For the past two years, the Covid-19 pandemic has scarred people of all walks of life, physically and mentally. People have lived in fear of not only losing their jobs, education and income, but also their lives. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Grandmaster JinBodhi has ceaselessly dedicated himself to caring for society. Over a hundred classes have been conducted online to help ease the public’s anxiety and bring blessings of health.
Apart from conducting classes online, Grandmaster JinBodhi also wished to contribute to the medical workers and frontliners in the community where the meditation center is located. During the livestream on June 16, 2021, a painting titled “Auspiciousness of Five Blessings” was completed to raise funds for the local medical institutions in support of their efforts on behalf of the local community.
The “Grandmaster JinBodhi’s 30th Anniversary of Commencing Dharma Teaching” event was held a month later. A total of $400,000 (CAD) consisting of Grandmaster JinBodhi’s personal contribution and the funds raised from selling the aforementioned artwork was donated to the Richmond Hospital Foundation in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.
The gifting ceremony was held on July 27, 2021 and was attended by Grandmaster JinBodhi; Malcolm Brodie, the mayor of Richmond; Candace Hernandez, the vice president of the Richmond Hospital Foundation; and Dr. Alexandros Alexiadis, Co-Senior Medical Director of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). During the ceremony, Mayor Brodie stressed the importance of supporting all public medical institutions and expressed his gratitude for Bodhi Meditation’s donation. He affirmed that the donation would help medical workers to provide improved medical services to the local community.
Candace Hernandez was also thankful for Bodhi Meditation’s continuous support of Richmond Hospital. In 2020, at the start of the pandemic, Bodhi Meditation donated medical equipment to the hospital. The donation consisted of 100,000 masks and protective suits. She also mentioned that the meditation practices taught by Grandmaster JinBodhi had helped the hospital workers to relax and cope better with intense pressure and challenges during such a critical period.
“I’m honored to be able to contribute to the local community as a resident of Richmond. The medical staff has shown great courage and remarkable effort to serve the public during the pandemic. Everyone at Bodhi Meditation has been moved and truly respects what the frontliners have done. This donation represents a token of appreciation from us, and the medical staff have our full support as well as our respect,” says Grandmaster JinBodhi.
How do we show our love? By showing that we care, by sending help and by contributing. Let us hope that every person and every institution receive all the support they need to survive such a difficult period. We hope that the pandemic will soon be a memory. May everyone live in great health, peace and wealth. Please join us in spreading more love and making the world a better place!