Our Buddhist Peace Fellowship Chicago chapter, part of a network that has been active for over 30 years, brings together Buddhist practitioners working collectively for peace and justice. Coming from a variety of Buddhist traditions, we are a community of activist friends trying to engage more directly in social action and service for the benefit of all beings. We work with Chicagoland organizations and other BPF chapters, and we are participating in an ongoing series of activities. We meet monthly and have additional committees on selected topics.
We embrace diversity and invite anyone to join our meetings. For more information, please contact: deankaufer (at) mac (dot) com, or call (773) 465-4279. You can also visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bpf_chicago/
Current meeting time and place: Third Thursday of every month, 7:15 pm meditation (optional), 7:45-9:00 pm meeting. Ancient Dragon Zen Gate Temple, 1922 W. Irving Park Rd. (near Damen and the Irving Park Brownline station), Chicago.
BPF Chicago chapter recent activities:
- Pro-monk and pro-people of Burma and Tibet activities
- Sponsored a talk by new BPF National director Sarah Weintraub
- Ongoing opposition to military recruitment at area high schools
- Sponsored speaker Hozan Alan Senauke in 2009
- Conducted Burma awareness public events and video showing
- Sponsored speaker David Loy in 2007 and 2008
- Anti-war and anti-death penalty meditation vigils
Our practice of contemplation and social action is guided by our intention to:
- Recognize the interdependence of all beings
- Meet suffering directly and with compassion
- Appreciate the importance of not clinging to views and outcomes
- Work with Buddhists from all traditions
- Connect individual and social transformation
- Practice nonviolence
- Protect and extend human rights
Some of our members (and an Aung San Suu Kyi puppet) at a recent informational leafletting about the situation in Burma.
