The Walk in Willington

A Participant

I just wanted to drop you a short note regarding last weekend’s “Walk Against Hunger” fundraiser at the Lao Lane Xang Buddhist Temple in Willington, CT in support of Buddhist Global Relief.  This is the fourth year I have attended the Walk in Willington and each year I am more inspired than the last.

It was so nice to see so many smiling faces joining in to support this wonderful cause.  There must have been at least 60 participants this year. I saw many new faces.  I even bumped into a couple of people from my home town who, unbeknownst to me, are supporters of Buddhist Global Relief and were participating in this year’s walk.  What a pleasant surprise!

Like last year, the walk itself was amazing.  “Walking meditation” in the quiet New England countryside is a sublime experience.  The smell of freshly fallen leaves, the warm sun on your neck, a dog barking in the distance, and the muffled sound of leaves gently giving way to a long line of people slowly, very slowly, walking in silence, is glorious.

Then the lunch….again, it was superb.  I am so grateful to the members of Lao Lane Xang Buddhist Temple, who provided this beautiful meal for the walk participants.  They are very generous and compassionate supporters of Buddhist Global Relief and it was a joy to be guests at their temple.

Finally,  my thanks to Bhikkhu Bodhi.  His work to create Buddhist Global Relief and to put into motion his vision of “compassionate action” to help the poor is a blessing, and I feel privileged, in my small way, to support this work.  His description of the various relief projects that BGR supports all around the world (including a couple in New York City) is inspiring.  In particular, I believe the work that BGR does to help ensure the education of girls and women in poor, traditional, societies is exactly the right approach.  This work really does promote the idea of “teaching one to fish rather than just giving one a fish,” and I believe it is transformative.

Some more photos of the Connecticut walk–each step expressing conscientious compassion (all photos by Suzanne Grella):