and the Program Council.
2. The Board of the Foundation shall consist of two to five persons, including the President.
3. The Board may include the Founder.
4. The first composition of the Board shall be appointed by the Founder.
5. Subsequent members of the Board shall be appointed and dismissed by resolutions of the Program Council.
6. The mandate of a member of the Board shall expire in the event of his dismissal, resignation or death.
7. The authorities of the Foundation shall adopt resolutions by a simple majority of votes in open voting at meetings or by means of remote communication, unless further provisions of the Statute provide otherwise.
8. Members of the Board shall be appointed for an indefinite period of time.
9. Members of the Management Board may not be persons convicted by a final court judgment of intentional crimes prosecuted by public indictment or fiscal crimes.
§ 10
Statements of will on behalf of the Foundation shall be made by two members of the Board acting jointly or by the President of the Board acting alone.
§ 11
1. The Board manages the activities of the Foundation and represents it outside.
2. The powers of the Board shall include:
- custody and management of the assets of the Foundation,
- realization of the statutory objectives of the Foundation,
- managing the current activities of the Foundation,
- developing a plan of the Foundation’s activities,
- developing financial reports and reports on the activities of the Foundation,
- hiring employees and determining their salaries,
- entering into agreements on cooperation with other organizations and institutions.
§ 12
1.The Program Council shall consist of two to five members.
2. The Program Council does not perform control functions, it is a strategic body.
3. The first composition of the Program Council shall be appointed by the Founder, then the authority to appoint and dismiss members of the Program Council shall be taken over by the Program Council.
4. The mandate of a member of the Program Council shall expire in the event of his dismissal, resignation or death.
5. Meetings of the Program Council shall be held as needed.
6. The competencies of the Program Council include:
- setting the directions of the Foundation’s activities;
- issuing, at the request of the Board of Directors, opinions and positions on all matters related to the activities of the Foundation;
- accepting proposed amendments to the Statute;
- initiating activities to popularize the ideas and achievements of the Foundation;
- performing advisory functions for the other authorities of the Foundation.
Chapter V
Final Provisions
§ 13
1. Amendments to the Statute are permissible and may concern all its provisions (including the objectives), the decision to amend the Statute shall be made by the Founder, and in the event of his death – by the Board of the Foundation.
2. To be valid, amendments to the Statute must be approved by the Program Council.
§ 14
1. The Foundation shall be liquidated in the event of the achievement of the objectives for which it was established or in the event of exhaustion of its financial resources and assets.
2. In the event of liquidation, the function of liquidator shall be performed by the Foundation Board or another person appointed by the Founder.
3. The decision to liquidate the Foundation shall be made by the Board unanimously with the consent of the Program Council.
4. The financial resources and assets remaining after the liquidation of the Foundation may be allocated by resolution of the Founder for the benefit of organizations operating in the Republic of Poland with similar objectives or for the realization of specific goals, which are the statutory objectives of the Foundation.