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.

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"Some people think that stringent rules and virtuous deeds are the essence of Buddhism, but these are only a small component of Buddha's skillful and abundant methods. He knew that not everyone is able to understand ultimate truths right from the start. It is difficult for many of us to process concepts such as 'hell is merely the perception of your own aggression,' let alone the concept of emptiness. Buddha doesn't want Jack to be caught in a personal 'hell,' but he can't tell Jack to work with his perceptions and aggression either because Jack is an idiot. So for Jack's sake, Buddha teaches that there is an external hell and that in order to avoid going there and being boiled in molten iron, Jack must stop entertaining his non-virtuous, negative actions and emotions. Such teachings pervade the Buddhist milieu; very often we see hell realms painted on the walls of Buddhist temples, complete with burning bodies and terrifying gorges of frigid water. These images can be taken literally or figuratively, depending on the capacity of the student. Those with superior faculties know that the source of everyday hell, our suffering, stems from our own perceptions. They know that there is no judgment day and there is no judge. Buddha's final aim is to make Jack understand, like these superior students, that there is no hell realm apart from his own aggression and ignorance. By temporarily minimizing his negative actions, Jack is diverted from becoming more entangled with his perceptions, misgivings, and paranoia." More

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