How to Help Japan?

MindGate

How would a person go about helping Japan in some way?

SherabDorje

I know of links at HuffingtonPost.com and MSNBC.com .

compassionate_warrior

Have you checked the internet to see if there are charities addressing that? The Red Cross, for one. One can donate, or volunteer, to orgs helping out. Maybe your local zendo is involved?

B5C

You can:
All this goes too japan.
Richard Dawkins Group is asking for money:
http://givingaid.richarddawkins.net/

Non Religious and Religious aid groups:
https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052
https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/ShelterBoxUSAInc/OnlineGiving.html
https://www.internationalmedicalcorps.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=1967
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/japan-earthquake-tsunami-relief/
https://donate.convoyofhope.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=419
http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org/?p=5642

MindGate

How can a poor person help?

compassionate_warrior

Maybe you could go door-to-door and collect donations for the cause, MG. Maybe there's info on some of those websites that you could download and hand out. But if you're going to use their info, you'd best contact one of them first and tell them what you want to do. They may have ideas, or requirements, or something.

MindGate

Go door to door collecting money? Hmmm, I wonder how many people would call me a scam artist. I think I might try that some day this week, though.

compassionate_warrior

No, MG, you contact the org you plan to donate to (you could call several and talk to them, find out more about what they do, see which one you like), and ask how you'd go about being an authorized donation collector for them. Or maybe that wouldn't be necessary, but tell them what you want to do, and they may have suggestions as to how to avoid having people call you a scam artist. Besides, it's not like you go around your neighborhood every year, with a different cause each time. I bet people take you at face value. You might be surprised at the interested and sympathetic response. (Hopefully I'm not dreaming.)

NomaDBuddha

How would a person go about helping Japan in some way?

Buy Iodine pills and send them to Fukushima.

formermonkJohn

japan is probably the wealthiest country in the world, per capita, australia another wealthy country just suffered through hell as did new zealand, i think mass donations to wealthy countries is a bit ridiculous compared to earthquake relief in haiti, famine relief in sudan, or just pure and simple helping homeless people in your own town,

giving money to japan is kind of like giving a large gift to the japanese or american government, if your bill gates then go at it, however any prayers or moral support and compassion you can express for any of these people in need is worth more, IMO, in this respect than cash donations.

formermonkJohn

sorry if i come off as heartless here, im just pointing out that $10 might pay for one meal for a japanese victim, but 20 meals in haiti, or maybe even 100meals in sudan, most of the charitable causes that will pop up to take donations to japan are going to be 25-90% administrative costs, its a horrible tragedy, unbelievable almost, and something of a death knell to the nuclear power industry, which may be a good thing, however my heart goes out to those people, and it adds another country to my prayers, living in southern california i can't help thinking were next!

heres an example of charity relief for japan! http://wonderwall.msn.com/music/lady-gaga-launches-bracelet-for-japan-relief-fund-1609055.story?gt1=28135

Cinorjer

If you have nothing else, you can light a candle at your altar or however you chant or pray, and cherish the life you have.

formermonkJohn

Cinorjers right, buddhists traditionally burn three sticks of incense on their alter for the buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. but when someone dies they burn only one stick, i think burning one stick and thinking of the people in japan is a very real loving act, and in meditation maybe we could come up with even better ideas to help, how about volunteering for the relief effort, if you possibly could, i just read millions of people without safe water and enough food, thats mind boggling.

dharma

Hi all,

This article "Bodhisattva Action Alert: Ways to Help Japan" provides some info on the topic:

http://jizochronicles.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/bodhisattva-action-alert-ways-to-help-japan/

TZU CHI FOUNDATION is a good one
http://northerncal.us.tzuchi.org/nc.nsf/home/index

Vincenzi

we should learn from Japan's planning:
Some Perspective On The Japan Earthquake

Whoknows

@MindGate, engender compassion to those who have suffered in your meditation. Send out the aspiration that those who have died will find a beneficial rebirth. Practise the Brahma Viharas, the four immeasurables. Be creative.

zidangus

I should mention that although there is tragic human suffering in Japan at the moment, there is also animal suffering, which I think we should not forget about. The WSPA have an excellent disaster response team for such cases, see the link for more information.

http://animalsindisasters.typepad.com/wspa/2011/03/internal-displacement-in-japan-a-growing-concern.html

Metta to all sentient beings

formermonkJohn

i have a friend that thinks its karma for japanese eating whales and dolphins, and theres a japanese official made some statement it the worst thing since (losing) WWII. me personally i don't think we are any kind of experts on karma, or mother nature, prepare for the worst, would be a good philosophy here in southern california.(earthquake zone)

so many of us build up a comfort zone of things, houses and posessions, and that can all vanish in an instant, no wonder the buddha said these things are not what's important.

Cinorjer

i have a friend that thinks its karma for japanese eating whales and dolphins, and theres a japanese official made some statement it the worst thing since (losing) WWII. me personally i don't think we are any kind of experts on karma, or mother nature, prepare for the worst, would be a good philosophy here in southern california.(earthquake zone)

so many of us build up a comfort zone of things, houses and posessions, and that can all vanish in an instant, no wonder the buddha said these things are not what's important.

Yeah, that's the problem with people's misunderstanding of karma. Ranks up there with misguided people in the US who claim natural disasters are caused by God's anger against wicked liberals.

The only karma involved, someone lives on an island prone to earthquakes, this is the particular form nature takes to remind us even mountains are in motion.

zidangus

i have a friend that thinks its karma for japanese eating whales and dolphins, and theres a japanese official made some statement it the worst thing since (losing) WWII. me personally i don't think we are any kind of experts on karma, or mother nature, prepare for the worst, would be a good philosophy here in southern california.(earthquake zone)

so many of us build up a comfort zone of things, houses and posessions, and that can all vanish in an instant, no wonder the buddha said these things are not what's important.

Your friend isn't sharon stone is it ?

Metta to all sentient beings

MindGate

Your friend isn't sharon stone is it ?

Bahaha.

zombiegirl

Your friend isn't sharon stone is it ?

Metta to all sentient beings

serious LOLs at this!

but former monk john, did you tell your friend that that is a pretty silly thing to say? with that kind of belief, surely america should have been hit for its horrible treatment of animals.