We are in media again!

The Myanmar Time has run a report about our mission in August 2009. Maybe it's a little bit too 'outdated' to post it now but we still would like to share the report with you.

Buddhist group donates to Metta village

By Cherry Thein

August 17 - 23, 2009

Residents of Metta model village tend vegetable gardens.

THE Taiwan branch of the Theravada Samadhi Education Association on August 9 donated relief goods valued at US$1.8 million to 720 households in Metta model village in Kungyangon township, Yangon Division.



Twenty-six members of the association travelled to Metta to take part in the ceremony to donate the goods, which included clothing, kitchen utensils, canned foods and toys for each of the households.



The village consists of 736 houses built by the association after Cyclone Nargis devastated the Ayeyarwady delta in May 2008.



The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement has granted permission for 720 of the houses to be occupied, with priority given to families who lost their homes during Nargis and lack the resources to rebuild, and those who are caring for disabled family members.



Ms Chang Ho Chin, the deputy secretary general of the Theravada Samadhi Education Association, said the group planned to build a total of 1024 houses in the village, as well as a one-storey, eight-classroom school building valued at $100,000 for the village’s 453 school children.



“At the moment some children from Metta village must travel [about 3.5 kilometres] to schools in Kungyangon, which takes time. We want them to have a school in their own village,” she said.



Metta resident Ko Saw Min Htut said 16 houses in the village are being used as temporary schools for children in the current academic year, with the new school building expected to open for the next academic year.



He added that the people living in the new village have come from different townships throughout the delta.



Indeed, Ms Chang said the association plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Energy, which since the cyclone has taken responsibility for post-Nargis development in the township, in supporting villagers with seeds, tools, fertilisers and agricultural knowledge so they can start planting more crops.



“We plan to use $2500 for the agriculture project and we plan to start as soon as we get permission from the government,” she said. “There are many resettlement programs planned for the village. We want to raise their living and education standards. We want to offer training courses for agriculture also.”



The Theravada Samadhi Education Association was established in 1998 by the Venerable Bodagama Chandima Thero, who is also an adviser to the president of Sri Lanka on international religious and cultural works.

http://www.mmtimes.com/no484/n012.htm

Prayer for victims of typhoon Morakot

It has been more than two months since typhoon Morakot devastsated south Taiwan, casuing more than 600 deaths and $.4.7 billion USD damage.

More than $1 million N.T.D. has been raised by T.S.E.A. Although the exact details are still in discussion, it has been decided that T.S.E.A. will join charity groups based in south Taiwn in the reconstruction works.

Meanwhile, Ven. B. Chandima has never forgetten about the spiritual needs of the victims and wanted to offer more than financial relief.

On 10 October, Ven. B. Chandima, accompanied by three Sri Lankan bhikkhus, one Taiwanese bhikkhuni and 22 T.S.E.A. members from Taipei, traveled to the disaster zone in south Taiwan to hold a pirit (prayer) for the victims of typhoon Morakot.

With the help of a local Buddhist charity group, Miaofa Cishan Hui (wondrous dharma charity association) , the pirit was held in a local temple in the disaster zone.

The pirit was chanted in Pali and lasted for more than two hours. Local Buddhists also came to join the event. For many of them, it was the first time that they heard Buddhist chanting in Pali.

In the sermon after the pirit, Ven. B. Chandima reminded people the importance of compassion. With compassion, many obstacles can be overcome. Even though the victims of typhoon Morakot may not be Buddhist or understood Pali, as long as the prayer was chanted with compassion and sincerity, the wondrous merit created by the pirit would still reach them.

Visit from ShaoLin Temple

On 23 August 2009, a group of Chinese delegates visited Manelwata Temple.

It includes the abbot of ShaoLin Temple, Dharma Master Yong Xin, and more than forty monks of ShaoLin Temple.

Pilgrimage Sept. 2009

Chairperson Wong of T.S.E.A. once vowed that when peace arrives, he would go to Sri Lanka to thank Buddha's blessing. Peace did arrive, so Chairperson Wong, age 76, took time off and paid a pilgrimage to Sri Lanka.

Morakot Relief Activities

On 8 Aug 2009, typhoon Morakot devasted southern Taiwan, causing the loss of hundreds lives and properties.

T.S.E.A. has joined local NPOs in the reconstruction works. Many T.S.E.A. members also volunteered to help out in the post-storm cleaning work.