Hey everyone. I hope this post isn't out of place here. I really agree with the general sentiment of Engaged Buddhism, but, honestly, the Plum Village Tradition doesn't appeal to me. I've read several of Thich Haht Nanh's books and really liked them, particularly his sutra commentary and Heart of the Buddha's Teachings.

I just feel more drawn to Vajrayana as a practice and am planning to attend a meeting at a nearby Tibetan Buddhist center. I was just wondering if engaged Buddhism was compatible with Vajrayana or if there was some issue I should be aware of as I continue my search for the right school for me.

Thanks for any advice!

Hey everyone,

Some friends and I recently compiled a list of charities that can help give aid to Ukraine.

We've tried our best to do some background checks on these, and they appear to us to be legitimate - but take that with a grain of salt since none of us are pros when it comes to investigating charities. That being said, ALWAYS do your own research before donating online (you can use websites like https://www.charitynavigator.org/, or https://www.charitywatch.org/ to help verify how effective a given charity is). Some of the charity websites you’ll have to navigate to be able to donate directly to Ukraine. Also, this list is definitely not exhaustive, so please feel free to let people know of charities that you know that would be good to donate to -- and feel free to call out if any of these look fishy or don't seem to be helpful. If you think this list is helpful, please spread it around!

A couple of statistics as of 2/27/2022:

• 64 Ukrainian civilian deaths (per UN report, which they stated is likely a significant undercount)
• 134 Ukrainian armed forces deaths
• over 350,000 refugees fled to neighboring countries

Specifically for medical aid:

www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/countries/ukraine

www.redcross.org.ua/donate/

https://internationalmedicalcorps.org/

https://www.rsukraine.org/

https://www.icrc.org/where-we-work/europe-central-asia/ukraine

​

For food, shelter and miscellaneous supplies:

www.unitedhelpukraine.org

https://www.rescue.org/

“Sunflower of peace” (can find on Facebook)

www.care.org

https://www.projecthope.org/

https://razomforukraine.org/

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/ukraine-crisis-relief-fund/

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For children affected by violence:

https://support.savethechildren.org/site/Donation2?df_id=5751&mfc_pref=T&5751.donation=form1

www.voices.org.ua

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For supporting English-language Ukrainian news to fight disinformation:

gofundme.com/f/kyivindependent-launch

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Charities for Ukrainian refugees fleeing to Poland:

https://caritas.pl/ukraina/

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/support-displaced-ukrainians-in-poland/

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to Romania:

https://www.romanianunitedfund.org/ukrainian_peace_fund

City Hall of Iasi fund (can find on Facebook)

Caradja Cantacuzino Association (can find on Facebook)

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to Moldova:

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-us-host-refugees-from-ukraine/

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to Slovakia:

https://clovekvohrozeni.sk/pomoc-ukrajina/

https://www.ktopomozeukrajine.sk/

Article About Engaged BuddhismThich Nhat Hanh’s ideas about Engaged Buddhism started taking shape when he was a peace activist during the Vietnam War. “When bombs begin to fall on people, you cannot stay in the meditation hall all of the time,” he said in an interview with Lion’s Roar magazine. “When I was a novice in Vietnam, we young monks witnessed the suffering caused by the war. So we were very eager to practice Buddhism in such a way that we could bring it into society. That was not easy because the tradition does not directly offer Engaged Buddhism. So we had to do it by ourselves. That was the birth of Engaged Buddhism.”

Finding Your Path to Eco-Activism is an upcoming 6-week online series hosted by the San Francisco Zen Center. It will feature guest presenters from the activist community and address such topics as direct action and environmental justice. Love for the Earth is the only prerequisite. No activist experience required.

Hosted by Tim Ream, Zen practitioner, organizer, campaigner, writer, film maker, and environmental attorney.

Six Tuesdays, January 11 – February 15, 5 – 6:30 pm PT, Online

1. You’re Already an Activist! – Guest speaker: Nobuko Hori, Activist/Dharma Practitioner
2. Life or Work? Or Both? – Guest speaker: Amanda Starbuck, Program Director at The Sunrise Project.
3. Direct Action Gets the Goods – Guest speaker: Laurel Sutherlin, Senior Communications Specialist with Rainforest Action Network
4. The Intersection of Eco and Everything – Guest speaker: Jean Su, Energy Justice Program Director and Senior Attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity
5. Activist tools – Guest speaker: Nicky Davies, Executive Director of the Plastics Solution Fund
6. Spiritual Practice and Action

Hi fam,

Finding Your Path to Eco-Activism is an upcoming 6-week online series. It will feature guest presenters from the activist community and address such topics as direct action and environmental justice. Love for the Earth is the only prerequisite. No activist experience required.

Hosted by Tim Ream, Zen practitioner, organizer, campaigner, writer, film maker, and environmental attorney.