Compassion: Answering the Calls of Distress
Many people in the world suffer from diseases and various ailments. Many children from poor families cannot afford to go to school and are forced to shoulder the burden of supporting their families at an early age. Also, many elderly people live with loneliness because they have no one to take care of them.
Grandmaster JinBodhi once said, “All we can do is show that we care; we try our best to help. What we do is not enough to save the world, but if everyone in the world offered a little bit of kindness and compassion, then the world would become a better place. I hope more people can join me in helping those who need help.”
Led by Grandmaster JinBodhi, Bodhi Meditation has been involved in various charity events, including raising funds to send children to schools, donating to poor families and sponsoring medical equipment in countries such as Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Canada and the USA.
Providing Financial Aid for Students from Low-Income Families
“If you want to transform your fate, you need to start with education. Knowledge is power, and children are the hope of the future. I hope every child has the opportunity to receive an education and learn the knowledge required to shape their bright future by loving and contributing to society.”
──Grandmaster JinBodhi
In Malaysia, from 2017 to June 2023, the JinBodhi Bursary Award has disbursed over 11.1 million MYR (approximately 2.4 million USD), providing various forms of financial aid to over 7700 underprivileged students in Malaysia, including those from 23 universities such as the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and 150 primary and secondary schools. The bursary helps children from impoverished backgrounds to continue their education. By 2023, more than 600 university students have benefited from this scholarship.
In many remote villages in Myanmar, classrooms are built simply and crudely with bamboo. These classrooms are scorching during hotter seasons and flood during the rainy seasons. Seeing that, Grandmaster JinBodhi decided to help build new classrooms. With the financial aid from Bodhi Meditation, the children now study in a more comfortable environment.
Also, Bodhi Meditation Centers in Malaysia, Myanmar and Canada have been supplying nutritious meals to students from low-income families to ensure they eat healthy while studying.
Aiding and Funding Those Who Need it
“The spirit of Great Compassion is loving and treats all beings as if they were parents, siblings or close acquaintances. Have empathy for them, feel what they suffer and help them sincerely. This is how you evolve from being egotistical to more altruistic.”
──Grandmaster JinBodhi
Grandmaster JinBodhi is dedicated to providing help to victims of natural disasters, from a hurricane disaster in Zibo, Shandong (1998), a tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia (2004), earthquake in Wenchuan (2008), earthquake in Yushu (2010), a flood in Malaysia (2014), earthquake in Nepal (2015) to the most recent Covid 19 pandemic. When disasters happen, Grandmaster JinBodhi organizes prayer events and fundraising activities to help victims rebuild their homes.
As a person who cares greatly about senior citizens, Grandmaster JinBodhi once said, “The elderly, regardless of where they are from, fear loneliness and poverty. Let us spend some time to be with them and care for them and bring them some happiness.” As such, Bodhi Meditation volunteers in Malaysia, Indonesia and Canada have frequently visited seniors’ homes to provide not only household daily supplies, but also warmth, love and care.
According to a survey conducted in 2017, only 30% of Myanmar’s 52 million people have access to electricity. The lack of basic power has become the biggest problem in most villages. When visiting the villages, Grandmaster JinBodhi saw how families relied on candlelight in their homes. Most of the houses are built with bamboo, wood and hay, which can easily catch fire if accidents were to happen. As such, funds were disbursed to purchase solar panels for the villagers, which were delivered to their homes by Bodhi Meditation volunteers.
The COVID-19 outbreak spread around the world in 2019. In Malaysia, factories shut down and companies went bankrupt. Many families faced the threat of financial crisis and unemployment. As such, Bodhi Meditation launched The Aid Bank Program to provide emergency food aid to families in need. Each food pack contained food rations and other daily necessities to support a family of four or five for a month.
Donations of Medical Supplies and Helping the Sick Regain Health
“A healthy person makes his family happy; when every family is happy, the world will be a better place to live.”
──Grandmaster JinBodhi
Meditation practices taught by Grandmaster JinBodhi are highly effective and easy to learn, thereby fulfilling modern-day people’s desire for health. In order to restore health and happiness of body and mind, practices such as Energy Bagua and The Meditation of Greater Illumination relieve suffering. These practices have benefited practitioners in more than fifty countries and regions, including Canada, the USA, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Australia, United Kingdom and Romania.
Meditation music and practices have also helped medical staff in hospitals around the world. By practicing, medical staff relax and reduce the stress caused by working in a high-risk environment so they can calmly and positively face their work challenges. Grandmaster JinBodhi also advocated for Bodhi Meditation Centers around the world to contribute medical care in their own communities.
In Myanmar, many people cannot earn a living due to cataracts.
As such, Bodhi Charity in Myanmar cooperated with various hospitals to provide eye treatment to the locals. Cataract surgeries and other eye-care treatments were carried out for free, allowing the locals to once again have normal eyesight.
For many years, the Vancouver Bodhi Meditation Center has practiced compassion and kindness as taught by Grandmaster JinBodhi by working closely with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society to help children suffering from cancer.
This gave some members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police force an opportunity to try meditation and feel the warmth of the Bodhi Meditation family.
To help ease the pressure faced by medical staff working with COVID-19 patients, Bodhi Meditation Centers worldwide donated personal protection equipment, such as isolation gowns, medical goggles and face masks, so frontline workers could work safely without worry.
In Richmond, Canada, Grandmaster JinBodhi donated $400,000 CAD to the Richmond Hospital Foundation, as a way of showing his appreciation to the medical staff who work selflessly for others.
Grandmaster JinBodhi wishes that his kindness will influence others to do the same, so they can transform themselves in the process of helping others and become more empathetic and compassionate. At the same time, they can feel compassion, learn compassion and work together to create a warmer and better society.
“To help all sentient beings is my wish. I hope my kindness can be the spark that ignites the flame of compassion in you.”
──Grandmaster JinBodhi
FAQ
Q：In which countries does Bodhi Meditation carry out charitable activities?
A：In Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Canada, the United States, Taiwan, and many other countries and regions, Bodhi Meditation carries out educational support, community assistance, and other forms of social aid to help those in need.
Q：What is Grandmaster JinBodhi’s greatest wish in promoting community aid?
A：Grandmaster JinBodhi once expressed that helping others is his heartfelt wish, and he hopes his actions can inspire compassion and kindness in more people.
Q：How does Grandmaster JinBodhi help impoverished students complete their education?
A：Grandmaster JinBodhi has emphasized the importance of education and supports initiatives that provide learning opportunities for children. In Malaysia, Myanmar, and other regions, scholarships and nutrition programs have been established to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds and support their development.
Q：How does Grandmaster JinBodhi care for the elderly and vulnerable groups?
A：Volunteers from Bodhi Meditation visit care homes and community centers to spend time with elderly individuals and those in need, offering companionship and support.
Q：How does Bodhi Meditation help villagers in Myanmar improve their living conditions?
A：Support initiatives have included providing solar lighting equipment to rural communities, helping families address basic energy needs and improve daily living conditions.
Q：How does Grandmaster JinBodhi respond to disasters and pandemics?
A：During times of crisis, related initiatives have included donations of funds and supplies, distribution of essential items, and community support efforts to assist affected individuals and families.