By Raimund Hopf
A little over a year ago, a group of Buddhists in Germany established a sister organization to Buddhist Global Relief, with a shared aim of providing relief to communities around the world afflicted by hunger and malnutrition. The founders named the organization Mitgefühl in Aktion—which in English means “Compassion in Action.” Based in Hamburg, MiA is now a government-recognized NGO and a member of the German Buddhist Union. The founders invited Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi to serve as patron, and we are grateful that he accepted.
This past April, MiA collaborated with BGR in supporting six projects with a pledged contribution of $25,000. This was for us a small beginning, but the commitment of our team members enabled our new organization to bring its concerns to the German-speaking public and establish its presence on the European Buddhist scene. The founders had planned to hold a formal launch gathering in Hamburg this past June, to which Ven. Bodhi and Kim Behan were invited as featured speakers. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting restrictions, this event had to be canceled.
In its place, on December 6th MiA conducted an online fundraising event—its first—modeled on the BGR Buddhist Action to Feed the Hungry events held this past autumn. With the invaluable help of BGR team members, especially Executive Director Kim Behan, we were able to plan a colorful program made available to an interested public. Several members of BGR participated. Bhante Bodhi spoke about “conscientious compassion,” Kim Behan expressed her joy about helping people escape from suffering, and BGR vice-chair David Braughton spoke about the blessings of generosity.
The chair of the German Buddhist Union, Nils Clausen, congratulated MiA for providing a European example of Buddhist social and charitable engagement. Simpert Würfl, deputy chair of MiA, spoke movingly about the extent of world hunger and enriched the program with his musical performances. Roland Müller from Switzerland, our chief financial officer, reviewed the origins and development of MiA and its partnership with BGR. Katharina Schmige, a new board member responsible for the programs, spoke of MiA‘s first projects in Myanmar, Cambodia, Senegal, Mongolia, and India. Board member Susanne Goemann reported on the project assisting single mothers in Cameroon. And our project partners on the field, Ven. Ayya Yeshe of the Bodhicitta Foundation and Glenn Fawcett of Lotus Outreach, gave slide presentations of their projects respectively in India and Cambodia. Another guest, Hilary Ngide from CCREAD Cameroon, had to cancel, but Susanne shared his report.
After a break with an appeal for donations, inspiring Dharma talks were given by Bhante Bodhi, Zen teacher Corinne Frottier, Bhante Sukhacitto, Tara-Libre Dharma teacher Sylvia Wetzel, and Dharma teacher Manfred Folkers of the Plum Village tradition. Most are already supporters or members of MiA, for which we are very grateful. Ven. Tenzin Peljor, a German monk under H.H. the Dalai Lama and a founding member of MiA, gave the closing presentation.
I myself, as the first chair of MiA, had the honor to host the meeting. I was especially pleased to see that we have come together as a community of Buddhists from different traditions, lineages, and countries with a shared commitment to demonstrate a compassionate Buddhist response to suffering in today’s world.
Through the generosity of our donors, in the run-up to and during the event we were able to collect the funds urgently needed for this year’s project work. We extend a heartfelt thanks to all our generous donors for their contributions. Now, however, we must ensure that further donations reach us so that we can continue supporting the projects next year.
It is a great honor and joy for us to be a small light of understanding and compassion, making this world a brighter and better place. We would especially like to thank Bhante Bodhi, Kim Behan, David Braughton, and the staff of BGR, without whose help MiA would not have been possible.
A video-recording of the event will soon be available on YouTube. To learn more about MiA, visit our website: https://www.mia.eu.com
May all beings be free from suffering!
Raimund Hopf is the chair of Mitgefühl in Aktion. He lives in Hamburg, Germany, and offers meditation retreats and sutta classes with a fellowship in Hamburg called Suttanta.
