Tag Archives: Interfaith action

Buddhists Roll On Together to the People’s Climate March

Posted on May 3, 2017 by | Comments Off on Buddhists Roll On Together to the People’s Climate March

by Caroline Contillo  

A “Rolling Retreat” of dharma teachers and practitioners, by the busload, helped Buddhists to join Saturday’s People’s Climate March in Washington, D.C.

Stepping off the Buddhist retreat bus in D.C. on Saturday, two things were apparent: the 2017 People’s Climate March was going to be huge, and it was going to be hot. The record-breaking 92-degree heat seemed to enhance the energy of the staggering crowds that had convened to march from the foot of the Capitol Building to surround the White House.

I’d chosen to march with the Buddhist contingent as part of the Faith Bloc, situated between the Science bloc and Fossil Fuel resistance groups that gathered to surge down Pennsylvania Avenue. It was Trump’s 100th day in office, and over 200 Buddhists from around the world had shown up to make their voices heard with another 200,000+ people. The common message was clear: we know the climate is changing, and we want to address this.
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Posted in Buddhist social ethics, Climate change, Engaged Buddhism, Interfaith action, News item, Uncategorized

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Changing Directions Before It’s Too Late

Posted on April 21, 2017 by | Comments Off on Changing Directions Before It’s Too Late
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

 

Buddhists marching at the People’s Climate March of Sept. 21, 2014

Suppose I was a bus driver driving a busload of people along an unfamiliar route and at a certain point my GPS device showed me that I was heading toward a precipice. I would not assume that the device is mistaken or argue that the accuracy of such devices is a matter of debate. As I got close to the edge of the abyss, I would not jiggle the steering wheel, much less step on the gas pedal. Rather, I would turn away and head in a different direction.

Yet, expand this picture to a global scale, and it shows us exactly what we’re doing with our climate. The climate crisis is probably the gravest danger that humanity has ever faced, the precipice toward which we are heading, yet those in the driver’s seat are doing just what the reckless bus driver does. They’re insisting that the great majority of climate scientists are mistaken; they’re claiming there is still a debate about the causes of climate change; they’re attacking investigators who seek to hold offenders accountable; and they’re stepping on the gas pedal with policies that will push carbon emissions to perilous heights. If they continue to have their way, they’ll drive the bus of humankind over the edge to a fate we can hardly envisage.

As a Buddhist monk and scholar, I look at the climate crisis through the lens of the Buddha’s teaching, which shows that our leaders’ dismissive attitude toward the crisis stems from two deeply entrenched mental dispositions, ignorance and craving. Ignorance is the blatant, willful, and even spiteful rejection of reality, the denial of unpalatable truths that threaten our sense of our own invulnerability. Craving is the voracious grasping after ever more wealth, status, and power, a thirst that can never be satisfied. When the two reinforce each other, what we get is a stubborn refusal to see that wealth and power, no matter how exorbitant, will be worthless on a dying planet. Continue reading →

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Posted in Climate change, Engaged Buddhism, Global Hunger, News item

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Sending a Message with Our Feet

Posted on July 26, 2016 by | Comments Off on Sending a Message with Our Feet

Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

Yesterday, on July 24, 10,000 people came together in Philadelphia to join the March for a Clean Energy Revolution, held on the eve of the Democratic Party’s National Convention. In Philadelphia, the temperature broke the 100 mark, but marchers remained undeterred. Their  purpose in coming together was to urge our political leaders to act quickly and effectively to ban fracking, keep fossil fuels in the ground, stop dirty energy, transition to 100% renewable energy, and ensure environmental justice for all.

Food & Water Watch_Media Mobilizing Project

Scene in the courtyard of Philadelphia’s city hall (Photo: Food & Water Watch_Media Mobilizing Project)

Members of the BGR team and other Buddhists were among those on the march. BGR participants included Sylvie Sun, Charles Elliott, Marcie Barth, and Regina Valdez. Also joining were Rev. T.K. Nakagaki of the Buddhist Council of New York, Ven. Ru Fa of the Chinese Buddhist community, Bob and Sarah Kolodny of Buddhist Climate Action Network NY, and East Coast members of the Plum Village Sangha.

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L to R: Rev. T.K. Nakagaki, Sylvie Sun, Ven. Rufa. (Photo: Regina Valdez)

The heat wave hanging heavy over North America this past week is just one of thousands of manifestations of climate change. We see other signs in blistering droughts, more violent hurricanes, destructive wildfires, and rising sea levels. Some 25% of the world’s animal species face extinction. Climate change threatens the world’s food supply, turning fertile land into dust bowls and deserts, triggering deluges, and reducing the yields of staple grains. If we don’t act quickly, millions of more people will be subjected to terrible food shortages, malnutrition, and even starvation. Continue reading →

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Posted in Buddhist social ethics, Climate change, Engaged Buddhism, Interfaith action, News item, Social justice

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Marching on Behalf of the Planet

Posted on July 5, 2016 by | Comments Off on Marching on Behalf of the Planet

Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

Photo credit: jomilo75 via Flickr / Creative Commons

Walking in unison can be a powerful means of social and political transformation. Gandhi’s Salt March in 1930 challenged British authority in India and began the long process of civil disobedience that culminated in India’s independence. African Americans in the 1960s won their civil rights by undertaking long walks and marches through the South and in the nation’s capital. Millions of people in the 1960s marched against the Vietnam War, and again in 2003 to protest U.S. plans to attack Iraq. Just two years ago, almost half a million people converged on New York City to join the Peoples’ Climate March, showing that climate consciousness was no longer the concern of a minority. The March for a Clean Energy Revolution, to take place in Philadelphia on July 24th, continues this practice of using our legs to express the ideals that stir in our hearts. Continue reading →

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Posted in Climate change, Engaged Buddhism, Interfaith action, News item, Social justice

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Fifth Concert to Feed the Hungry

Posted on April 5, 2016 by | Comments Off on Fifth Concert to Feed the Hungry

BGR Staff

Winard HarperOn Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 7:00 pm., Buddhist Global Relief will hold its fifth Concert to Feed the Hungry, at the Middle Collegiate Church,112 Second Avenue, New York, NY. Dedicated to the worldwide struggle against chronic hunger and malnutrition, the concert will feature Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Fred Hersch, percussionist Rogério Boccato, singer/songwriter Becca Stevens, vocalist Jean Rohe, and the Colombian folkloric ensemble La Cumbiamba eNeYé. The concert is produced by saxophonist and BGR board member, Dan Blake.

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Funds raised from the concert will support BGR’s many projects, which combat hunger worldwide, in regions ranging from Cambodia, India, and Bangladesh to Ethiopia and Cameroon to New York City. These projects not only provide direct food aid to people afflicted by poverty and disaster, but help farmers develop ecologically sustainable methods of food production, promote the education of poor girls, and give women the chance to earn more to support their families. Here in New York City, BGR supports a meal program for homeless youth and funds the development of urban gardens in communities with limited access to nutritious foods.

Middle Collegiate Church is a culturally diverse, inclusive and growing community of faith where all persons are welcomed just as they are as they come through the door. As a respected venue for the arts, the Church features an Arts in Activism and Education ministry team, comprised of lay leaders and professionals dedicated to expressing Middle’s inclusive spiritual vision through daring artistic programming.

Seating is limited
Tickets are $25/$15 (with student ID)
To purchase securely or for more information, visit:
www.concerttofeedthehungry.org

FREE Livestream

Now you can watch this concert for free from almost anywhere in the world! All you’ll need is a computer or smart device and internet access. Invite your friends to view with you!

Please join us for this evening of music dedicated to the struggle against chronic hunger and malnutrition. All proceeds support Buddhist Global Relief’s projects for hunger relief, agriculture, education, and livelihood in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the U.S.

Please also make a donation, so that you can help the hungry too!

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Posted in Concert to feed the hungry, Ending global poverty, Engaged Buddhism, Projects & programs

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Thanksgiving Reflections

Posted on November 25, 2015 by | 2 comments

Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

This past Sunday I attended an interfaith Thanksgiving service at the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Peekskill, New York. I spoke extemporaneously. This is a polished version of my talk.

Thanksgiving is a time when we all gather to give thanks for the blessings we have received over the past year. Here, in the US, we have much to be thankful for, but as I reflect on the blessings that I have experienced, I also realize that almost every one of them represents a privilege that I enjoy but which too few people in the world share.

First, I realize that I live in a country that has not been subjected to devastating military assaults, and thus I enjoy relative security in my physical person. When I recognize this, I think of the millions upon millions of people around the world, especially in the Middle East, who do not have this sense of security. I think of the civilian populations in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan who have seen their own countries shattered by war, their homes demolished, their livelihoods destroyed; whose loved ones have been killed right before their eyes; who have had to flee their native lands for distant shores, often at great peril, or who stay behind, where they live in the shadow of fear and danger. I realize that I should not take my own security for granted, knowing that it is part of a global system that entails devastation and despair for many millions.
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Posted in Buddhist social ethics, Engaged Buddhism, Social justice

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BGR Walk in Michigan

Posted on October 4, 2015 by | Comments Off on BGR Walk in Michigan

Maureen Bodenbach

Some 125 people joined the fifth annual Michigan Walk to Feed the Hungry on Sunday, September 27, held in the Kensington Park in Milford. Participants came from more than a dozen Buddhist groups from across Michigan. These ranged from Sri Lankan and Thai monasteries to a Korean Zen temple, the Chinese Chan and Pure Land traditions, members of several Vietnamese temples and students of Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh. They also included Westerners from various insight meditation groups in Ann Arbor, Lansing, and the metropolitan Detroit area. And there were lots of kids! Bringing families out was one of the goals of Ven. Haju Sunim of the Ann Arbor Zen Temple, so our youngest “walker” was just learning how to stand up from a crawl!

Walkers with banner
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Posted in Engaged Buddhism, Interfaith action, News item, Projects & programs, Walk to feed the hungry

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“Concert to Feed the Hungry” Graphics Wins Award

Posted on October 2, 2015 by | Comments Off on “Concert to Feed the Hungry” Graphics Wins Award

BGR Staff

The promotional campaign for Buddhist Global Relief’s “Concert to Feed the Hungry” has been recognized with a 2015 American Design Award. Designer Rob Barth of Barth and Company received a Certificate of Excellence from competition sponsor Graphic Design USA. According to the sponsor, the annual event attracted “more than 10,000 entries from around the country, with a highly selective 15% recognized for excellence.”

Rob's Certificate

In response to the award, Rob said: “For me, better than the award is the fact that the campaign successfully promoted the concert and helped raise awareness of world hunger and fund BGR’s efforts to feed hungry people around the world.” It was Rob Barth who also designed BGR’s award-winning logo (see the masthead above), which over the years has been applied masterfully to our promotional materials by our team of talented professional communications designers.

Graphic designers play a major role in shaping cultural attitudes, political advocacy, and consumer spending, and in these capacities their work can be used for both harm and for good. Ethicists in the graphic arts community, well aware that design is a double-edged sword, have been urging graphic artists to use their gifts responsibly. An article titled “Ethics and Social Responsibility” on the website of the Professional Association for Design reminds designers that they work within “a much broader system of moral values and obligations—not just how we do our work, but what it is that we are doing in the first place and the impact it will have on the world.” The article urges graphic designers “to contribute to the betterment of all and to ensure abundance, diversity and health to future generations.”

Through his work for Buddhist Global Relief, Rob Barth has certainly been living up to this commitment. We all congratulate Rob and thank him for his valued contribution.

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A Message to America in the Midst of Our Mourning

Posted on June 24, 2015 by | Comments Off on A Message to America in the Midst of Our Mourning

Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

Rev. William Barber, in a stirring sermon on the Charleston killings, reminds us: “We must be concerned not merely with who the murderer is and what makes him tick, but about the system, the way of life, and the philosophy that produced him and produces others.”

Rev. Dr. William Barber II is the president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP and the national chair of the NAACP’s Legislative Political Action Committee. Since 1993 he has served as pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, in Goldsboro, NC. Rev. Barber has also been the spiritual leader of the Moral Monday movement in North Carolina, which organizes weekly Monday demonstrations in the state to protest state policies on such issues as voter suppression, discrimination, and government legislation that hurts poor citizens. In this capacity he has emerged as one of the leading moral voices in America today, a powerful voice of conscience in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr.

This past Sunday, June 21st, Rev. Barber gave a magnificent sermon on the murder of nine members of the Emanual African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, the previous Wednesday night. The sermon is truly shattering, a stirring call to the conscience of this nation to confront its dark legacy of racism, violence, and discrimination, a legacy that continues today wrapped up in certain code words that advance racist attitudes without violating the conventions of polite discourse.
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Posted in Engaged Buddhism, Interfaith action, News item, Social justice

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Racial Hatred Must Cease

Posted on June 20, 2015 by | 2 comments

Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi

This past Wednesday night (June 17th) nine people, including the pastor, were ruthlessly gunned down at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The murder rips into our hearts and leaves us shocked and speechless. With deep sadness, we extend our deepest compassion to the church’s clergy, its congregation, and the entire African American community of Charleston, who have had to endure a brutal assault on their very identities in their own church, city, state and country.

In this case, the heartrending murder is especially sinister because the attack was clearly a blood-curdling expression of racial hatred perpetrated by a young man who had barely entered adulthood. It’s also shocking because it occurred in a place of sanctity, a place in which the spirit of love and peace should prevail. If murder stemming from racial hatred can occur even in a church, where is safety to be found?

As we convey our sympathy to the survivors, we must call on this country to squarely confront its legacy of racism, a legacy constantly being jump-started by mentally warped radio hosts, news commentators, and inflammatory websites. Even more mainstream news outlets, such as Fox, tried to camouflage the truth, suggesting that the murderer slayed the worshipers because they were Christian rather than because they were black.
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