Thanks to the generous donations from all of you as individuals and as organizations from our local churches and temples, we have already reached 40 percent of our goal for the Dharma Forward campaign.
This year, on top of the ongoing pandemic, we faced so many disturbing world and national events, such as the war in Ukraine, the numerous mass shootings in this country, the reversal of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, and most recently, the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. What is the world coming to, we might think?
We do not have to feel helpless. We do not have to feel powerless that we cannot do anything in light of disturbing national and world events. What we are doing at all of our churches and temples is the most important thing that we can do not only for ourselves, but for the greater society and the world today.
The world today needs the Dharma. The world needs the teaching of interconnectedness that teaches us that we cannot kill another person because that is like killing ourselves. The world needs the teaching of seeing our own greed, anger, and ignorance, and finding the path to transcending the three poisons. The world needs a teaching that relieves us of our stress, our anxiety, and gives us a sense of peace and serenity.
` This is what we are doing at our churches and temples and is what we are offering to others to join us on the path.
Your support of the BCA provides the resources for us to continue to share the Dharma more effectively for our own members and for those waiting to encounter the Buddha-Dharma. There are many who are seeking and searching to find a spiritual teaching that resonates with their hearts and minds, that has not been satisfied by other spiritual paths. May we continue to work to share the Dharma with others as we come to listen to the teachings and appreciate it even for ourselves.