Welcome to the Helping Hands Podcast.
Buddhist Global Relief's Helping  Hands Podcast:
In 2007 Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi wrote an essay titled: “A Challenge to Buddhists,” where he called attention to American Buddhism’s neglect of the active dimension of Buddhist compassion through social engagement. Several of his students responded to this call and, in 2008, founded Buddhist Global Relief (BGR) under his leadership. Today, the organization has over 50 projects around the world and in the U.S. The projects supported by BGR are focused on combating chronic hunger and malnutrition through supporting mostly community-based programs dedicated to educating poor children, especially girls, sustainable agriculture, livelihood projects, and direct food aid.

This podcast intends to give listeners a chance to learn more about the work and vision of BGR through conversation with our project partners, our advisors, spiritual friends, and other prominent Buddhist teachers who share our vision of engaged Buddhism. We also engage with socially conscious artists and culture workers who support BGR and also play a role in expanding our notion of compassionate action. The podcast’s host Daniel Blake is a Brooklyn-based jazz musician, Dharma practitioner, and BGR’s board member. Helping Hands podcast is not only for Buddhist practitioners but for anyone who recognizes the need for compassion in action in the interconnected world that we are all part of.

Helping Hands Podcast - Introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi

Buddhist Global Relief Helping Hands Podcast
Episode 1: "No Such Thing As Disengaged Buddhism", with Alan Senauke

Read more about Buddhist Global Relief and its projects, and make a tax-deductible donation to assist communities around the world in need at www.buddhistglobalrelief.org

Hozan Alan Senauke is a Soto Zen priest, social activist, folk musician, and poet. Abbot of Berkley Zen Center. He is a former Executive Director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF) and a co-founder of Think Sangha- a think tank affiliated with BPF and International Network of Engaged Buddhists– exploring pressing social issues and concerns. In 2017 he founded the Clear View project (www.clearviewproject.org/), which promotes Buddhist-based resources for social change in Asia and in the U.S. He serves on the Upaya Zen Center's chaplaincy program faculty. The list of his public engagements and accomplishments is vast and prolific.

In today's episode, we discuss the meaning of engaged Buddhism and what Alan Senake calls "appropriate response" in today's polarized society. We discuss his work with the Clear View Project and why it is important for him to be an internationalist. Next, Hozan talks about the role of music in his life and his path to discovering music that is not dissimilar to his discovery and embrace of the Dharma. Lastly, we touch on the crisis of the U.S. prison system and Alan Senauke's decades-long friendship with Jarvis Jay Masters (www.freejarvis.org), a Dharma practitioner and writer who is currently on death row at San Quentin State prison in California.

Extended interview b/w Dan Blake and Jarvis Jay Masters: Danblake – Jarvis-jay-masters-interviewed-by-daniel-blake

Ep. 1 - "No Such Thing As Disengaged Buddhism", w/ Alan Senauke

Buddhist Global Relief Helping Hands Podcast
Episode 2 - "Compassion Is Like A Muscle" Ven. Ayya Yeshe, Poor People's Campaign

Read more about Buddhist Global Relief and its projects, and make a tax-deductible donation to assist communities around the world in need at www.buddhistglobalrelief.org

Ven. Ayya Yeshe is an Australian bhikkhuni in the Tibetan tradition. She is a founder of the Bodhiccita Foundation, one of BGR's partners, a grassroots Buddhist organization empowering some of the world's poorest and most oppressed communities. She found Buddhism early on in her life when, as she says, she was a "street kid" battling depression. Her first trip to India made her much more aware of the impact of poverty and the immense gap between rich and poor, especially women.

In this episode, we discuss her path to teaching, her work with the Bodhiccita foundation (bodhicitta-vihara.com/), and the need for all of us to look outside of ourselves. She gives guidance on what each of us can do to break the cycle of being what she calls "samsaraholics" and become sober on self- grasping. We discuss why it is essential to focus on assistance for women and young girls specifically. Finally, we speak about white supremacy, the necessity to recognize its roots, its omnipresent effects, and how to begin healing.
Bodhicitta Dakini Monastery: bodhicitta-monastery.com

We also hear from Charon Hribar and Pauline Pisano of the Poor People's Campaign. The Poor People’s Campaign is a movement begun by Martin Luther King in the 1960s and was recently taken up by the Revs. William Barber and Liz Theoharis. Their call for a “moral revival” echoes King’s belief in a non-violent but urgent movement that pressures legislators to center the needs of poor and working class communities in how they set public policy. We hear about art and advocacy, and the upcoming June 18 mobilization in Washington D.C.
www.poorpeoplescampaign.org

Ep. 2 - "Compassion Is Like A Muscle" (Ven. Ayya Yeshe, Poor People's Campaign)

Buddhist Global Relief Helping Hands Podcast
Episode 3 - "Sustainable Change, One Seed At A Time" Samuel Nderitu of GBIACK(Grow Biontensive Agriculture Centure of Kenya)
Learn more about the work of Buddhist Global Relief and make a tax-deductible contribution at www.buddhistglobalrelief.org

Today, my guest is Samuel Nderitu, who, together with his wife Peris, are co-founders and co-directors of G- BIACK (Grow Biointensive Agricultural Center of Kenya, www.g-biack.org). G-BIACK is one of BGR's partners in Kenya. Its mission is to help eradicate poverty and improve poor communities' health and living standards by promoting ecologically viable and sustainable agriculture and development strategies. About 4 years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Kenya and see the fantastic work that G-BIACK is doing. Both Samuel and Peris are certified graduates of Manor House Agricultural Centre (MHAC) Kitale, Kenya. Samuel also holds a diploma in community-based development and Peris in Community Health, majoring in HIV/AIDS. Samuel and Peris are public speakers and international representatives of Grow Biointensive (GB) method. Their Kenyan center has trained GB experts who then replicate the model in other communities and counties such as Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Tanzania, to name some.

In our conversation today, we discuss G- BIACK's work to help produce healthy food for the communities and provide them and their family with a reliable income. We discuss the pitfalls of using GMO seeds and chemicals and how GB methods can benefit the farmers for generations. Specifically, we discuss what Samuel calls a closed-loop farming system. Samuel also speaks about the challenges he has experienced, including obstacles with reaching out to the small-holder farmers while competing with well-resourced large companies promoting GMO seeds and chemicals with fast results. Lastly, Samuel speaks about the importance of empowering women and young girls and the trickle-down effect it has on changing farming and the culture at large.

Read about Dan Blake's visit to GBIACK in 2017: buddhistglobalrelief.me/2017/12/29/my…lture-center/

Ep. 3 Samuel Nderitu, "Sustainable Change, One Seed At A Time"

Buddhist Global Relief Helping Hands Podcast
Episode 4: "I Am The River, The River Is Me" (David Loy)
Learn more about the work of Buddhist Global Relief and make a tax-deductible donation at http://www.buddhistglobalrelief.org

Our first season of "The Helping Hands Podcast" features Dr. David Loy,  a professor, author, activist, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. David has lectured all over the world, focusing on the topics of social and ecological issues.
In his most recent book Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis” published in 2019, David writes about different perspectives of Ecodharma in response to our ecological crisis.
In today’s episode, we discuss engaged Buddhism and specifically the bodhisattva path as it relates to our environment- also called ecosattva. We explore the root causes of today’s ecological state of what David calls “ the tip of the iceberg.” This ties up to the concept of dualism and what Buddhism refers to as the delusion of separateness. And lastly, we will touch on the actions that each of us can take to alleviate our current predicament.

We also hear from Michael Calabrese, a former student of David Loy who is a socially-engaged musician. Michael is the drummer with the immensely popular band Lake Street Dive. We'll learn about his and the band's work helping to raise funds and awareness through their music, and how Loy's book and teachings on Ecodharma influenced this turn toward a more socially engaged artistic practice.

http://www.davidloy.org
http://www.lakestreetdive.com
https://www.virtuallessonsforactualchange.com

Episode 4: "I Am The River, The River Is Me" (David Loy, Michael Calabrese)

Sister Debbie Blow is the founder of BGR project partner North Country Mission of Hope (https://www.ncmissionofhope.org/) and, until very recently, was its Executive Director. Sister Debbie dedicated the last 24 years of her life to working with the Mission of Hope, serving the most marginalized populations, in particular poor communities in Nicaragua. Sister Debbie has devoted her life to what Buddhists would call the "bodhisattva path," deriving her life's purpose from serving the welfare of others. 
 
In today's episode, we discuss the events that led Sister Debbie to establish the North Country Mission of Hope and, specifically, her transformative journey to Nicaragua after the devastation of Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Sister Debbie talks passionately about the work her organization has done in Nicaragua over the years and the countless obstacles that the Mission has encountered along the way. She describes the importance of engaging local communities and especially women and youth in the Mission's work. We will learn what Sister Debbie means by " gracious vulnerability" and how we can engage more fully with the communities we wish to serve.
 
With Haiti, Nicaragua is the poorest county in the Western Hemisphere. Poverty, violence, natural disasters, and oppressive political regime make the Mission's work challenging. But Sister Debbie has been undeterred in her mission. The Americans who volunteer their time and resources are just as impacted by this work; as Sister Debbie says, coming together has created a global community of purpose and hope.

Support the work of Buddhist Global Relief with a tax-deductible donation by visiting http://www.buddhistglobalrelief.org

Hosted by Daniel Blake
Intro music by Daniel Blake(http://www.danielblake.net)
Episode notes by Kate Zemlo
Additional research by Chot Elliott
"Room At the Table" by Carrie Newcomer

Ep. 5 - "That's Where The Hope Existed" (Sister Debbie Blow)

In this episode of the Helping Hands podcast we hear from Bhante Budharakhita, the founder of the Ugandan Buddhist Centre. Born in Uganda to a Catholic family, Bhante Budharakhita discusses his unique and fascinating journey to becoming a Buddhist monk and establishing the center after initially studying business. He describes the initial challenges he faced in establishing the center due to Buddhism's unfamiliarity in Ugandan society, and how he overcame these obstacles through the practice of compassionate action.

We learn how Bhante Buddharakhita discovered an approach to integrating Buddhist teachings with practical actions that aim to improve the material needs of the people he comes into contact with. In so doing, the Ugandan Buddhist Center has expanded access to education for children, water access, and provided housing and food for orphaned children.

Finally we will hear Bhante Budharakhita’s vision for the center as a training hub for teachers and monastics of the next generation, where Ugandan Buddhist Center can help cultivate local leaders who can spread Buddhism throughout Africa. His patient approach, rooted in African cultural values, strives to bridge Buddhist teachings with indigenous wisdom. In his work, Bhante Buddharakhita epitomizes Buddhist Global Relief’s mission to alleviate the profound suffering caused by poverty, hunger and malnutrition. I hope you learn as much from this conversation as I did. And now, we turn to Bhante Buddharakhita.

More information on Ugandan Buddhist Center and Bhante Buddharakhita can be found at https://ugandabuddhistcenter.org/
Make your tax-deductible contribution to Buddhist Global Relief at http://www.buddhistglobalrelief.org

Special thanks to Kate Zemlo and Chot Elliott for research support, to BGR Chairperson Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, and again to Bhante Buddharakhita for taking the time to speak with us for this episode. Thanks also to George Clapp for technical support. The song “Watering Seeds of Joy” heard at the end of the episode is by Sister True Vow. Opening music "However" is by Dan Blake

Buddhist Global Relief

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