On 25 April 2015 at 14.11p.m., Nepal was struck by an 8.1 magnitude earthquake which was the most serious earthquake in 80 years. This crisis has caused widespread destruction of houses, communication systems and an avalanche on Mount Everest. On 28 April 2015, Nepal confirmed that at least 4,352 people had died and over 8,000 were injured. The toll of deaths and injuries are climbing, and the experts have predicted that there is the possibility of an aftershock. Food and clean drinking water are running short. Fear and restlessness are rising in Nepal.
Nepal is the birthplace of Buddhism – The Lord Buddha. The Nepalese Buddhist Community and the Thai Buddhist Community have maintained friendship and communication for many years. Wat Phra Dhammakaya Temple,Thailand, has cooperated with Nepal in organizing several short-term ordination programs. When this massive earthquake broke out, the abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya Temple has proposed that the Thai Buddhist communities perform chanting and blessing ceremonies for Nepal and its victims.
Meanwhile, the abbot has set up a natural calamities relief fund, inviting the four Buddhist assemblies to raise funds to aid and support the children and their families in Nepal at this critical time.
On April 29th, 2015, a team from Dhammakaya Temple left for Nepal to set up a Relief center to assist victims of the earthquake at the Dhammakaya meditation center in Nepal and bring them sanitary equipment such as toilet shelters, urea-absorbing polymers, and ultrafiltration water filters with maximum capacities of producing 800 litres of water per hour.
In addition, the Dhammakaya Temple and the Dhammakaya foundation have dispatched 20,000 sets of survival bags comprising of dried food, medicine and drinking water to support victims of the Nepal earthquake. However, this is only a small amount of aid, and with your help we can do much more.
Providing disaster relief must not be delayed. Wat Phra Dhammakaya Temple and its centers around the world would keenly play a role in the spirit of equality and loving kindness taught by the Lord Buddha by inviting everyone – without distinguishing in terms of religion – to do little things with kindheartedness.
If you intend to donate for the relief of the victims of the Nepal earthquake, please kindly contact the Wat Phra Dhammakaya Temple Fundraising Department, or the various branches and centers of Wat Phra Dhammakaya Temple around the world. Please indicate the fundraising purpose: ‘Aiding the victims of the Nepal Earthquake’. We will transfer your generous contributions to the many thousands of adults and children left extremely vulnerable
When one meets difficulty, aids come from all directions. Wat Phra Dhammakaya Temple, Thailand, is grateful for all support given. We wish everyone safety and happiness; may all survivors be blessed, and may all the departed rest in peace.
