A time to give from the heart

December 8, 2007


From: David Cantor and Roshi Joan Halifax
www.upaya.org
upaya@upaya.org
(505) 986-8518

"My continuing passion is to part a curtain, that invisible veil of indifference that falls between us and that blinds us to each other's presence, each other's wonder, each other's human plight."
--- Eudora Welty

Dear Zaadz Friends of Upaya,     

We here at Upaya send our deep gratitude to you, our extended community, for your presence, support, and wisdom during this past year. It has been a year of growth, change, learning, service, and wonder; and a fall and winter of profound harmony.

When we wrote this, it was December 8, which marked the enlightenment of the Buddha. Sixty friends from around the world  sat in deep practice from December 1-8 at Upaya with Roshi Enkyo O’Hara, Sensei Kaz Tanahashi, and the two of us.

Upaya is so many things: a place of wholehearted and kind practice, a gentle refuge, a place of sharp learning and compassionate service, and a place of great beauty. Many of you have contributed to Upaya and share in Upaya’s noble purpose. Such moments as we have experienced during Rohatsu remind the two of us that the human heart is a deep spring that yearns to be revealed, so that “the invisible veil of indifference” can be dissolved. In the darkness of winter and in our chaotic and imperiled world, to see the immense beauty of the human heart is like seeing the plum tree blossom in winter.

Last year, many friends gave generously to sustain and deepen the work that Upaya does in the world. You recognized that Upaya cannot exist on program income alone. You saw what we do here: how we help young and old, free and imprisoned, healthy and those near death, and those who serve others. We are a truly unique endeavor in the Western landscape, a place which deeply values the union of the contemplative life and social action.

Because of our shared vision, much is happening at Upaya that is of great value. We hope that you will contribute to supporting the life of practice, learning and service that is the heart of our mission:

THE CEOLC (Compassionate End-of-Life Care) initiative is at a powerful turning point. We are publishing the results of the research on the efficacy of our training of health care professionals; expanding our teaching initiatives into more medical settings, from Harvard to Mayo; and developing training curriculum for clinician/educators in compassionate care of the dying. We need your support to further this work. At this time, the cost of this initiative is $250,000 per year.

THE UPAYA PRISON PROJECT touches the lives of hundreds of prison residents, from the very young to the old, from the most vulnerable to the most risky. Volunteers in the Upaya Prison Project lead meditation groups for inmates at seven correctional facilities in New Mexico.  We also have a Pen-Pal Program, in which volunteers correspond with prison residents about the methods and value of meditation practice. National evidence shows a clear reduction in prison recidivism and in post-release return to addiction among inmates who have participated in meditation groups during their incarceration. The current annual cost of our prison project is $50,000.  Your support is greatly appreciated.   
 
UPAYA’S PATH OF SERVICE makes it possible to educate people of all ages and cultures in values-based leadership, as well as to cultivate a practice life that sustains the mind and heart through service, education, and contemplation.  Our Path of Service residents have the opportunity to participate in over one hundred and twenty education and practice days a year, among the many other benefits of this vital program.  With this program growing so quickly, your continued support is essential.  The cost of the Path of Service Program is $200,000 a year.
 
THE UPAYA BUDDHIST CHAPLAINCY TRAINING is a visionary and comprehensive program for a new kind of chaplaincy based in serving not only individuals and communities, but also the environment and the world. The intention of the training is to prepare people in best practices for transforming all forms of suffering, including suffering induced by structural violence.  This approach, based on complexity/systems theory and Buddhist philosophy, is radically innovative and is the theoretical, practical, and compassionate basis of the program. Cost for this new initiative is $150,000.

And finally, I am sure you all know the challenge of meeting operating costs for any social profit organization.  While most of you will probably want to give to a specific program, we are eager to receive non-specified funds to sustain the practice life here at Upaya in serving not only individuals and communities, but also the environment and the world.  Whether it is my journey to Nanjing to bear witness to the 70th Memorial of the Nanjing Massacre, Ray Olson’s tireless work with the imprisoned, Jean’s endless compassion and support for those facing death, or the wholehearted work our wonderful residents do to support the center, Upaya simply does what it does because there is nothing else to do but this. The right hand takes care of the left hand without thought to outcome or praise.

So please remember us at this time of the year. Your generosity is so deeply appreciated. You may make your donation online, by check, or stock transfer. For help or information, email or call our office. For an easy and secure way to make a tax-deductible contribution, click the Paypal button at: www.upaya.org/give/

Thank you for your support. We hope to see you here in the near future. And know that your contribution amounts to a gift of enduring hope for all who walk through Upaya’s doors seeking to learn what it means to live a life of compassion and altruism.



With gratitude,
          
David Cantor, Board President            Joan Halifax, Abbot

P.S.  Again, our deepest gratitude to all of you.