By: Marcela Viveros
On December 6–8, 2025, the Great Compassion Fund, in collaboration with True Buddha Dharma Academy and Dharma Propagation NPO, co-hosted the “2025 Nepal Donation Drive.” With gratitude to the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha and H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, this initiative sought to bring relief to nearly fifty Buddhist nuns and fifty impoverished families, as well as to support a local animal rescue center.
On December 6, the donation team arrived at Karuna Vihara in Mata Tirtha, Kathmandu, providing clothing, shoes, gloves, and stationery to more than thirty young Theravada nuns. The funds raised were directed toward the monastery to help improve the living and educational conditions. Dharma Master Zhikai, President of True Buddha Dharma Academy, remarked during the donation ceremony: “Buddhists should unite together, transcend sectarian boundaries, care for one another, and strengthen one another, so that the True Dharma may continue to thrive and we may together realize enlightenment.” Venerable Chandrasila Guruma, Abbess of Karuna Vihara, expressed heartfelt thanks: “This kindness will help build a firm pillar on the path of practice for our nuns.”
The True Buddha Dharma Academy and Dharma Propagation NPO supported the Nagarjuna Institute of Buddhist Studies (NIBS) in Lalitpur, delivering supplies to six Newar nuns as part of an initiative to convey warmth and support.
In the afternoon, the team visited the Nagarjuna Institute of Buddhist Studies (NIBS) in Lalitpur. At the NIBS Library, they offered supplies to six Newar bhikkhunis, extending warmth and encouragement to the community. The True Buddha Dharma Academy and Dharma Propagation NPO team also made donations to the NIBS and paid tribute to the late founder-director, Professor Min Bahadur Shakya, whose lifelong dedication to Buddhist scholarship, scripture translation, education, and charitable relief has left a lasting influence. His contributions continue to inspire the propagation of Buddhism and the promotion of social welfare.
On December 7, the team visited Sneha’s Care, a nonprofit animal rescue organization sheltering more than 200 animals. The organization actively promotes the “Bloodless Gadhimai Campaign,” encouraging non-killing alternatives to animal sacrifice. In harmony with the Buddhist teaching that all beings are equal and should be cherished as family, Sneha’s Care embodies compassion by seeking to protect animals from harm and treating them with dignity. The organization expressed gratitude to the team’s donations and highlighted the importance of international support.
At the birthplace of Shakyamuni Buddha, the donation team distributed rice, lentils, and cooking oil, benefiting more than fifty impoverished families.
On December 8, the team reached Lumbini, the birthplace of Shakyamuni Buddha, where Dharma Propagation NPO conducted a food distribution program in collaboration with Mr. Indra Kafle, the former Principal of Lumbini Buddhist University. During the event, thirty sacks of rice, thirty sacks of beans, thirty liters of cooking oil, and additional essential supplies were distributed to families facing significant economic hardship. As the donation drive progressed and a growing number of impoverished families arrived seeking assistance, the donation team procured an additional 22 sets of essential supplies to ensure that more families in need received support.
That same afternoon, the team visited Gautami Vihara in Lumbini, where True Buddha Dharma Academy donated scarves and winter caps to seven novice nuns. Monetary contributions were also presented to the monastery, further extending the compassionate spirit at the heart of Buddhist practices. With limited resources, the monastery faces daily challenges in sustaining practice and livelihood. Resident novice nuns expressed their appreciation, noting that the warmth of this support would help them endure the harsh winter.
In total, the “2025 Nepal Donation Drive” initiative assisted nearly fifty Buddhist nuns, fifty impoverished families, and extended support to an animal rescue center and a Buddhist research institute—demonstrating the power of Buddhist compassion that reaches across national boundaries. The “2025 Nepal Donation Drive” not only reminds us that compassion is expressed through words and in deeds, but also embodies the Buddhist principles taught by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III: “Benefiting all sentient beings with compassion as the foundation; cultivating oneself to obtain both merit and wisdom, and liberating from the cycle of birth and death.”
Dr. Miroj Shakya, CEO of the Great Compassion Fund, shared: “Thanks to the kindness of devotees from all around, compassion has come together in Nepal like countless small drops flowing into a great river, turning into love for everyone. In the days ahead, we will continue our compassionate efforts in Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India—supporting bhikkhunis, providing disaster relief, and helping low-income families and stray animals. May the light of compassion reach more lives and bring warmth to many hearts.”
Professor Milan Shakya, Director of NIBS and representative of the Great Compassion Fund, further emphasized the significance of collaboration with True Buddha Dharma Academy and Dharma Propagation NPO in California: “This partnership helps ensure that aid reaches those who need it most, transforming the compassion and hope of the Dharma into concrete action.”
The organizers undertook this journey as a mission to raise awareness and mobilize resources for young bhikkhunis, disadvantaged families, and vulnerable communities—striving to ensure that compassion finds its way to those most in need.
