Fraught with Peril, Rich with Possibility, April 25, 2026
Ten years ago, no one could have believed that the state of the world--environmentally, politically, diplomatically, and morally--would deteriorate so drastically and so fast as it has now, April 2026. The blatant genocide of the Palestinians and the complete destruction of Gaza has gone on, with the world watching nightly on TV, for two and a half years. Israel and the United States are waging wars in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, not to mention the turmoil in which those two countries have been involved in Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and Syria. Israel and the United Sstates have repeatedly and openly flouted international and humanitarian laws, and Trump has blatantly proclaimed that, for him, international law is based on his own morality. The United Nations has been reduced to a toothless paper tiger.The COP conferences, despite brilliant reports of damning evidence of environmental destruction and threats of danger, being virtually controlled by big oil, have had little effect on weakening climate change or offsetting the impending climate catastrophe. Almost no world leaders have stood up and spoken out against these atrocities. Are they unwilling, or is the deck so stacked against them that they cannot? In either case, the truth is that "Everything Is Broken," and, unless something is done to "fix" things soon, the entire structure may fall, or even, perhaps, humanity and all other life on the planet may disappear.
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Democracy Now! - October 9, 2024
"The First Live-Streamed Genocide":
Al Jazeera Exposes War Crimes Israeli Troops Filmed Themselves
(A little old, but still important and relevant)
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Times of India Interview with Jeffrey Sachs
US won't succeed in Iran: Jeffrey Sachs gives a reality check to Trump on Persian civilisation
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A packed house in the European Parliament on February 19, 2025 heard Professor Jeffrey Sachs outline the cold realities of US power, and Europe's subordination to it. At an event titled The Geopolitics of Peace, hosted by former UN Assistant Secretary General and current BSW MEP Michael von der Schulenburg, Professor Sachs warned the audience, 'To be an enemy of the United States is dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal,' and urged Europe to have an 'real' and independent foreign policy - 'A foreign policy that is realistic, that understands Russia's situation, that understands Europe's situation, and that understands what America is and what it stands for.' |
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Jeffrey Sachs at the EU Parliament
The Geopolitics of Peace
February 19, 2025
One year old, but still very relevant and timely
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All are Youtube
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What is needed is concerted and decisive action, activism, if you will. The call to action must be repeated loudly and often enough that it will be heard--"Once Is not Enough"! We must thank Pope Leo XIV for his lessons on morality and his constant and incisive rebukes of Trump's misdeeds and Jeffrey Sachs for clearly enunciating in frequent interviews the madness of the White House and the course of action necessary to save the world.
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Gaza - Mohammed Abed
AFP/Getty Images
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Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman
April 13, 2026
YOUTUBE
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Tehran- AFP
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A Haunting Anti-War Song the World Needs Right Now
YOUTUBE
More songs by Bleeding Strings
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BREAKING NEWS!
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| On April 15, Italy suspended a defense agreement with Israel which had been automatical[y renewed since 2006. This has created a scandal which has completely exposed the secret mission of Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, to gather information throughout Europe.
This is not a case of anti-semitism, anymore than a pro-Palestinian protest is. It is a call for justice, truthfulness, and fairness. The spy network of Mossad (very similar to the American CIA) and surrepticious actions of Israel that this has revealed make one wonder what else that agency is doing around the world and how many disasters and assassinations it has been involved in since its creation!
Both of these YOUTUBE videos are excellent in revealing what much of the mainstream media has refused to cover.
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We wonder where Buddhists stand on these issues. Except for Mary Thanissara's and Christopher Titmuss's substacks, there seem to be few Buddhist leaders speaking out against the genocide of the Rohingya in Maynmar, which has been going on since 2017, the genocide of the Palestinians, and the US-Israeli war in Iran. The Walk for Peace was impressive and caught the attention of many Americans, as well as millions around the world, but, unfortunately, its effect appears negligible. It made everyone feel good, but, by neither focusing on nor mentioning these catastrophes, few related it to what is actually happening. It accomplished little more than creating a sense of "Peace," as an ideal. Buddhist leaders must grab a microphone or a pen, follow Pope Leo's example, repeatedly speak out or write against war, and loudly proclaim the Eternal Law of Peace. The Buddha's teaching on nonviolence and harmony is very clear. There is no such thing as a "just war"! Buddhists represent more than five hundred million people around the world. If enough of us can be urged to act and to realize that Muslims are not the enemy, we can with loving-kindness, compassion, and generosity, redirect the course of events and prevent the immanent disaster that threatens our vulnerable world.
Dana, generosity, is one of the most important concepts in the Buddha's teaching. It is the first step in a gradual discourse; it is the first of wholesome actions for making merit; it is the first of the perfections (
paramis) leading to Buddhahood. The Buddha extolled generosity in many of the suttas. Generosity, combined with compassion, may well be the key to the relief of suffering in the world and the salvation of humanity. Nearly 40% of the world's population is considered "poor," and more than 10 % live in extreme poverty.
However, we all know that there are enough resources in the world and enough wealth, if it were converted into essential commodities, to offer everyone a decent standard of living. There are, admittedly, problems in distribution, transportation, and the infrastructure necessary for relief efforts, but the overriding problem is that the resources and the wealth are controlled by a handful of individuals and corporations at the top. As long as this extreme inequality persists, the rich will continue to live in the seeming comfort their riches allow, and the poor will continue to suffer hunger, destitution, and the effects of pollution, famine, and climate catastrophe.
The opposite of generosity is stinginess, greed, or miserliness. These three unwholesome qualities are manifested quite differently. Stinginess is, perhaps the direct opposite of generosity, giving, for it implies the unwillingness to part with any of one's possessions. Greed implies the desire for more, which, by extension, implies "not sharing," for that would decrease one's own possessions. Miserliness is the hoarding of possessions, neither sharing nor using one's wealth for one's own good. We can see all three of these characteristics at work in the world today. They are very apparent among many in the top 1% of the population, the "billionaire class." There have been philanthropists, and there are a few now, who have used their wealth generously for the betterment of the lower classes and the poor--Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and C. S. Mott, just to name a few--but many more are needed.
Miserliness, perhaps the most pernicious of the three qualities, is graphically and delighyfully portrayed in a Jataka, "Illisa Jataka, The Miserly Treasurer," which we would like to share.
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https://www.sundaytimes.lk/260419/news/aloka-to-join-peace-walk-but-stray-threats-remain-a-concern-639457.html |
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FACEBOOK
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KACPAW'
April 17 |
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Aloka to join peace walk, but stray threats remain a concern
By Kasun Warakapitiya April 19. 2026
Security arrangements are being finalised for Aloka, the peace dog, who is set to take part in the Walk-for-Peace programme by Buddhist monks from the United States in
Sri Lanka, beginning next Tuesday.
Venerable Melpitiye Wimalakitthi Thera confirmed that the "peace dog," which captured the hearts of millions in the US during the monks' 2,300-mile peace march across America, will participate in the programme. However, it remains uncertain whether Aloka will be able to join the walk in the same way as in the United States.
The monk noted that concerns have been raised about threats from stray dogs. He explained that Sri Lanka's community dogs could start barking and disrupt the Walk-for-Peace.
To address these concerns, a meeting was held on Friday with security forces officers overseeing the programme. Ven. Wimalakitthi Thera assured that necessary precautions would be taken to ensure Aloka's safety.
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Walk for Peace Sri Lanka,
Dear Ven. Sirs, Must the Sri Lankan street dogs disappear for your Peace Walk in Sri Lanka?
If not please tell the organizers here in Sri Lanka and the authorities to not remove our street dogs.
I have been told by the Kandy MC to remove some addorable street dogs from in front of the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy to accommodate your team and whatever activity.
These dogs are spayed, fully vaccinated and are much -loved community dogs minding their business, causing no harm to anyone and have been living there for years.
How ironical it would be to remove these dogs to accommodate you and Aloka, an Indie Street Dog, and for PEACE?
These dogs are our "Alokas."
070 504 6306 - Champa Fernando, Secretary KACPAW
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Dhammacetiya, The Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas
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Ven. Pannacara and the other monks on the Walk for Peace are from Huong Dao Bhavana Meditation Center in Fort Worth, Texas This is the multi-million-dollar grandiose project of that center for which the monks are raising money. |
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All the teachings of the Buddha (Tipitaka) will be stored in these 840 stupas. These teachings will be engraved in Romanized Pali and English on more than 3,000 stone slabs and inscribed on the bronze plates in the languages of eight Buddhist countries: Magadhi Pali, Bengali, Sinhala, Burmese, Khmer, Thai, Laotian, and Vietnamese.
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When we left Japan in 1999, Barbara was the last person to visit us in Kashihara. She came the night before we flew, and we had a lovely farewell evening. Through the years, we kept in touch. We knew that she had adopted a second daughter from China, had left Japan, had resettled in Hawai'i, and had volunteered with Tzu Chi Foundation after the tragic fire in Maui. We were delighted at the end of last year to learn that she was planning to visit us again this year. Combining a three-week stay in Sri Lanka with a SERVAS vacation in New Zealand and Australia and a visit with her daughters, who are working in Singapore and South Korea, she arrived in Colombo on February 20. Similar to other guests we have had during our twenty years here in Sri Lanka, Barbara had little interest in sightseeing around the island. She was quite content to enjoy our peaceful house and to assist Buddhist Relief Mission. As a former ESL teacher like us, she became interested in Merit and offered to help us finish the textbook, which we are eager to accomplish. There are a few more dialogues on the pilgrimage sites to be written and many exercises for about fifteen lessons. We would love to see it published and being used in monasteries and Buddhist ESL classes, but it really needs a lot of work, time, and determination!
Soon after arriving, Barbara met another Barbara, Mike's mother, who often spends Wednesday afternnoon with us. The two Barbaras hit it off splendidly and arranged several visits to some of the important sites around Kandy, including the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya and the Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala.
Barbara had asked what she could bring as a donation, and we suggested an oxygen-tank regulator, of which, since they often break, Kandy Hospital is always in need, but, unfortunately, they were temporarily unavailable on Amazon Australia. Instead, she brought a high-quality digital blood pressure machine, whch she donated to Dr. Salahudeen. He, in turn, presented it to the Vascular Surgery unit of Kandy Hospital, and the staff were delighted. Sadhu! Sadhu!! Sadhu!!!
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Books Available from Buddhist Relief Mission
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Click any book cover for a description and information on purchasing worldwide
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We are happy to anouonce the publication of the Russian translation of Volumes II and III of Jataka Tales of the Buddha
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We have heard that Volumes II and III of the Spansh translation have also been published, but we have not yet received copies.
Unfortunately, the French tranlation seems to have been put on hold, and we have not received any information about that publication for quite a while.
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On Sunday, April 19, after our weekly ESL class, we had an enjoyable visit with Navin Gooneratne, Chairman of Light of Asia Capital, a non-profit organization located in Colombo, and his family. One of his current projects is Sutra Renaissance, the production of short videos of suttas from the Tipitaka. The essence of each sutta is skillfully presented, combining live action with realistic animation. In our library, Navin found a copy of a book from India on Anuradhapura which he will find useful in a video he is making on the ancient capital of Sri Lanka, in coordination with the development of historical park there. Navin was delighted to see The Freddie Stories and has promised to make a video of one of the stories, about which we are, of course, very excited! Thank you, Amal, for inroducing us to Navin. Sadhu! Sadhu!! Sadhu!!!
We invite you to watch some of these videos and to send your comments either to Navin <navinsrilanka@gmail.com> or to us <buddhist@brelief.org>.
In March, we hosted three SERVAS guests.
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Nikolas and his daughter from Germany
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Ida from Sweden
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On April 15, Ken's nephew, Robert "Butch" Otto, passed away in Missouri. He was the son of Joyce, Ken's eldest sister.We met Robert, his wife, Carole, and their children several times at family gatherings, but Ken's fondest memory of him is from the summer of 1957, a few months before Ken's accident, the encounter with a motorclycle that almost cost his life. Ken spent serveral weeks with Joyce, Bob, and the kids in Independence, Missouri. Butch, Mike, Susan, and Ken had great fun playing in the sun. It was the longest period of time that Ken had ever been away from home.
Another memory: When Ken was in first grade, his teacher told the class to remind their parents that they should register any children who would be enrolling for the next year. That evening, Ken asked his mother whether she should register Butch and Mike, who were living with us. "No," she replied, "they're my grandchildren." The next morning, Ken dutifully told his teacher, "Butch and Mike won't be coming to school. They're my grandchildren."
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Robert Dale Otto II
1949 - 2026
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We appreciate letters, messages, phone calls, and chats. Feedback on this report is also welcome. By all means, let's keep in touch.
Buddhist Relief Mission
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