The mission of Buddhist Peace
savasana: integrating the past,
forging the future
mission in motion
Dear Friends of BPF:
Now in our 36th year, the Buddhist
Peace Fellowship is proud to
present our annual report for
2013. As President of our Board
of Directors, I want to summarize
BPF’s current efforts to bring about
a more compassionate world.
If you follow Turning Wheel
Media, you know that BPF is
calling for systemic changes to
create a world more in keeping
with Buddhist values. This is not
an attempt to convert the world to
Buddhism. Rather, we believe that
rapid economic globalization and
climate change are causing people
to grasp their interdependence as
never before. We believe they are
also grasping the need for more
compassionate social policies
to prevent the war, oppression,
impoverishment, and mass
extinctions already taking place.
Robert Aitken Roshi, BPF’s
inspirational founder, had a
perennial protest sign that read,
“The System Stinks.” As a former
student of his, I know he hoped
that BPF would grow from its tiny
base in 1978 into a significant
cultural force that could help
change the world.
BPF pioneered the practice of
socially engaged Buddhism. We
believe we are now pioneering the
next stage of Buddhist engagement.
We tentatively call it politically
engaged Buddhism — not in
the sense of party politics, but
in the sense of challenging the
political institutions that support
harmful and oppressive practices.
You can expect that BPF will
support initiatives that oppose
the oppression of people based on
color, gender, or culture; initiatives
that oppose economic inequality;
and initiatives that oppose an
economic system that harms the
environment and other species.
We are proud that our new
generation of leadership is calling
for more direct action to embody
our commitment to change. We
believe that Buddhist witnessing
vigils must be supplemented by
nonviolent actions like those of
Gandhi and King, actions that
mobilize whole populations to
challenge harmful practices and
institutions.
Fellowship is to serve as a catalyst for
socially engaged Buddhism.
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship Board made the decision
two years ago to take an “organizational savasana” which,
similar to the end of a yoga practice, is a moment of
pause intended to rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit.
Like many organizations who have lived through many
iterations of life, BPF experienced inevitable growing
pains in recent years. Fortunately, the loyalty of so many
generous BPF members created the support needed for
BPF to follow the“wisdom of regeneration” and pause,
assess, and refocus.
We believe that all BPF members
can choose a form of working for
systemic change in a manner that
suits them. At the same time, we
pledge that all BPF initiatives for
change will follow the principles
of nonviolence, tolerance, and
compassion taught by the many
honored teachers who continue to
advise us.
Due to the generosity of a long-term BPF member who in
2011, left a planned gift of over $100,000.00 in their will,
BPF committed itself to a disciplined rebuilding, investing
a portion of our reserves to improve and establish
outstanding programs and infrastructure. And because of
this, we are overjoyed to announce that BPF is now poised
to carry forth the wisdom of our 36 years, within the
body, mind, and spirit of a fully rejuvenated organization.
Finally, I urge you all to read and
support Turning Wheel Media.
There we publish articles that
we then “curate” into Buddhist
frameworks such as the Five
Precepts and the Four Noble
Truths. In this way, you can help
BPF reach its full historic potential.
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship relies predominately on
the generosity of individual contributors. We are deeply
grateful to those who support our efforts to cultivate the
conditions for peace, social justice, and environmental
sustainability within ourselves, our communities, and
the world. Thank you for your care and devotion.
in gratitude
Our purpose is to help beings
liberate themselves from the suffering that
manifests in individuals, relationships,
institutions, and social systems.
2013 Financials Statement of Activities
January 1-December 31, 2013
Total Income.......................................................... $119,572
Individual Donations.............................................. $80,512
Program....................................................................$39,060
Total Expenses.......................................................$133,523
Management & Program.........................................$95,073
General................................................................... $38,450
Net......................................................................... ($13,095)
Total Assets..............................................................$78,386
Gratefully,
Chris Wilson
Board Chair
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
PO Box 3470
Berkeley, CA 94703 USA
510.239.3764
BuddhistPeaceFellowship.org
Buddhist Peace Fellowship Board 2013
Chris Wilson - Chair
Belinda Griswold - Secretary
Scott Woodbury - Treasurer
Anchalee Kurutach
Michaela O’Connor Bono
Samantha Wechsler
in gratitude, 2013.
what are we most grateful for in 2013?
funie hsu: 1,000 paper cranes
When we reflect on the abundance of support received in 2013 that made this year so inspiring and groundbreaking — from
new and long-time contributors, volunteers, writers, sanghas, to many more spiritual movers & shakers — it is hard to list
what we are most grateful for, but we’ll try...
My first real involvement with BPF was through the
Occupy movement. When the Occupy Oakland
movement was just beginning to form, I was paying close
attention to the developments.Then I found out BPF was
organizing public meditations at the site in support of
Occupy. They acknowledged what, for me, was a missing
element in the cries against the 1%: a deep understanding
of our interconnectedness. Through BPF, I organized a
“1,000 paper cranes” public art installation at Occupy
Oakland. The public was invited to participate by folding
paper cranes that were hung on a tree at the Occupy
encampment.
The System Stinks: Activist Curriculum
A History of Gratitude
Could it be that we are most grateful for the support
you gave that allowed us to create the successful activist
curriculum, The System Stinks? After all, this opportunity
allowed us to bring together practitioners, activists and
visionaries including Joanna Macy and Ven. Pannavati to
inspire all of us in our activism and spiritual path. It also
served as a tool for groups across the country who used
The System Stinks to organize socially engaged Buddhists
within their local communities, not to mention empower
hundreds of others to join in unity at the nexus between
politics, Dharma, and action.
BPF was created to connect Buddhists to critical
global social movements, as well as introduce social
justice activists to Buddhist practice. Since 1978, we
have provided resources to train, mobilize, and engage
Buddhists through networking, public forums, curricula
for political education, as well as the on- line media site:
Turning Wheel Media.
Turning Wheel Media: Bringing Buddhism into
Conversation With the World
Or, are we most grateful for the successful transition from
the magazine version of Turning Wheel Media to the now
online and highly trafficked “digital kitchen table,” where
thousands of socially engaged Buddhists and activists find
BPF every day as they search for ways to discuss, strategize,
and celebrate the dharma of our social justice work?
Compassionate Direct Action
Maybe we are most grateful for the ways that BPF took
a stand, not only online, but in the world. We bore
witness to resistance at the indigenous-led Healing
Walk in Alberta, Canada, as communities defend land
and life from tar sands and the Keystone XL Pipeline.
BPF members engaged in events against gentrification,
food injustice, and issues of homelessness. And on a
weekly basis, local members in Idaho protested capital
punishment including strategizing with the ACLU.
Because of your generosity, in 2013, BPF successfully
walked the talk.
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship’s history contains some
of the most vital nutrients of socially-engaged Buddhism.
Friends such as Gary Snyder, Thich Nhat Hanh, Jack
Kornfield, and founding members Nelson Foster and
Robert and Anne Aitken have shared with us their sweat,
practice, and unwavering belief that Buddhists are called
to eliminate suffering on an individual and systemic level.
And for that we are eternally grateful.
Buddhist Peace Fellowship Supporters
So what are we most grateful for in 2013? You are the #1
reason for Buddhist Peace Fellowship’s 2013 success!
We are grateful for your loyalty to BPF and to socially
engaged Buddhism, and in awe of your motivation to
spread compassion in the world through action. Your
help allowed BPF to create new programming and an even
better year. And guess what? 2014 will be.
2014 National Gathering
Buddhist Peace Fellowship is thrilled to announce that
we have laid the groundwork to host the upcoming Fall
2014 National Gathering in San Francisco Bay Area — the
first in-person national gathering since 2006! There really
couldn’t be a better time to become more involved with
BPF. We hope to see you in Fall 2014!
*front photo, protest photo, and child photo by aneeta mitha. compassion photo by maia duerr.
Since then, I have been active with BPF because of its new
direction in directly examining issues of race in relation
to its mission of social justice. As a woman of color
who has grown up with Taiwanese Buddhist traditions,
I found my experiences were often marginalized in the
broader Western Buddhist communities. BPF is rare in its
triple treasure of compassionate action: highlights of 2013
speaking &
communicating
dedication to addressing these issues and providing space
to speak about them with intention and mindfulness as
part of its social engagement. Relatedly, BPF is also rare
in its explicit analysis of systemic inequalities (such as race
and imperialism). These commitments resonate deeply
with me and have inspired my active participation. Now,
my involvement with BPF includes writing for Turning
Wheel and assisting with the planning of the 2014 BPF
Gathering. BPF has led the way in starting important
conversations in Socially Engaged Buddhism and I am
excited to be a part of this conversation.
•Published more than 200 original, freely-accessible media posts by more than 50
contributors, generating hundreds of responses from people globally on Turning Wheel
Media.
learning &
community
•Created The System Stinks Curriculum: 5 published study guides for nearly 600
members that took a systemic, social-justice look at Buddhism’s Five Precepts on not
killing, not stealing, avoiding sexual misconduct, not lying, and not misusing substances
that cloud the mind.
doing &
collaboration
•Hosted 10 phone calls that allowed members to talk to each other and to prominent
Buddhists and activists like Joshua Eaton, Shodo Spring, and Tenzin Dorjee of Students
for a Free Tibet.
•BPF put our values into practice internationally by supporting the indigenous-led fight
to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline.
shared leadership
mushim ikeda: wipe snot, change diaper
Over 20 years ago,
Robert Aitken,
Roshi, one of
the founders of
BPF, advised me
to write about my
everyday life as a
mother. I started
to write, snatching moments between breastfeeding,
changing diapers, cooking, cleaning, and working. A
couple of years later, I was contacted by Susan Moon,
then the editor of Buddhist Peace Fellowship’s magazine,
Turning Wheel, asking me if I was interested in writing
about Buddhist family practice and joining the Turning
Wheel editorial consulting committee. It was here, I
got to know other socially engaged Buddhist writers.
This went on for years, and at some point Sue said, in a
friendly yet, somewhat pointed manner, “It might be a
good idea for you to become a member of the Buddhist
Peace Fellowship.”
Rather sheepishly, I wrote a check to BPF, and have been
involved for well over 15 years. Because my original Zen
training was so active, it never occurred to me that there
could be a Buddhism that wasn’t “socially engaged.” If
you’re a poor person, as I was, there was no need to think
about trying to go on expensive retreats or travel to other
places to march in the streets for peace.
Friends through BPF gave me confidence that “nothing
special” is needed to fulfill our Bodhisattva Vows to
“save all beings.” The old Zen adage, “chop wood, carry
water” can be easily translated into “wipe snot, change
diaper” — it’s just taking up the work at hand, and
through it studying anicca, anatta, dukkha and, if we’re
lucky, the occasional split second taste of nirvana — then
sharing one’s struggles and insights with others, joining
with them in this huge mess we call human life, doing
our best to make things a little better for some of the
many beings.
Katie Loncke,
Director of Media and Action
Dawn Haney,
Director of Training
Deb Cuny,
Director of Development
The relief and miracle of BPF is that
it doesn’t make me choose between
my dharma practice world and my
political organizing realm. Thanks to
the efforts of those before me, I get to
join and serve a legacy that has always
grappled gamely with the fittingtogether of both. It’s the work of a
lifetime (many lifetimes!), and I feel
incredibly fortunate to help build this
courageous, creative community right
now. Thank you, from the bottom of
my heart, for making BPF possible!
I’m so grateful each day to connect
with the vast net of politically-minded
Buddhists! We BPFers consistently
show up with so much fierce love,
fearless in our commitments to
dharma and social justice, challenging
ourselves to open our hearts wide
through our engaged practice. I adore
being part of this gently determined
community of Buddhists and
meditation practitioners who are in
it not just for ourselves, but for the
liberation of all beings.
What a great time to be a part of BPF!
I am delighted to announce that I
am the newest staff member and I
am very lucky because I have joined
at a time when BPF has undergone a
massive internal and external “facelift”
by updating and streamlining our
systems in order to sustain our
growth. Thank you so much for your
generosity and for making our rebirth
possible by positioning us to become
the organization that can create social
transformation.