We are a coalition of New York City area Buddhists, dedicated to bringing Buddhist morals and values into action in order to bring about true justice. Our Mission is to organize and inspire compassionate Buddhist initiatives in advancing social, economic, and environmental justice for the benefit of all beings, undertaken through advocacy and nonviolent direct action.

We meet on the first Monday of the month. All are welcome. While we miss being in our regular meeting room at the Union Theological Seminary, we will continue to meet via Zoom for the coming months. To join us and to learn about what we’re doing, please sign up for our mailing list.

We have been wanting to set up a conversation with Garden of Hope (mindfulness center in Palestine) founder Issa Souf since we began our speakers series at the start of the Covid pandemic. We've finally gotten a date with him, and we are beyond thrilled. Please join us in this important conversation with Issa and Dorit Alon Shippin who also helps with the Garden of Hope and is engaged in peace-building. Please join us and share this invitation with your friends and network far and wide. Thank you.

Seeding and Cultivating a Garden of Hope

A Conversation with
Issa Souf and Dorit Alon Shippin,
calling in from Palestine and Israel

Sunday, 25 January 2026, 11:30AM-1PM US EST

(click here to see time in your timezone)

Via Zoom. Free and open to all. RSVP required.

Issa will talk about his work and vision for the Garden of Hope, located in the West Bank and the first mindfulness center in Palestine. He will talk about his work as a peace activist with the Palestinian society and also with Israeli and international peace activists. He will also talk about the current situation in the West Bank, where he lives. 

Dharma teacher Dorit will talk about the meaning of the cooperation with Issa around the Garden of Hope and the current, general atmosphere in Israel.

DANA: Please support the Garden of Hope. Donate HERE. Thank you for your generosity.

ABOUT ISSA SOUF

Issa Souf (54) is a Palestinian Muslim. He lives with his family in the village of Khares in the Salfit Governorate (Nablus area) in the West Bank, Palestine. Issa is a father of 5 (ages 14-24). He is a peace and non-violent activist resisting the Israeli illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. He is working towards the recognition of the suffering of the Palestinian people and towards recognition of their basic rights for freedom and independence.

At the young age of 29, during the time of the second Intifada (uprising) at 2001, Issa was shot by an Israeli soldier while coming outside of his house to call the children home. As a result of the shot that hit his spine, Issa became paralyzed in his lower body. In July 2004, Haaretz newspaper (by Gideon Levy) published a letter that Issa wrote to the soldiers who carried out the shooting and after which his family was not allowed to approach him and help him. In the letter, he expresses sorrow for the loss of humanity and the cruel situation in which soldiers are required to fight against innocent civilians and sometimes commit such acts. 

In 2003, he participated in a Palestinian-Israeli delegation that traveled to the

Plum Village meditation center in southern France to study and practice mindfulness under the guidance of Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. In the last years Issa has been busy fulfilling a dream that will serve his vision for a peaceful and free existence in Palestine. He has built and continue to build a community and peace center called the Garden Of Hope with the help and support of many friends around the world,

Continuing Issa Souf’s legacy, the centre serves local Palestinian communities first and foremost, while also building justice-based relationships with peace-minded Israelis and strengthening international solidarity, learning, witnessing, and resistance—always with awareness of the profound imbalance of power between occupier and occupied.

ABOUT DORIT ALON SHIPPIN

Dorit Alon Shippin (68) lives with her family in Neve Shalom ~Wahat Al-Salam (Oasis Of Peace) in Israel. The Oasis Of Peace is an intentional peace community in Israel where Palestinians and Jews citizens of Israel live and work together for peace. Dorit is a mother of 3 and a grandmother of 5.

In 2003, she participated in a Palestinian-Israeli delegation that traveled to the Plum Village meditation center in southern France to study and practice mindfulness under the guidance of Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. Since then Issa and Dorit stayed in touch and became good friends and colleagues. Both continued to follow the practice of Plum Village and the mindfulness engaged practice of Thich Nhat Hanh. Together they are leading a Palestinian/Israeli sangha that started at Issa's home and now will continue to meet in the new center of the Garden Of Hope.

Dorit is a member of The Order of Interbeing of Plum Village and was certified as a Dharma teacher of that tradition.

Compassionate Action: Sanghas Supporting Refugees’ Campaign to Resettle a Newly Arriving Family

A grassroots team of local volunteers has formed Sanghas Supporting Refugees to resettle a refugee family escaping violence, persecution and hardship. We ask you to support this compassionate action at a critical moment as refugees continue arriving in the New York City area. 

Sanghas Supporting Refugees’ project will be guided by HIAS, the global Jewish nonprofit that has protected refugees for more than 140 years. HIAS offers a proven framework with five pathways to welcome refugees, help them integrate into their communities, and build new lives. Our Sanghas Supporting Refugees project volunteers will facilitate each pathway—housing, health, education, employment and community connections—to help a refugee family plant their feet on local soil.

HIAS requests that we raise up to $40,000 to support a refugee family. 

Your tax deductible donation will be doubled—a generous donor has offered to match donations one-to-one up to $20,000.

Your Support Assists Refugees

Because Sanghas Supporting Refugees operates free of administrative and overhead costs, 100% of your donation will go to supporting refugees. Your contribution will make a real difference for a refugee family by providing them with paid rent, food, and other necessities of living.

Please donate any amount to support this compassionate work. Click on the link to give: https://villagezendo.org/sanghas-supporting-refugees/

Most of our volunteers come from a wide range of Buddhist groups throughout the area. The Village Zendo, a 501(c)3 charity, is our fiscal sponsor. We also have many non-Buddhist volunteers and welcome everyone’s participation.

If you do not have resources to contribute financially, please help us to spread the word about our project. 

With palms together in gratitude, and one with all beings, the Sanghas Supporting Refugees team appreciates your generosity (dana).

Chad DeChant and Maya Petrovic 
Co-Chairs, Sanghas Supporting Refugees

For more information email sanghassupportingrefugees@villagezendo.org

24 March 2021

The Buddhist Action Coalition grieves along with the loved ones and communities of those killed in the recent mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder. With our words and actions we will continue to support gun control policy and work towards a society free from violence, bigotry, greed, ignorance and hatred.

BAC calls upon this memory from 2018—March for Our Lives—to speak to the tragedies of the last week. Eighteen more lives, and all the lives intimately connected to those lives, and the collective trauma of Bearing Witness to this violence as a country.

May their memories give us the courage and will to finally make changes needed to become a truly life sustaining society. To make these changes, we can start with President Biden's call for a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines. Please take a moment to contact your representative and encourage them to support legislation which will help save lives: https://whoismyrepresentative.com/

May all beings be free from suffering.

With Metta,
The Buddhist Action Coalition

COMING TOGETHER:
How Can Engaged Buddhists Respond to
Rising Fascism and White Terrorism?

On 3 February 2021, we hosted an open discussion and strategizing session on fascism and white terrorism. Practitioners came together to share resources, actions, and ideas on ways to come together. Among those who shared their thoughts to frame the evening’s discussion were Enkyo Roshi (Village Zendo), Karen Eko Walker (Village Zendo), and James Lynch (Buddhist Council of New York). Below’s a recording of our conversation.

If you’d like to get involved in helping coordinate multi-sangha actions/initiatives and coalition-build, please email Dorotea at buddhistactionny@gmail.com.

BAC Event: The Rohingya Genocide, a Panel Discussion

On Tuesday, May 21, a diverse crowd including many from the Buddhist and Muslim communities as well as Numerous Human Rights Organizations gathered at the at Union Theological Seminary to gain a deeper understanding of the current plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (Burma) and delve into the history of the atrocities being committed there. The event was created by The Buddhist Action Coalition and co-sponsored by The Buddhist Council of New York and Union Theological’s Thích Nhất Hạnh Program for Engaged Buddhism. The Buddhist magazine Lion’s Roar wrote up an article on the topic that included a bit about the event:

https://www.lionsroar.com/commentary-we-must-address-religious-nationalism-to-prevent-buddhism-from-being-perverted-into-a-force-for-evil/

Organized and moderated by Buddhist Action Coalition members Eric Manigian and Chad DeChant, “The Rohingya Genocide: A Panel Discussion” featured distinguished speakers including Dr. Azeem Ibrahim, scholar and author of The Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar's Hidden Genocide, Ms. Khin Mai Aung, Cilvil Right Attorney and U.S. Coordinator of the Free Rohingya Coalition, Brother Adem Carroll, NY/UN Program Director of Burma Task Force, Ms. Ashley Aya Aye Dun, writer and activist, and Mr. Mohiuddin Mohamad-Yusof, President of the World Rohingya Organization and a survivor of the violence. Attendees gained an in depth knowledge of the history and development of the Genocide, the resulting mass exodus and current crisis conditions in the refugee camps. In recognition of Ramadan, an Iftar meal was shared at sunset.

The Buddhist Action Coalition would like to thank all those who came out that evening to deepen their understanding of this important issue. Please stay tuned for further updates and helpful links as we follow through with the Panel to find out what our community can do to help ease the suffering of the Rohingya people.

Some organizations to support:

Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Boarders)

Free Rohingya Coalition

Burma Task Force

World Rohingya Organization

Restless Beings

IRAP International Refugee Assistance Project

BRAC Humanitarian Crisis Management

Photo credits: Amy Elizabeth Photography

Get on the list!

This movement doesn't move without you. We have organizing meetings the first Monday of the month and will be organizing gatherings, actions, and retreats in the coming months. Whether you want to help build the coalition, walk with us at the next march, or just stay in touch with what we're up to, register for our mailing list to get all the latest! Sign up below, or if the form isn't showing up for you (which sometimes happens on mobile devices), you can sign up here.

Buddhist Action Coalition in the Media

• Buddhist Action: Forming a new Moral action group - a profile of the group in compassion nyc magazine

• buddhists take action at march for our lives - Leaders from several sanghas and Buddhist groups show solidarity at an anti-gun violence rally, as reported by tricycle magazine

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