My dear Dharma friends,
Your past support of the International
Boddhisatva Sangha (IBS) has transformed the lives of hundreds of
inmates in six Southern California state prisons. Today I write to tell
you about a major expansion we are launching to Northern California,
and to request your help to make it possible.
As you know, IBS
has been visiting state prisons since 1995. With the great help of many
organizations and compassionate friends, we recently set up Buddhist
libraries in each prison, and in some other prisons we are not able to
visit.
In recent months, we lost about 50 students in 4 different
institutions because they were transferred to state prisons in Northern
California. Sometimes bad things like this happen for a good reason.
The good news is they have applied their many years of Dharma practice
by sharing it with new friends.
In Sutra says that
sharing the Dharma is the greatest of all possible gifts, and we are
very proud of our diligent students for putting their learning into
action.
IBS promised to our transferred students that if they
keep up their practice and share it with others, we will continue to
support them however we can. To keep this promise, we will need your
help!
Our brothers in nine different Northern California prisons
are requesting Buddhist services. Although these prisons are too far
from San Diego to visit every month, we have sent proposals to the
wardens in all nine prisons to set up a Buddhist library and to visit at
least quarterly or twice a year.
We are very pleased that five
prisons, with four yards each, have already agreed to accept our
program. This is where we need your help.
With your support, we
would like to visit each prison in March, to set up the 20 libraries and
provide a service for our Dharma brother inmates. I am sure we can
count on the generosity of several organizations to collect the 6000
books we will need: The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, Amithaba Buddhist
Society Los Angeles, Amithaba Buddhist Society San Jose, Metta Forest
Monastery, Dharma Bum Temple San Diego, etc.
Our plan is to
undertake a 7-day trip to Northern California to visit the five
prisons. For this, IBS needs financial support for transportation,
lodging, and food for five people.
If you think this trip is
meaningful and benevolent, please support it to the extent you are able.
I can assure you your donation will change the lives of many people in
the iron temples (prisons).
It is my vision that within 10
years, IBS will be bringing the Dharma to all 36 California state
prisons. But this will only be possible with your support. Please help
this program and restore the hope and happiness in many peoples' lives.
Please send your donation to the address below, or feel free to
contact me at zhongibs@hotmail.com or 619-450-3699 with any questions or
suggestions you may have about our trip.
International Bodhisattva Sangha
12584 Sora Way
San Diego CA 92129
Amitofo,
Xianzhong Shi
