Once again, may I take this opportunity to thank our many, many generous donors to the BCA over the course of this past year.
The first of the Six Paramitas is Dana, or “giving.” It is one of the most fundamental practices in Buddhism. The BCA, and all of our local churches and temples, cannot survive without the generous “dana” of our members.
Thank you so much for your support and contributions this past year, especially as we faced the terrible COVID-19 pandemic. All of our churches and temples have had to cancel major fundraisers, but despite that, through the generosity and support of local members and the greater community, donations were received to compensate for the lack of fundraisers. On top of that, many of you have donated to the BCA as well. The only word I can say to express our gratitude is, “Namuamidabutsu.”
This year we have launched the Dharma Forward campaign, to raise $15 million for the BCA. This is a lofty goal, but one that I know we can fulfill, in order to truly “move the Dharma forward,” for future generations and for those who have yet to encounter the Shin Buddhist teachings.
The graphic image we are using for this campaign is the monarch butterfly. The monarch butterfly has a yearly migration that takes it first from places in Mexico, flying north, all the way to the northern parts of the United States and into Canada. The butterflies then migrate back to the south, eventually returning to not only the same area of Mexico, but in some cases, to the exact same tree. This journey takes four generations of butterflies to complete over the course of one year. The butterfly that returns to Mexico, is four generations after the butterfly that first left the tree in Mexico. Each generation does its part to complete this annual migration.
Now is our time. It is our generation’s turn to do what we can to insure that the Dharma continues and grows in this country. With your generous dana, I know that we can accomplish our goal.