“True Buddha Spirit - Lotus Light Compassion” Lotus Light Charity Society (LLCS) Delivers Warmth Accompanied by Loving-Kindness

#To Commemorate Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s 77th Birthday, Global Branches of LLCS Donate a Total of 226 Tons of White Rice in 2021

Every year on the birthday of H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng, branches of True Buddha School LLCS worldwide, in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, the UK, Canada, and other places, organize a white rice donation event, distributing white rice and other necessities to the disadvantaged in society, as a way of celebrating H.H. Living Buddha Lian sheng’s birthday, thus spreading the light of compassion and love to all corners of the world. 

LLCS upholds the teachings of its founder, H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng, and its key missions include “humanitarian aid”, “medical care”, “education”, “culture”, and “hospice care”. These social care services are carried out by branches around the world. 

In particular, from March 2020 to date, all corners of the world have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and general welfare and health have become key areas of concern. Worldwide branches of LLCS have also organized various charity activities in their local areas. Each year, on its founder’s birthday, LLCS would launch a “Worldwide Donation of White Rice” charity event, and support local welfare organizations and disadvantaged families in need by donating white rice and everyday necessities. Through each gift of loving-kindness, LLCS spreads the warmth of care and concern to people’s hearts, enabling the compassion of H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng to be spread throughout the world, filling the human realm with continuous warmth and kindness.  

The total amount of white rice donated by branches of LLCS worldwide in 2021, to celebrate H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s 77th birthday is as follows:

Malaysia: 119 tons 

Singapore: 33 tons 

Taiwan: 38 tons  

Indonesia: 19 tons

The United Kingdom: 3 tons  

Sydney, Australia: 6 tons

Melbourne, Australia: 3 tons 

Vancouver, Canada: 5 tons 

Total = 226 tons 

1. TBS Lotus Light Charity Society (London) Celebrates H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s 77th Birthday through the 2021 Global White Rice Donation Event

Thanks to the energetic enthusiasm of Reverend Lian Mei （蓮玫法師）, the London branch joined the White Rice Donation Event for the first time this year.

Organizations in the UK and the EU which participated in this year’s donation event include the following: 

- London True Buddha Temple, UK（英國真渡雷藏寺）https://www.tbtemple.org.uk/ 

- Jen Yen Temple, Northampton, UK （英國真言雷藏寺）http://www.tbsnorthampton.org.uk/ 

- Lei Zang Si Temple（London）, UK（英國倫敦雷藏寺）

- Zhen Quai Tang True Buddha School, Manchester, UK （英國曼城真貴堂）

- Ideella Föreningen True Buddha Xiudetang Meditation Center, Sweden （瑞典修德雷藏寺）

- Association Culturelle Des Bouddhas-Verite, France（法國真願堂）

- Yan Chi Buddhistischer E.V., Düsseldorf, Germany（德國忍智堂）https://www.facebook.com/tbsyanchi/ 

- Cheng Yin Tang, Stichting Boeddhistisch Meditatie Centrum, Amsterdam, Netherlands（荷蘭真音堂） https://www.facebook.com/chengyintang.nl  

- Di Jue Tang, Ireland（愛爾蘭諦覺堂）

- Xi De Tong Xiu Hui, Germany（德國喜德同修會）

- Ming Zhao Tong Xiu Hui, Madrid, Spain（西班牙明照同修會） 

We would like to thank all masters, reverends, dharma assistants and everyone for coming together to help those in need, and are very grateful for everyone’s cooperative support to bring warmth to the community.  

Under the leadership of Master Lian Sheng （蓮聲上師）, the donated items were given to two organizations on June 15, 2021: Selby Centre Food Hub and the Akashaya Patra Foundation. 

Selby Centre Food Hub is a food bank located in a high unemployment area in London. It is an open food bank that allows each family to receive their everyday necessities according to their needs. Due to Covid-19, Master Lian Sheng, Reverend Lian Mei, and nine other TBS disciples represented LLCS to deliver and donate 776 bags of white rice, 20 boxes of dried noodles, and various daily necessities to Selby Centre Food Hub. They also brought twelve handmade red heart-shaped cards to represent the UK and 11 cultivation venues in the EU, as well as the masters, reverends, dharma assistants and dharma siblings’ spirit of unity and their gift of love to make this event a success. 

The second beneficiary of the LLCS branches in the UK is the Akashaya Patra Foundation. This foundation provides free lunches over the long-term to approximately 3 million children from low-income families in the UK. Across the country, the branches of this foundation prepare 500 nutritious and steaming vegetarian lunches per day to impoverished children.

2. Lotus Light Society Incorporated (Sydney) Celebrates H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s 77th Birthday through the 2021 Global White Rice Donation Event

On June 17, 2021, an “OZ Harvest” cargo truck pulled up slowly and stopped in front of the main door of Sydney’s Yen Shan Lei Zang Temple, to receive and deliver donation items. When they got to the temple and saw the massive piles of white rice, and various kinds of oatmeal and canned fruits prepared, they were all in awe. All of these donations contained the spirit of charity and loving-kindness of True Buddha School’s disciples. 

The donations received by Sydney’s Lotus Light Society were used to purchase 6 tons of rice, 197 bags of oatmeal and 144 cans of fruit items, which were donated to OZ Harvest. The charity organization also works together with many other local charity organizations across the whole of Australia, to distribute the necessities to those in need. 

3. Melbourne Lotus Light Charity Society Inc Celebrates H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s 77th Birthday through the 2021 Global White Rice Donation Event 

Melbourne Lotus Light Charity Society has had a long-time partnership with Victoria State’s food bank. All of the food in this food bank come from non-profit welfare organizations and individual donations, which provide wholesome and nutritious meals to the approximate 2 million people in Australia who struggle to eat every day. Apart from the donated funds it had received, Melbourne Lotus Light Charity Society also donated additional funds to purchase 3 tons of white rice and hundreds of canned food items urgently needed by the food bank, so as to help more people in need. In particular, much gratitude goes to Reverend Shi Lian Wei （釋蓮為法師）for helping to promote and actively participating in this donation event. 

4. Lotus Light Charity Society Indonesia Celebrates H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s 77th Birthday through the 2021 Global White Rice Donation Event

With hearts connected across the land of a thousand islands, spreading the warmth of loving-kindness.

On June 13th 2021, LLCS Indonesia’s participation in the Global White Rice Donation Event drew to a successful close. Under the active leadership of the newly appointed chairperson, Dharma Assistant Vandy from Vihara Vajra Bumi Kertayuga, Pontianak, Indonesia （印尼坤甸真德雷藏寺, Zhen De Lei Zang Temple, Pontianak, Indonesia）, and the invitation of Master Shi Lian Yang （釋蓮養上師）, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, 49 cultivation venues across Indonesia provided immense support to this event, and through the donation of white rice and various necessities, everyone worked hand-in-hand to bring the warmth of loving-kindness to people’s hearts. 

This time, LLCS Indonesia donated a total of 19 tons of white rice, 2,681 liters of cooking oil, 40,140 packs of instant noodles, 2,177 kilograms of white sugar, and other everyday necessities. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they were unable to organize a large-scale charity event this year, so branches of LLCS in various parts of Indonesia went to their local retirement centers, orphanages, and low income households to distribute the donation items, upholding Grand Master’s teachings to spread love and compassion to all beings. 

The greatest reason for the resounding success of the Global White Rice Donation Event in Indonesia this time, is attributed to the coming together of 49 cultivation venues, working hand-in-hand to support this cause, as well as 1,872 other benefactors. Cooperating as one body and with one heart, distributing the warmth and light of loving-kindness through the simplest methods and with great sincerity. 

5. Lotus Light Charity Society Malaysia Celebrates H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s 77th Birthday through the 2021 Global White Rice Donation Event

On top of Covid-19, severe floods in 2021 made life much more difficult for those who were already in poverty. Many nursing homes and orphanages also faced a shortage of supplies. Malaysia is a multicultural country and every ethnic group has their own unique language and culture. In times of need, however, people come together to aid one another, and “love” becomes a universal language. Thus, upholding the spirit of Grand Master’s teachings of great benevolence without discrimination and great compassion arising from the recognition of being of the same body, LLCS Malaysia actively promoted and engaged various branches to participate in the donation event, resulting in 39 cultivation venues in Malaysia coming together with the LLCS team, raising funds for the donation of 119 tons of white rice in total!  

LLCS Malaysia’s participation in the Global White Rice Donation Event ended successfully on June 20th, 2021, and with deep gratitude for our Lineage Root Guru’s great blessing. Even after the white rice donation event came to an end, LLCS Malaysia continued to donate goods and other items to underprivileged students, so as to allow them to focus on and complete their studies with ease of mind. In addition, LLCS Malaysia also aided frontline healthcare workers by providing personal protection supplies and drinking water to hospitals, to help provide some relief in combating the pandemic. 

We sincerely hope that the pandemic ends soon, and may sentient beings abide in ease and delight in their work, safe and sound and far away from all kinds of suffering. 

6. Lotus Light Charity Society (Singapore) Celebrates H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s 77th Birthday through the 2021 Global White Rice Donation Event 

To celebrate and honor the occasion of the 77th birthday of its founder H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Lotus Light Charity Society (Singapore) carried out its yearly donation of white rice at its premises on June 26th, as part of the 2021 Global White Rice Donation Event.  

LLCS (Singapore) provides help regardless of religion or race. This year, a total of 33,375 kilograms of white rice was given to 25 non-profit welfare organizations and 6 distribution points, benefitting over 10,000 families. On the day of the event, LLCS invited representatives from each receiving welfare organization to attend the donation ceremony. Although it was not possible to host a large ceremony due to Covid-19, a special arrangement was made for the rice suppliers to transport all the rice to each beneficiary organization after the ceremony. 

LLCS (Singapore) would like to specially thank all sponsors, benefactors, True Buddha School chapters, dharma brothers/sisters, volunteers, and well-wishers for their support. This resoundingly successful event could not have happened without them!

7. Lotus Light Charity Society (Taiwan) Celebrates H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s 77th Birthday through the 2021 Global White Rice Donation Event 

In response to the 2021 Global White Rice Donation Event, Lotus Light Charity Society (Taiwan) gathered 26 True Buddha School local cultivation venues, and greatly appreciates their enthusiasm and loving-kindness, and for actively inviting benefactors to participate. 

In order to fulfill the compassionate aspiration of its founder to provide “Relief for the poor,” LLCS (Taiwan) would donate white rice each year on the birthday of H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng, to help even more underprivileged families and children. Currently, LLCS provides support to 66 schools and approximately 660 children yearly, by donating more than 7,900 portions of everyday necessities and approximately 24,000kg of white rice. In addition, LLCS also helps approximately 30 at-risk families with 330 portions of everyday necessities, and about NTD 200,000 in emergency relief funds. 

LLCS (Taiwan) cherishes each benefactor’s donation, and utilizes it effectively to provide relief for the poor, as well as on education and culture, enabling loving-kindness to be dispersed throughout the land, nourishing the hearts of all in need.

8. Lotus Light Charity Society Vancouver Celebrates H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s 77th Birthday through the 2021 Global White Rice Donation Event

In honor and celebration of H.H. Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s 77th birthday, LLCS Vancouver responded to and took part in the 2021 Global White Rice Donation Event, donating a total of 5 tons of white rice to food banks and disadvantaged families.