Dear Venerables, Partners, and Friends,
I am writing this message to thank everyone who contributed in any way to the success of BGR’s beautiful online program, “Buddhist Action to Feed the Hungry: Transforming Compassion Into Action,” which took place on October 25th.
I first thank our partner representatives for their presentations highlighting the fruits of our collaboration over the years: Christina Mellace and Lauren Scott of the World Food Program USA, Debbie Edirisinghe of Child Action Lanka, Skyler Badenoch of Hope for Haiti, and Natasha Norris of Trees That Feed Foundation. I thank our distinguished dharma speakers: Ven. Thubten Chodron, Vens. Jin Chuan and Jin Wei, Mohsen Mahdawi, and David Loy. I thank Roshi Dhammadipa for facilitating the program and leading the loving-kindness meditation; Kim Behan for providing an overview of BGR’s work; and David Braughton for reminding our viewers of how their support sustains the work of BGR. I thank the entire BGR team who contributed to the planning, design, and implementation of the program. Additionally, I thank Raimund Hopf and his team from Mitgefühl in Aktion (MiA) for joining yesterday’s program and for being our European partner. And I especially thank all the participants and other donors whose contributions over the years have made all our projects possible.
The image of Guan Yin Bodhisattva that Vens. Jin Chuan and Jin Wei shared serves as a fitting symbol for the work of BGR. The image shows Guan Yin with a thousand arms and a thousand hands, with an eye in the center of each hand. The image represents the fusion of wisdom and compassion. With her thousand eyes, Guan Yin observes the sufferings of sentient beings; with her thousand hands, she reaches out to rescue them from suffering. With her thousand eyes, she sees into the deep fundamental causes of suffering; with her thousand arms, she seeks to transform these into the causes that lead to well-being and happiness. When we face sorrow and distress, Guan Yin looks down on us with a sweet, soft, smiling face—the face of gentle compassion. But she also has another side—the scowling face of fierce compassion, a compassion that boldly calls out and confronts those who profit off the exploitation and domination of others.
All of us engaged in the work of BGR are, collectively, embodying the great compassion of Guan Yin, which is really the great compassion of the Buddha. For seventeen years now, we’ve been scanning the globe with open eyes, seeking out communities that need help, people mired in poverty, chronic hunger, malnutrition, and social marginalization. With our outstretched hands, we’ve been offering precious gifts: the gifts of direct food aid, of education, of opportunities to start right livelihood projects, of support for ecologically sustainable agriculture that can mitigate the ravages of climate change. Tens of thousands of people around the world, facing the abyss of destitution and despair, have found their lives redeemed by our programs and are now able to live with meaning and dignity. This has all been made possible by your compassion, your efforts, your partnership, and your donations.
I hope the work of Buddhist Global Relief will continue long into the future, that the torch of our efforts will be passed down from one generation to the next. This work is an example of how our collaborative efforts, however small they may seem, can have a momentous impact, helping to create a world of justice, opportunity, equity, and peace—small steps toward a world that works for everyone.
Thank you once again, and may all blessings be with you and your families.
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
Chair
