Bhikkhu Sanghasena urges UN to declare 2021 as 'The Year of Compassion'

 

Bhikkhu Sanghasena, Founder, Mahakaruna Foundation

Ven. Bhikkhu Sanghasena, Founder President, Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre (MIMC) Ladakh has requested the United Nations to declare the current year as the Year of Compassion. The statement of the great Buddhist Monk is being reproduced below for further awareness.

In the recent times we witnessed very closely, the tension at the Indo-China borders almost leading to war-like situation. The gamut of such natural and man-made disasters juxtaposed by the COVID-19 pandemic made the year 2020 a horrifying year for the entire humanity.

In the recent times, it is admirable to see the number of countries developing the COVID-19 Vaccine, which is giving us a lot of hope. However, the sorrow, dissatisfaction and sufferings of humanity do not end with the vaccine, the problems we face in today’s time are much more severe and deep rooted in our greed, hatred and ignorance.

Its high time we now turn inward and work on the root causes. Although the Corona vaccine will ease much of the immediate suffering faced by mankind, but on a deeper level humanity is still suffering; the sorrow of mankind will not decrease and the dissatisfaction will not cease. The uncalled upon and unwarranted COVID-19 virus has united the world, it’s time for us now to unveil, cherish and foster our shared values, strengths and cultures. Recollecting what it truly means to be ‘human’, our shared humanity, and our inter-relatedness with each other and the environment that surrounds and sustains us, is perhaps the most urgent and pressing need of our time.

Mahakaruna or Great Compassion is the only transformative way to seek a genuinely happy, peaceful and harmonious world for all to live in peace and thrive. It is the right time to create one global family, one humanity and one world through ‘Compassion in Action’. It is therefore the time for us to develop and take the Vaccine of Compassion to evade the multiple manifestations of sufferings as caused by racism, separatism, egotism, and religious fanaticism etc.

I am happy to inform that the Mahakaruna Foundation and MIMC have been deeply involved in propagating the message of Karuna or Compassion, as taught by the Buddha and all the saint and sages of the world, from time immemorial. In line to this objective, we have been organizing the Mahakaruna Diwas for past many years worldwide and it has been very well received, appreciated and reciprocated by people worldwide irrespective of region, religion and nationality. Meanwhile, I am pleased to announce that the Mahakaruna Foundation, Canada, has come into existence. It is to be noted that every year January 7th (birthday of Ven Sanghasena) is celebrated as the Mahakaruna Diwas. BlogsWire