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By Mike Kinney
The Gyuto Foundation Buddhist Monastery in Richmond hosted a special prayer ceremony Saturday for the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic in India and Nepal. A devastating surge in cases has overwhelmed India’s healthcare system.
About 60 people attended the outdoor service, called Monlam, at the serene monastery grounds at 6401 Bernhard Ave.
Monlam is a Buddhist prayer, which means ‘wish-path’, the Buddhist path of helping others through kind prayers.
“We share the sadness and grief of Indian people who lost their loved ones,” said Venerable Thupten Donyo, the head monk of the Gyuto Foundation Buddhist Monastery. “We prayed for the people who died to have better rebirth.”
By Mike Kinney
The Gyuto Foundation Buddhist Monastery in just a few days raised over $82,000 toward emergency medical relief efforts in India, which is undergoing a devastating outbreak of COVID-19 cases that has overwhelmed hospitals. On Saturday, May 8, the local monastery is inviting the community to its prayer service, called Monlam, in solidarity with people impacted in India.
Over the past weekend, the Venerable Thupten Donyo, head Monk of the Gyuto Foundation Buddhist Monastery, launched a GoFundMe to provide emergency relief funds to the Tibetan Cancer Society in Dehli, India. The site is no longer accepting donations.
“We immediately closed the account so we could send the funds to India so they could buy urgently needed medical equipment like oxygen tanks and air concentrators,” Donyo said. “This equipment is essential during this pandemic crisis.”