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In late July 2005, members of the Bellingham Dharma Hall Sanghas met to form a
Bellingham chapter of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, an national organization
founded in 1978 to explore ways to link concerns and work for peace and justice
with Buddhist practice.
BPF Mission.
The BPF mission is to serve as a catalyst and agent for socially engaged
Buddhism. Our aim is to help beings liberate themselves from the suffering
that manifests in individuals, relationships, institutions, and social systems.
BPF's programs, publications, and practice groups link Buddhist teachings of
wisdom and compassion with progressive social change.
BPF Vision.
Our vision is to bring peace where there is conflict, to promote communication
and cooperation among Buddhist Sanghas, and to alleviate suffering wherever
possible. BPF strives to:
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make clear
public witness to practice as a way of peace and protection of all beings;
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raise peace,
environmental, feminist, and social justice concerns among American
Buddhists;
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bring a Buddhist
perspective to contemporary peace, environmental and social action
movements;
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encourage the
practice of nonviolence based on the rich resources of traditional Buddhist
teachings;
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offer avenues
for dialogue and exchange among the diverse American and world sanghas.
Local Activities.
We are creating peace-oriented activities as we develop our BPF chapter and are
open to new ideas as we go along.
Over the past year and continuing in 2008, we have been collaborating with the
Whatcom Peace and Justice Center to put on events that encourage interfaith
dialogue. In June 2007, we presented a public forum on the core beliefs of
four major religions--Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim. In November
2007, we convened a "conversation cafe" on how faith traditions can
encourage and support stewardship of the earth. Because both events were very
successful, in 2008 we plan to continue to work across a diversity of religious
traditions on community and environmental issues.
In November 2007 we also
sponsored two events in support of the Burmese monks--a vigil in collaboration
with the Bellingham Red Cedar Zen Practice Group, and a slide show on Burma,
co-sponsored by the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center.
Everyone is
welcome to join our efforts. Presently, we are not meeting
as a group on a regular basis. Instead, those interested in helping to
plan and put on community events are working together in an ad hoc manner.
Otherwise, we keep in touch by email, through which messages from the national
BPF office are also sent from time to time. If you would like to be
involved in planning our events, or would just like to keep informed of what we
are doing, please consider joining our elist. For more information, please
call Edie Norton, Bellingham BPF Coordinator, at 360-527-9101.
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