BGR NEWS + TEACHINGS
Rejoicing in Goodness
By Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi • The heart of the Buddha’s teaching, the framework of the four noble truths, begins with dukkha, the truth of suffering. Dukkha is the thorn embedded in our flesh, the swarm of mosquitoes biting our arms and legs, the shadow that trails us even when we bask in the sunlight. Suffering, however, is not the final word the Buddha leaves to us.
Why We Cannot Wait
Look into the eyes of hunger, and chances are you will see a child staring back. Now imagine a flood, war, or other disaster striking, tipping the scale from bare survival to almost certain starvation. In times of the most urgent need, BGR's crisis response support is saving lives.
Feeding Families in Urgent Need in Gaza
Since 2024, BGR has supported World Central Kitchen’s hunger-relief work in Gaza, where widespread infrastructure destruction, population displacement, and the blockade of humanitarian aid has caused hunger so severe that famine was declared in August 2025. In response to this crisis, a BGR grant provided more than 200,000 loaves of bread to Palestinian families in need.
Kim Behan Receives Inaugural ‘Compassion Weaver’ Honor from the Global Compassion Coalition
This fall, the GCC introduced a new initiative “to recognize and celebrate people who serve as ambassadors of kindness, justice, and inclusion.” The first person to be honored as a Compassion Weaver is BGR executive director Kim Behan, for her “steady commitment to service [that] has helped transform thousands of lives.”
Responding to the Disaster in Nepal
On August 26, a landslide and glacial collapse on Langtang Lirung destroyed roads, bridges, buildings, and in some cases entire communities. An estimated 32,000 people have been displaced from their homes, and more than 84,000 people are still in need of immediate humanitarian assistance.
Mettā, or Loving-Kindness
On September 12, 2026, the worldwide BGR community gathered online for the first session in our series The Brahma Vihāras, a Divine Dwelling in This Very Life. Titled Mettā, or Loving-Kindness, this online event was led by BGR Sangha Council members Vens. Thubten Monlam and Thubten Lamsel. Watch a recording of the event here.
Tending the Seeds of Compassion: Reflections on the BGR Retreat at Redwood Vihara
In May, nearly 18 years to the day since Buddhist Global Relief was founded, members of the Board of Directors, staff, and volunteer team joined the newly formed Sangha Council for a weekend retreat at Redwood Vihara monastery in Boulder Creek, California. In this essay, Vice-Chair David Braughton shares his reflections on this joyous and fruitful event.
Strengthening Detroit’s Food System from the Ground Up
In Detroit, Michigan, almost 70 percent of households experience food insecurity, and 30,000 residents lack access to full-service supermarkets. Longtime BGR partner Keep Growing Detroit provides not only fresh produce but also education, resources, and connection for urban gardeners and other city residents.
Seeking a Buddhist Public Theology
How should Buddhism engage with the critical issues currently facing this country and our world? Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi proposes the need for a “Buddhist public theology,” an ethical lens through which Buddhist teachers and thinkers can evaluate public issues in light of the Buddha’s teachings.
The Iran War’s Hidden Toll: Crisis-Level Hunger for Millions of People
On February 28 of this year, the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury in Iran, beginning a war that cost thousands of lives, including those of an estimated 1,700 Iranian civilians. But the war’s tragic impacts are not limited to those suffered in Iran. Among the most devastating of these is a surge in the number of people facing crisis levels of hunger worldwide. Even if the ceasefire holds, the effects of the three-month closure of the Strait of Hormuz are likely to continue to resonate throughout the coming year.
