12.12.12 Sandy Relief Concert (webcast)

121212concert.org; RobinHood.org; TheGarden.com; YouTube.com; Wisdom Quarterly

Rockers care on 12-12-12 at the Hurricane Sandy Relief Concert. Thank you Bob Geldof, a.k.a. "Pink," of the Boomtown Rats (LindseyCarlton/instagram.com)

Help the Robin Hood Foundation bring relief to Hurricane Sandy survivors on the east coast of the United States. And enjoy a world-class rock concert in the process. HERE'S HOW TO WATCH:

Donate online. Nirvana reunites on stage with Beatle Paul McCarthy as Kurt Cobain!

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12.12.12 Global Meditation (video)

TheMasterShift.com; Wisdom Quarterly; 121212concert.org; Quest4pce/flickr (photo)

The time has come. Today on 12.12.12 the entire world will be uniting in two global meditations to uplift humanity and bring about a positive shift as we enter a New Age. And there's a little concert for Sandy relief to unite everyone through music if global meditation is not their thing.

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Bhikkhu Bodhi WALKS to Feed the Hungry

Bhikkhu Bodhi (Buddhist Global Relief, FirstGiving.com); Wisdom Quarterly

Bhikkhu Bodhi, prolific translator

LOS ANGELES, California - On Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 beginning at 9:00 am, American Buddhist scholar-monk Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is helping raise money to provide for the hungry. All are invited to meet like minded fellows and have a great time! Donate now. Registration will start at 9:00 am at Santa Monica's New Crossroads School (3131 Olympic Bl., Santa Monica), where some parking is available. The walk will start at 10:00 am and follow a three-mile route ending at Against the Stream (1001a Colorado Bl.) in Santa Monica, where a potluck lunch will be served. Participants are welcome to drop off food and beverages at Against the Stream before the walk. More

• Contact: Tom Moritz
• 310-963-0199
• tom.moritz@gmail.com

The mission of Buddhist Global Relief (BGR) is to provide relief to the poor and needy throughout the world regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender, or religion. Bearing in mind the Buddha's statements that "Hunger is the worst kind of illness" and "The gift of food is the gift of life," BGR focuses on providing food aid to those afflicted by hunger and food-insecurity. Its long-range goal, however, is to combat all manifestations of poverty that detract from the inherent dignity of human life.

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American Buddhists walk to feed the hungry

Bhikkhu Bodhi (firstgiving.com); Wisdom Quarterly

This October the world's leading American Buddhist scholar-monk, advocate for women, and teacher of Wisdom Quarterly's editors, Bhikkhu Bodhi, will be walking, walking, and walking to feed the hungry.

  

Join the walk in New York, Los Angeles, and Escondido! Why? Every year hunger and hunger-related illnesses claim the lives of ten million people, half of them children. Knowing this breaks not only the heart of this preeminent monk and translator, but of all compassionate Americans. It's even worse knowing that instead of funding endless wars, just a few dollars can do much to relieve this needless human suffering.

• Bhikkhu Bodhi to visit Dharma Punx, Santa Monica, Oct. 29

Ven. Bodhi is an inspiration to Buddhists worldwide with his acclaimed translations of the Buddha's collection of sutras that have become the standard.
  
After giving so much of his life to studying and translating the Buddha’s discourses, he has gone a further step to show us the importance of putting compassion into action. 

As the great empire of force, theft, and violence, we must also help -- really help -- where it’s needed most. Buddhist Global Relief (BGR) exists because of his efforts, and it continues to be guided by his wisdom, compassion, and virtue. BGR is dedicated to combating global hunger and effectively changing and saving lives.

  

Individual stories may break our hearts, but they also lift our spirits, inspiring us to keep on walking for the benefit of the helpless. Walks such as these give poor and hungry people the resources, tools, and hope they need to live healthy, productive lives and become a source of help to others.

  

Do something

Now you have the chance to support Bhikkhu Bodhi’s walk to help change the course of someone’s life. Every dollar given makes a real difference, enabling children to eat, girls to go to school, farmers to grow more crops, and women to support their families. Learn more about how BGR works and hear Bhikkhu Bodhi’s words of encouragement at buddhistglobalrelief.org.

• Pacifica Radio out to save the world 
• Torturing accused in Los Angeles jails
• "Food Playground," permaculture in LA 
• Walk? Take Three Simple Steps
• VIDEO: Dr. Sebi cures all diseases

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Audio Dharma by Bhikkhu Bodhi

Bhikkhu Bodhi, Tricycle.com, Chaung Yen Monastery

Afghan (Gandhara) style Buddha (San Francisco Asian Museum)

  

From the wide range of meditation subjects found in the Buddha’s discourses [sutras], the ancient teachers of the Theravada tradition have selected four subjects and grouped them into a set known as “the four protective meditations”: 

1. Recollection of the Buddha
2. Loving-kindness meditation
3. Contemplating the Unattractive Nature of the Body
4. Mindfulness of Death

The four are called “protective” meditations because each offers protection from a particular unwholesome tendency and reinforces a beneficial quality essential to the path. 

  

The four can be developed either as a preparation for a more intensive type of meditation or as independent subjects.

1. Recollection of the Buddha protects against dissatisfaction and generates faith [confidence] and devotion, which in turn give rise to joy. 
2. Loving-kindness is the antidote to ill will and generates feelings of friendliness and altruistic concern.
3. Contemplating the unattractive nature of the body debilitates sensual lust and inclines the mind toward disenchantment and [liberating] dispassion. 
4. Mindfulness of death is a potent remedy for heedlessness, reminding us of the transience of everything we cherish.

Over the next four weeks [the American monk] Bhikkhu Bodhi* will explain each of these meditation subjects in turn and conduct each as a guided meditation.

• Buddhist Global Relief
• A Critique of Bhikkhu Bodhi
• Reading Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations and copious commentary, one clearly understands he has a dry-insight method bias [characteristic of the Theravada school of the past few centuries], to the detriment of absorption practice (jhana).
• The Appeal of Buddhism in the West
• Padmasambhava predicted that, "When the iron eagle flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered over the Earth and the Dharma will go to the land of the red man" (Westerners were considered reddish pink by Asians).

*Ven. Bodhi teaches at Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. He is currently translating the Anguttara Nikaya, The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha.

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Burmese Monks Defy Ban on Private Relief Efforts.

Myanmar's military government, which has a relief hub just 10 miles north in the town of Bogalay, has not delivered aid to scores of remote villages like this across some of the most devastated areas of the Irrawaddy River delta. For now, the villagers' only hope is goods that arrive from time to time in an underground supply chain operated by Buddhist monks in Bogalay, who are defying the ban on private relief operations in the delta.

James: The Burmese Sangha has shown such courage and compassion toward the people from the protests last year to helping victims of the recent cyclone. They clearly understand the importance of compassion to the point of risking their own lives and safety to help as many people as they can. All despite many monasteries being destroyed and severely damaged.

Their efforts are even more noble when you consider that the monks themselves don't have a lot and usually rely upon the laity for their food. Yet here they are giving and helping in any and all ways they can. However, I'm not surprised being how centered in oneness that these monks know and practice. They intimately know the interconnected between all beings and that helping others is not different and no less important than helping oneself.

It is not an exaggeration to say that monks are trained to help the people. Their vows are quite centered upon working for the betterment and liberation of the people from suffering and their response to the aftermath of this disaster is a powerful expression of those values.

They are a cherished example for me in how to deal with severe suffering in my own life and in the lives of other people. The monks have suffered as much as the people and yet they are being pro-active and not wallowing in their sorrow. They are a wonderful example that helping others can help ease our own suffering. Too often when I am in deep pain and suffering I retreat from others into a place where I feel self-pity as if I am the only person suffering in the world. The monks are a beautiful reminder of why I do my best to follow the Dharma.

In the confusion of the aftermath of cyclone nargis many believe that it was the result of the "bad karma" of the victims. That, however, is somewhat short-sighted says one Burmese monk, "If the government would have warned people, they would not have died. So this disaster is not karma; it is a natural case of cause and effect by humans."

~Peace to all beings~

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Malaysian Buddhists Rally to Help Burmese Cyclone Victims.

James: Do you want to help the Burmese victims of Cyclone Nargis but don't know who to donate to? Hopefully the below information will give you some direction.

The Buddhist Channel, May 8, 2008

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia -- Myanmar, more than any country in the world had popularised Buddhist meditation, hosting practitioners at its monasteries and sending teachers all over the world.
Now it is in time of need.

Reacting with utter disbelief at the scale of the disaster wrought by Cyclone Nargis where an estimated 100,000 people lost their lives, key Malaysian Buddhist organizations have mobilized their resources to bring aid to the devastated country.

The following organisations are collecting funds and some also accepting foodstuff and medicinal products to help the cyclone victims in Myanmar.

Readers are encouraged to circulate the information to support these relief efforts.

1. Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia (presently collecting funds only)
Donation may be sent by post to Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia, 123, Jalan Berhala, 50470, Kuala Lumpur. Donors are advised to make all contribution by cheque only made payable to "Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia." Please write "Myanmar" behind the cheque.

2. Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (presently collecting funds only)
All cheques are to be payable to "Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia". Please indicate "Myanmar Relief Fund" at back of the cheques. Donors may bank in the cheques to YBAM Public Bank account: 3063802219 and send the bank in slip for our record at YBAM Secretariat, 9, Jalan SS25/24, Taman Mayang 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

3. Subang Jaya Buddhist Association (collecting funds & material)
Lot PT 12593, Jalan Kewajipan, SS 13, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor D.E.
Please donate dry foodstuff (noodles, biscuits, etc), canned food, mineral water, medicine etc. at SJBA for us to send to Myanmar. Cash donation is also welcome.(Tel: 03-56315299, e-mail: sjba@streamyx.com)

4. Siri Jayanti Association , Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple, (collecting funds & material)
Ven. Saranankara Nayaka Maha Thero says that if sufficient amount of items can be collected to fill a container, then it will be personally sent to Myanmar. Otherwise, the collection will be consolidated with items from SJBA to be forwarded to Myanmar.

Meanwhile Tzu Chi Malaysia said that nine of their relief workers are planning to leave for Myanmar this Saturday for ground assessment. If successful, this will be the first batch of Tzu Chi team to make it into Myanmar.

Members of the public who wish to make donations to Tzu Chi are advised to bank in directly into their account:

International Disaster Relief Fund
MBB A/C: 004067500119

Other relief / aid organizations

Those unable to reach the temples can donate online to the following trusted organisations with ppl already in Myanmar.

• Buddhist Relief Organisation ( http://www.brelief.org/cyclone/cyclone_relief.html)
• Journeys Within Our community ( http://www.journeyswithinourcommunity.org/ )

~Peace to all beings~

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