Generosity, July 30, 2026

Generosity, July 30, 2026


	Click the image to read "Transformative Power of a Gentle Half Smile" (Thich Nhat Hanh)

So many of our reports during the past ten years have been filled with gloom, doom, and bad news. Let's begin this one with good news. Light up your face with a half-smile, and celebrate with us.

A couple of weeks ago, we received a letter from Pariyatti informing us that a Bhutanese monk in Australia wanted to use Jataka Tales of the Buddha in his classes, but was unable to print copies from the locked PDF he had purchased. In his letter to Paryatti, he stated that he would make copies only for his students. Pariyatti was asking us whether we would grant permission for them to provide an unlocked PDF version of the text. Of course, we agreed. Our wish is that the Jataka Tales (as well as all of our books) be used widely, in as many classes and for as many reasons, as possible. We have corresponded with the monk in Australia and offered him the use of all the material we have created for our classes here as well as all of our recordings of individual Jataka stories and activity sheets. We are not teaching much ourselves anymore, but we are overjoyed whenever our teaching materials are being used. We are happpy to make all of this maaterial available to any teacher who would like to use it. Please do not hesitate to send us a request.


Ven. Vasava, Jetavan Monastery, Fort Wayne, Indiana

We have also learned that one of the temples in Indiana is using the Jataka Talcs to teach Dhamma to children of Burmese refugees. In that program, Dr. Kyaw Thet Oo's son, Adrian, who has ordained for the summer, is serving as assistant and translator. We have offered all of our materials to them, as well. We hope that they will also be able to use The Buddha's Eight Great Victories, The Freddie Stories, and A Pilgrim's Companion.


	Click each image to view ithat flyer in PDF.

In response to our flyer describing the damage from severe flooding and landslides in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, we received $550, which has been sent to the camps, through Jessie Wells, an Australian doctor who worked in the camps and knows who best to work with for maximum benefit. Recently, large NGOs, such as MSF, IRC, STC, and UNHCR*, have suffered massive cuts in funding. The refugees have organized their own schools, youth groups, and relief networks. For them, independent donations, such as ours, are crucial. It is a great blessing for us to be able to help, and we are very grateful to our donors.


Click the image to read the article.

According to the Buddha's Teaching, all that is conditioned is dukkha, suffering. This is often shortened to "All is suffering," which has led many to declare that Buddhism is dark and depressing. We would not argue with "The Sea of Suffering is deep and wide," and we accept that, at the core, impermanence inherently causes suffering, but, at the same time, there can be, and is, temporal sukha, happiness. Observing sila, morality, practicing dana, giving, and, through our BRM activities, enabling others to give, brings deep happiness. Admittedly, we don't expect to attain Nibbana in this life, but the piti, joy, we experience in being generous, and sharing that generosity with others is wonderful, in this very life. For this, we express our deepest gratitude to all of you.


	Click the image for more details

You might recall that, in a previous report, several years ago, we noted that Buddhist Cultural Centre had informed us that some of those who had purchased our Jataka Tales of the Buddha: An Anthology, had inquired about a publication of the remaining stories in the Jataka. BCC asked us to complete the collection. We considered their request and even announced our determination to undertake the task. Then, we realized, however, that during the twenty-five years we spent retelling the 217 tales, we had selected almost all of the stories which we felt truly merited retelling. The remaining 330 were, for the most part, too short, very similar to stories we had chosen, or simply not interesting enough as a short story. We quietly abandoned the project. The other day, we were surprised to find a new set of Jataka Tales of the Buddha, published by BCC, for sale at the Buddhist Publication Society Bookshop in Kandy.

A couple of weeks ago, our friend, Kona, informed us that he and his Russian wife, Kira, wanted to invite some of the Russian monks they met at our house to a dana for their son's birthday. Of course, we wanted to send yhe boy a birthday e-card. We felt, however, that the e-cards from Daily Zen, which we love, were not really suitable for a two-year-old. Nor were any of the cards we found on other sites. The only solution was to make a musical card ourselves. It was really quite easy and fun. We chose one of our favorite Buddhist hymns, extracted a series of images of the Buddha from "Strive On With Diligence," inserted, "Happy Birthday, Nisala Fyodor," and Voila!



	Here is a charming video of little Fedya (nickname) and his sister, watching and listening to the card.
			Here is a the same song with the same images in a video, posted with the song as the title in order to respect copyright. We hope you enjoy it as much as Fedya did.

We have, in past reports, told stories of and posted many photos of our cats, Leo and Michelle. We have, however, one more pet. Lily's dog, Reni, a very friendly canine who has no street sense and knows nothing about the dangers of traffic. During the day, she is tethered by a long chain, either at the gazebo or in the carport, which has been divided into an outdoor kitchen and a patio. When the monkeys come, and raise havoc (sometimes playing with the satellite dish, stealing underwear and other clothes off the line, breaking into the outdoor kitchen, and eating anything available), Reni wants to chase them. The monkeys know that she cannot get at them, so they sit in the trees and on the roof and taunt her. In her misery and frustration, Reni whimpers loudly and grinds her teeth.


	"Playmates," by Shawna Lewis

At night, when the gate is firmly closed, she is allowed to run freely and serves as a watchdog. One night, Visakha heard a strange sound. She could tell that part of the noise was coming from Reni, but the dog was not whining, barking, or howling. It almost sounded as if she was laughing! Visakha called Lily, who was watching TV upstairs, and she went out with a flashlight (torch). To her great suprise, she found that Reni was playing with a porcupine. The two of them, seemingly best friends, were romping and frolicking around the garden, having a wonderful time, and causing no trouble at all. We knew that the porcupine had been coming into the garden from the jungle below. It had eaten the bark off some young trees and devoured several plants. We had naively assumed that Reni, afraid of the sharp quills, would have stayed away from the critter, not become its playmate!

Visakha related this story on the phone to several friends, and everyone enjoyed it. Shawna was so taken by the tale that she asked us to send photos, both close ups and full views of Reni. Knowing that Shawna is an artist, we realized what she had in mind, and we also sent a few photos of the Sri Lankan porcupine, which is significantly different from its American cousin. We would like to share a picture of her creation, which we has mailed to us, and, when it arrives, we will frame it and hang it in a place of honor. Perhaps, visitors' questions will give us a chance to retell the story.

Ashoka's daughter. Rebecca, is a member of a social action group called F2K (Focus to Keep). Their latest project was providing assistance to a n orphanage (called Chai Ping, in Chinese) in Colombo, so we gave them part of the donation we had received for orphans and printed 36 copies of coloring books we had created several years ago for the Children's Covid Ward of Peradeniya Hospital. On Sunday, July 19, Ashoka went with the group by bus, and it was a joyous event.


		Click this image to view our PDF flyer about Calvin.			Our cover design for the new Kindle edition

We have learned that Razor-Wire Dharma, by Calvin Malone, is virtually out of print, and Wisdom Publications has given no indication that they intend to reprint it.Amazon has only one copy of the paperback edition available for $45.95. This is a shame. The book is a profound description of Buddhism in practice and a valuable read for everyone. We feel that it should certainly be in every prison library. Calvin would like it to be available to prisoners at a price they can afford. One option Calvin mentioned in this regard is an ebook edition that prisoners can download and read in the tablets they use for games. It seems that Wisdom had originally published a Kindle edition for $5, but this is no longer available. With Calvin's cooperation, we are editing the text for a new Kindle edition, with new graphics, but we have not yet received permision from Wisdom, which holds the copyright. (Thanks to David Loy, a Wisdom Publications author, for helpinig us contact the appropriate editor.) Interestingly, Calvin informed us that Razor-Wire Dharma has been translated and published in German and Korean and that permission has been given for a Chinese translation. We are in contact with a woman in Chiang Mai who is interested in producing a Thai translation to be placed in prisons throughout the country. Wunderbaar! We will keep ou informed of developments

It is always a great joy to invite the Sangha to our house for dana. At these events, we welcome as many friends as are able to come, to share merit with friends worldwide, and to remember departed friends and relatives. Since our lasl report, we have held three danas, and our next is scheduled for Sunday, August 9.



	Click each image to view a PDF file.

In the jungle on the hill below our house, in addition to porcupines, Ashoka has spotted a pair of barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak). We think we have heard their voices once or twice, but we have not yet seen them. May they be happy, and may they live long!

There are two regular occasions each month when we can give joy to a lot of people. On every full-moon day, all of the young men at the Methasevana Youth Rehabilitation Center, a monk gives a lesson and leads all of the young men in meditation. We provide box lunches. On the fifteenth of every month, Amila, the counselor at that center, joins us in making egg-salad sandwiches for HIgh Tea at the Kandy Cancer Home. Often, other friends join whenever they are free. Lily prepares vegetable cutlets, soup, and juice. Ashoka carries all of that along with bananas, yogurt, and dry rations to the center in Hanthana, near Kandy National Hospital.

Since our last report, we have been hosts to four SERVAS guests and a Sri Lankan human rights activist who was leading a seminar in Kandy.


Elena and Lorenzo, SERVAS, Spain	Hamsa and Aditya, SERVAS, India	Yasodara

Budhist Relief Mission is happy to continue our cooperaion with Helping Hands Ceylon. Vandana's next project is in Mullaitivu.

Our house is shared by many others. Almost every day, we find bugs and other crawlies in the courtyard, and we use a plastic case and a clipboard to convey them outside. Today (July 30), we had several delightful visitors. Every morning, Lily offers food to a crow who flies to the wall outside the kitchen. Now, he will even eat out of her hand. Visakha likes to cut off of a piece of her mornimg toast to share with the crow, as well. This morning, our visitor was accompanied by a host, perhaps half a murder, of other crows. They were all answering our daily call of "Caw! Caw!" and making a racket of their own. Ken watched through the screen door as they took turns flying down to the roof of the storeroom to eat from a curd pot of rice and other leftovers. Yesterday, Leo left a dead mouse as a gift for us in the office bathroom. Fearng that there may be more scampering around, we sent Ashoka on a mission, and he returned from downtown with two inexpensive, but sturdy (Dare we say, professional?) live traps. He will escort the criters we catch to the river and release them.

Returning to the theme of generosity, a Jataka tale that we have used in our classes is very relevant in that it demonstrates the kammic results of selfishness, stinginess, and jealousy. It is No. 33 in Volume I, "Always Hungry, Losaka Jataka." As you read the story or watch the videos, can you relate the resident bhikkhu to anyone you know?

	Jataka Tales of the Buddha: An Anthology Retold by Ken and Visakha Kawasaki		Wat San Fran Animated Buddhist Stories on YouTube





			Established in 2002 as a center for the teaching and practice of Theravada Buddhism, San Fran Dhammaram Temple is the first Thai temple in the city of San Francisco. https://watsanfran.org/ https://www.youtube.com/@watsanfran

We appreciate letters, messages, phone calls, and chats. Feedback on this report is also welcome. By all means, let's keep in touch.

To Contact Us
Email	kawasaki@brelief.org	Email	buddhist@brelief.org
Tel (Sri Lanka)	077-964-9292	Messenger	KenVisakha Kawasaki
WhatsApp	+94-77-964-9292	Facebook	KenVisakha Kawasaki
152/1 Riverdale Road, Anniwatte, 20000, Sri Lanka

NOTE
* Médecins Sans Frontières, International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, United Nations High Commmissioner for Refugees

Buddhist Relief Mission

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