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In this
NCVA Reporter:
Funding Opportunities
Jobs/Internships
Tips/Resources
News
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FUNDING
OPPORTUNITIES
PROPOSALS INVITED FOR EFFORTS TO INTEGRATE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR IN
MAINSTREAM PHILANTHROPY
(http://www.wkkf.org/Programming/NewsItem.aspx?CID=2&ID=425)
Deadline: June 1, August 30, November 30, 2004
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (
http://www.wkkf.org/ ) has announced the launch of a new project to
strengthen philanthropy.
The initiative, "Expanding the Boundaries: Leadership in Philanthropy
Project," is designed to stimulate nonprofit work that broadly integrates
communities of color into the world of philanthropy at large. Organizations
seeking to receive a grant through the program must propose projects meeting
two objectives: 1) they enhance the work of emerging leaders and donors of
color; and 2) they promote the creation and sharing of knowledge that
supports these leaders and donors. Critical to the success of both of these
objectives is the building and dissemination of tools for nonprofit
sustainability and innovative methods of giving related to communities of
color.
Grant applicants are encouraged to submit a pre-proposal letter describing
the proposed project/program, measurable outcomes, and a timeline for
accomplishing key tasks (projects may span one to three years).
The pre-proposal letter must also identify organizations in one of the
following categories:
Category A: Organizations interested in exploring an innovative idea that
cuts across the three dimensions of engaging new leaders and donors,
generating new knowledge, and creating new tools related to integration of
communities of color in mainstream philanthropy. The project/ program may be
local or national in scope. Grants in this category range from $50,000 to
$200,000.
Category B: Organizations interested in enhancing and expanding an existing
innovative project/program. The project/program must be collaborative and
may be local or national in scope. Grants in this category range from
$200,000 to $500,000.
Category C: Organizations interested in collaborating with other
organizations to explore and promote innovative ideas on a national level.
The project/program must be national in scope. Grants in this category
range from $500,000 to $1,000,000.
Proposals will be accepted in three rounds: the first-round due date is June
1, 2004; the second is August 30, 2004; and the third is November 30, 2004.
See the Kellogg Foundation Web site to download the proposal submission
guidelines and/or for further information on the foundation's Philanthropy
and Volunteerism program.
(http://www.wkkf.org/Programming/NewsItem.aspx?CID=2&ID=425)
******************
BLANK
FOUNDATION CHANGES STRATEGIC DIRECTION
(http://blankfoundation.org/)
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has embarked on a new strategic
direction, with more focus on programs that provide opportunities to
children and youth.
The foundation, which was established in 1995 by Arthur Blank, co-founder of
Home Depot, reached its $100-million milestone in giving in early 2003. The
Atlanta, Ga.-based foundation plans to commit $100 million over the next
five years to the new initiative.
Grants over the next five years will be awarded in two primary areas:
Fostering Opportunity, aimed at helping low-income youth and their families
overcome barriers imposed by poverty and origin; and Enhancing Quality of
Life, designed to ensure that growing communities remain desirable places to
live by protecting the environment, increasing recreational opportunities,
and fostering diverse arts and cultural activities.
"Our family is committed to being a partner in promoting positive change -
in individual lives and in entire communities," said founder Arthur Blank.
******************
SUPPORT FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC EDUCATION
Edward W. Hazen Foundation
(http://www.hazenfoundation.org/)
The Edward W. Hazen Foundation focuses on assisting children and youth,
particularly minorities and those disadvantaged by poverty, to achieve their
full potential as individuals and as active participants in a democratic
society. The Foundation’s two major programs address public education and
youth development. The public education program, focused on fostering
effective schools for all children and full partnership for parents and
communities in school reform efforts, primarily supports community-based and
grassroots organizations in Baltimore, District of Columbia, Philadelphia,
New York City, Miami, the Mississippi Delta, Chicago, Los Angeles and El
Paso. The youth development program, focused on youth organizing and
leadership development around concrete social issues, provides support for
nonprofit organizations throughout the country. Letters of inquiry are
accepted year-round. Visit the above website for more information.
******************
JULY 1ST
DEADLINE FOR SUPPORT FROM THE MAZDA FOUNDATION
Mazda
(http://www.mazdafoundation.org/)
The Mazda Foundation supports nonprofit organizations throughout the
country, with an emphasis on Southern California. The Foundation's
grantmaking is directed towards the areas of education and literacy,
environmental conservation, cross-cultural understanding, social welfare,
and scientific research. Emphasis is placed on youth and educational
opportunities for minorities. Nonprofit organizations may submit
applications from May 1 through July 1, annually. Visit the above website
for more information.
******************
Office
Depot Provides Support for Children
Office Depot Community Relations Program
(http://www.community.officedepot.com/local.asp)
The Office Depot Community Relations Program supports local nonprofit
organizations that directly impact the health, education and welfare of
children. Nonprofit organizations throughout the United States are eligible
to apply for cash grants or one-time product donations. Applications are
accepted year-round. Visit the above website for more information.
******************
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
Job Vacancy at NAVASA
Job title: Project Associate/Director
Organization:
The National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA) is a
national membership agency, currently comprised of 37 community-based (CBOs)
and faith-based (FBOs) organizations. Since its incorporation in 1995 as a
non-profit 501(c)(3) agency, NAVASA has served its affiliated members
through organizational capacity building, technical assistances, funding
opportunities, networking, and advocacy. NAVASA Annual Conference has been
the focal point to providing the essential and fundamental tools in
strengthening the works and services of the ethnic CBOs and FBOs.
The mission of NAVASA is to empower the Vietnamese American and refugee
community across the United States and to facilitate the transition of
refugees and immigrants from dependency to self-sufficiency. NAVASA works
with national and local affiliates to support its member agencies to
strengthen national advocacy capability and to promote the integration of
the Vietnamese American and refugee communities into American society. The
member agencies work with refugees and immigrants at the local and regional
level while NAVASA coordinates and develops the national programs,
initiatives, and resources.
Job summary:
The Project Associate/Director will work closely with the Executive Director
and staff in promoting the organization’s mission and goals and bringing
forth innovating initiatives that will move NAVASA to the next level of
growth of serving the community.
Focusing on areas of technical assistance, guidance, support, monitoring,
in-depth analysis, and evaluation to ethnic CBOs and FBOs.
Responsibilities:
* Provides ongoing TA with regards to the implementation of the programs,
checking on timelines, activities, and budget allocation and fiscal
management,
* Consults on training and skills development goals and outcomes with
participating entities,
* Coordinates the web-based program and its contents,
* Liaises between funders, NAVASA, and participating entities to effect full
and complete realization of planned activities. Facilitates the resolution
of any barriers or problems that may develop while implementing,
* Affects understanding of issues pertaining to the development of ethnic
organizations among the participating entities,
* Monitors programs via monthly teleconference, written correspondence,
email, and onsite reviews,
* Oversees affiliates’ program coordinators including fiscal management and
programmatic progress,
* Conducts site monitoring to assess progress, identify weaknesses, propose
remedies by making recommendations, prepare report, and share findings with
ORR and participating entities,
* Works with the National Advisory Council with the input of affiliates to
measure project’s outcomes and work-plan,
* Evaluates the overall project regarding major goals and objectives,
* Participates in forums, conferences, meetings, and workshops concerned
with issues of ethnic community self-help, community development, and
coalition building,
* Compiles, synthesizes, and submits financial and programmatic reports to
ORR.
* Researches and gathers data in the field and shares applicable information
with ORR and NAVASA’s member organizations,
* Promotes networking among participating entities, FBOs, NAVASA’s
affiliated members, and non-affiliated members,
* Works with other staff members in discharging responsibilities,
* Researches on program development and funding resources to secure project
matching fund and to strengthen project value,
* Assumes entire project responsibilities before Executive Director and
NAVASA’s Board of Directors, and
* Assumes necessary tasks required by Executive Director.
Requirements:
* Committed in working to improve and better the Vietnamese American and
refugee community across the country. This requires prior experience in
working with ethnic CBOs, FBOs and fellow community agencies that promote
similar programs, policies and direction that NAVASA underlines;
* Detailed oriented
* Able to write, analyze and communicate effectively
* Able to work independently and dedicate hours of work and service to
programs and projects;
* Have the aspiration and flexibility to learn and acquire new skills and
experience; and
* Able to research and network, present and interconnect with the public.
We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits.
Please send your cover letter and resume to:
Huy V. Bui
Executive Director
NAVASA
1010 Wayne Avenue, Suite 310
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Fax: 301.587.2783
Email:
huy.bui@navasa.org
Additional Information may be requested.
For any questions or inquiries, please visit our website at
www.navasa.org or contact us in the office at 301.587.2781.
******************
TIPS/RESOURCES
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION DELAYS NONPROFIT ADVOCACY REGULATIONS
The Federal Election Commission (
http://www.fec.gov/ ) has unanimously voted to delay for ninety days new
regulations that would limit spending by so-called 527 committees, paving
the way for the organizations to exert considerable influence over this
year’s presidential race, the New York Times reports.
The six-member commission, which is split evenly between Republicans and
Democrats, rejected three attempts to impose the new rules, then voted
unanimously to delay new regulations on the groups for ninety days, which
makes it extremely unlikely that any restrictions on the committees will be
applied before the upcoming elections. The decision was hailed as a victory
for Democratic groups such as ACT and the Media Fund that have attacked
President Bush with millions of dollars in television advertisements.
The ruling was criticized by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Russell
Feingold (D-WI), who co-sponsored sweeping campaign finance reforms enacted
by Congress in 2002, as well as watchdog groups that monitor the influence
of money in politics. "This was a moment of opportunity for the commission,
and they flinched," said Don Simon, a lawyer for one such group, Democracy
21. "This is the creation of the next big soft-money loophole in progress."
The decision was cheered, however, by various nonprofit advocacy groups,
which feared that new regulations on 527 committees would be extended to all
501(c) nonprofits. "This is a great victory for nonprofits' ability to
speak out during an election year," said Nan Aron, co-chairwoman of the
Coalition to Protect Nonprofit Advocacy (http://www.nonprofitadvocacy.org/
).
In response to the decision, Republicans are expected to begin fundraising
for their own 527 groups. "The 2004 elections will now be a free-for-all,"
said Ed Gillespie, chairman of the Republican National Committee, in a
statement. "Thanks to the deliberate inaction by the Federal Election
Commission, the battle of the 527's is likely to escalate to a full scale,
two-sided war."
Justice, Glen. "F.E.C. Declines to Curb Independent FundRaisers." New York
Times 05/14/04.
http://nytimes.com/2004/05/14/politics/campaign/14fec.html
******************
NEWS
May
23, 2004
NEW RULES A BARRIER
TO MARRYING VIETNAMESE
China Post
Altogether
4,094 Southeast Asian brides came to Taiwan in the first quarter of this
year. Nine out of every ten of them arrived from Vietnam.
On the other hand, however, many brides from abroad, particularly those from
China, have turned street walkers, with or without the consent of their
husbands.
That worries the Vietnamese authorities.
"How, some provincial authorities in Vietnam have made it a rule that any
would-be groom in Taiwan cannot be more than 20 years older than his
Vietnamese bride," a marriage broker in Tainan says.
Vietnamese girls get married at the age of 20 or 21.
"Another words, their Taiwanese husbands should not be older than 40 or 41,"
says the broker, who has helped make thousands of international marriages.
What has prompted the Vietnamese authorities to impose the age-limit is an
alarmingly high number of old Taiwanese men proposing to marry young girls
in Vietnam.
"Where a chance that all other provincial authorities will follow suit," the
marriage broker adds.
Another restriction is making it costlier to marry Vietnamese girls.
In the past, would-be grooms just let brokers make marriages without even
meeting their future spouses.
"The grooms are now required to have a tete-a-tete in Vietnam, the marriage
broker says. "They've got to go there, and that means visits at their own
expense. At present, a bachelor or widower or divorce waits for five to
seven days to get a marriage made. "It's going to take 12 days to two weeks
now," the broker warns.
He complains that his commission may shrink.
"Our clients, who have to pay for a visit to Vietnam, certainly don't want
to pay any extra in commission," says the broker.
The going price for a marriage between a Taiwanese groom and his Vietnamese
bride is NT$ 200,000.
******************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Contact: Eddy Badrina or Erik Wang
202-482-3949
PRESIDENT BUSH NAMES FOURTEEN MEMBERS TO ADVISORY COMMISSION ON ASIAN
AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS
President George W. Bush announced today his intent to appoint fourteen
individuals to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian
Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Commission was established by
Executive Order 13339 to advise the President, through the Secretary of
Commerce (DOC), on ways to provide equal economic opportunities for full
participation of Asian American and Pacific Islander businesses in our free
market economy where they may be underserved, and thus improving the quality
of life for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).
Eddy Badrina, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on AAPIs said
that he is proud of the President’s continued commitment to addressing the
needs of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders. “The President has
selected a diverse and talented group of individuals to provide him with
recommendations,” said Badrina. “I look forward to working with this group
of business leaders, entrepreneurs, and community advocates to understand
issues facing AAPI businesses and to develop creative solutions leading to
growth.”
The Commission will be chaired by Betty B. Wu (NY) and composed of the
following members: William Afeaki (UT), Nina Nguyen Collier (WA), Akshay
Desai (FL), Vellie Dietrich-Hall (VA), William Kil (CA), John Kim (CA),
Jimmy D. Lee (IL), Joseph Melookaran (KS), Derrick Nguyen (CA), Rudy
Pamintuan (IL), Martha Cruz Ruth (Guam), Jeffrey B. Sakaguchi (CA), and
Kenneth Wong (PA).
The President’s Advisory Commission is housed under the Department of
Commerce and supported by the Office of the White House Initiative on AAPIs.
www.aapi.gov
******************
May 29, 2004
REPORT
CLAIMS VIETNAM ETHNIC GROUP FORCED INTO MOUNTAINS
Taiwan News
HANOI Hundreds of Vietnamese security forces have driven ethnic minority
villagers into hiding in the Central Highlands in a government crackdown
following mass protests over land rights and religious freedom, a leading
human rights group said yesterday.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement that desperate ethnic
minority villagers, known as Montagnards, have resorted to hiding in village
graves or pits in the forest to escape arrest by Vietnamese troops.
Montagnards in the area are unable to freely leave their homes and
authorities have threatened violent reprisals if residents try to relay news
to the outside, Sam Zarifi, deputy director for the group's Asia division,
said in the statement.
An estimated 10,000 Montagnards, who are mainly Protestant, participated in
the April 10-11 rallies to demand religious freedoms and the return of
ancestral lands. The demonstrations in the provinces of Daklak, Gia Lai, and
Daknong ended in violent clashes with Vietnamese troops and police.
Human Rights Watch said hundreds of villagers were wounded and many killed,
according to multiple eyewitness accounts. Earlier reports said at least 10
were killed during the protests, while the government has said only two
people died.
Hanoi has repeatedly blamed a U.S.-based group, the Montagnard Foundation,
for organizing the unrest. The group, whose founding member was part of a
guerrilla force allied with America during the Vietnam War against Communist
North Vietnam, has said it simply advocates on behalf of repressed ethnic
minorities.
Following an international outcry over the protests, Vietnam has permitted
small groups of diplomats, journalists and aid workers to tour the area on
very tightly monitored trips. No independent access has been allowed.
The seven-page report notes that truckloads of soldiers have been sent to
Gia Lai and Daklak to search rural villages, farms and jungles for
Montagnards involved in the protests.
******************
May 29, 2004
DATING, CULTUREs COLLIDE
SOME ASIAN-AMERICAN YOUTHS AT ODDS WITH IMMIGRANT PARENTS' VALUES
By Nerissa Pacio
Mercury News
Wendy Gwo's parents grounded her the summer before she left for college.
They caught her sneaking back into their Sunnyvale home after a forbidden
date with the boyfriend she'd kept secret from them.
Katherine Chen said even broaching the subject of dating is taboo with her
parents.
``We don't talk about relationship stuff,'' said Katherine, 15, a sophomore
at Gunn High School in Palo Alto. ``It was very different when they were
growing up. I don't think they understand what high school life is supposed
to be like here.''
While worries about young love -- along with grades, popularity, and clothes
-- are common for many young people, some Asian-American teenagers often are
faced with an additional pressure: immigrant parents who insist that their
second-generation children adhere to the more restrictive moral values of
the home country.
``Dating brings cultural conflict into sharp relief,'' said Judy Tso,
founder of Aha Solutions Unlimited, a non-profit group that provides life
coaching and consulting for Asian-Americans. ``Values of immigrant parents
clash with those of Americanized young people. Children are forced to live a
double life. Some are better at balancing their own needs with parents'
wishes, but others choose rebellion.''
Many families affected
The potential for such clashes of culture exists in thousands of households.
In the Bay Area, 13 percent of all people under 21 -- about 241,000 youths
-- are second-generation Asian-Americans.
The conflict takes on many forms. Some Asian-American youths deal with the
expectation that they'll date only within their culture. Others aren't
permitted to date at all. Young men are not kept under as close scrutiny as
young women, but neither are they immune to the pressures. And sometimes
communication between parents and children breaks down completely.
Although old-world traditions have always been challenged by more permissive
American culture -- earlier immigrant teens were tempted by “bad” influences
such as big-band jazz or, later, rock 'n' roll -- today's ubiquitous pop
culture makes it even more difficult to hang on to the old ways.
Still, Asian culture has extraordinarily strong roots, said Derald Wing Sue,
founder of the Asian American Psychological Association.
“In terms of social dating patterns, a lot of the conflict is due to the
traditional Asian cultural values and the appropriate behavior with
individuals in the United States,” Sue said. “American culture is much more
individualistic, whereas among traditional Asians, the decisions you make
reflect upon your family. As a result, family has great influence on
behavior that brings honor or shame and disgrace to the family. There's a
strong concern about types of relationships and behavior in relationships
that's important.”
Asians cannot be regarded as a monolith, since there are many countries of
origin, languages and traditions. But the dating conundrum resonates with
many. It's a story that's been reflected on the big screen as recently as
“Bend It Like Beckham” and on small screens in the hit series “Gilmore
Girls” and a recent MTV documentary with veejay Suchin Pak revealing her own
struggles as a Korean-American dealing with the expectations of her
immigrant mother.
Traditional values
It's more of an issue among young women, because of traditional values that
call for women to be chaste and protected. But young men deal with the issue
indirectly through experiences with their friends, sisters and significant
others.
Jason Panchal, an Indo-American student at De Anza College, keeps his
relationship a secret from the parents of his Indo-American girlfriend, who
is forbidden to date. Panchal's parents, who moved to the United States 30
years ago, have assimilated into mainstream culture and permit dating, but
many of his friends who are girls cannot. Some also have arranged marriages.
``The problem is, it's two totally different cultures, so our parents are
really strict,'' said Panchal, 20. ``Back in the day, in India, there was no
such thing as dating. It was all about arranged marriages.''
Experiences, of course, vary depending on how long immigrants have been in
the United States, to what degree they have assimilated, and how
conservative and religious they are, Sue said. But for a number of
Asian-Americans in their teens and 20s, he said, having parents who grew up
in a different culture creates a predicament.
``I felt like I always had to keep things that I felt from my parents,''
said Gwo, 20, now a junior at the University of California-Los Angeles. ``If
I felt something about a guy, I couldn't even talk about it. I would go to
my girlfriends, but luckily, some of their parents were the same way.''
Laura Doan, a Vietnamese-American student at Mission San Jose High School in
Fremont, said her parents have slowly become more open to the idea of her
Chinese-American boyfriend, Jeff Tan. However, Tan's parents are more
traditional and don't completely accept her because she is not Chinese, she
said.
``Many non-Asians think of us as all being part of one race,'' said Laura,
17. ``But it's so complicated. Asians think of it a different way. Chinese
and Vietnamese are actually two very distinct cultures, with different
languages and customs.''
`A cultural ritual'
Dating dilemmas have become a common cultural phenomenon among young
Asian-Americans, said Sunaina Maira, associate professor of Asian-American
Studies at UC-Davis, especially children of first-generation parents.
``It's like a cultural ritual that second-generation youth share,'' Maira
says. ``It's sad that that's a basis of identity rather than something more
positive, but it does show how savvy they are about how they incorporate
negotiation techniques in their lives.''
Some parents, like Laura's, have adapted to mainstream culture.
``We had to adjust to American culture,'' said Nga Doan, Laura's mother,
``At first my husband and I weren't happy with her dating, but I realized
kids will do what they want even if you tell them not to. It was better for
me to at least know where she is and talk to her openly about everything.''
Some young people come to embrace their parents' culture. Ferah Munshi, a
freshman at UC-Berkeley, has accepted the rules set up by her
first-generation Indian Muslim parents.
In high school, she couldn't be in social settings where boys were present,
even if they were only friends. She is not permitted to date, and after she
graduates, her parents plan to present men to her as options for an arranged
marriage.
``For a long time I was so angry at them about not being able to date or
even go out with friends when guys were there, and I'd fight with them,''
says Ferah, 17. ``But I realize my parents grew up that way in India and
they are trying to bring me up that way. I can't imagine rebelling against
them at all because I've been brought up with the cultural and religious
belief that respecting your parents should be the most important thing to
you.''
Contact Nerissa Pacio at
npacio@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5827.
(http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/8791844.htm)
******************
June 1, 2004
IT’S NOW, IT’S ZEN
AND IT’S LIFE-CHANGING
Buddhists who turned a gun training site into a monastery tackle even harder
transformations.
By Teresa Watanabe, Times Staff Writer
ESCONDIDO, Calif. — In a sun-splashed sanctuary of chaparral, lilac and oak
groves, brown-robed Buddhists have gently transformed a land once used for
weapons training by San Diego-area law enforcement.
Followers of Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh have replaced the rattle
of machine guns with the ringing of sacred bells. They have repainted and
repaired bullet-scarred buildings. Their 400-acre Deer Park Monastery now
features a light-filled meditation hall, a waterfall, a fish pond and Zen
sayings posted throughout the grounds: Breathe, you are alive.
In the four years since they purchased the land, however, the Buddhists have
been tackling even more challenging transformations: helping Hollywood
entertainers, teenage runaways, inner-city youth, gang members and others
tame their personal demons and find peace with themselves.
At a recent retreat for the film and television industry, for instance, Nhat
Hanh preached the importance of self-love to an assembly of artists
including comedian Garry Shandling and producer Larry Kasanoff, who
spearheaded the gathering.
"You don't need to pretend to be someone else. You don't need plastic
surgery," the soft-spoken Nhat Hanh said, setting off a ripple of laughter
from the crowd.
With such teachings, the monastics of Nhat Hanh's Unified Buddhist Church
aim to equip people across different faiths and cultures to practice
"mindfulness" — the cultivation of inner calm in daily life through
breathing deeply, slowing down and living fully in the present.
Many of the retreats took place earlier this year, when Nhat Hanh spent
three months at Deer Park during a winter retreat from his normal residence
in France.
The teacher, 67, has established 800 meditation groups in two dozen
countries and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King
Jr. for his peacemaking efforts during the Vietnam War.
But a sangha, or community, of four dozen monastics from several
countries live and work in Escondido year-round.
The monastics include both women and men who sport identically shaved heads
and long brown robes. They include people like Abbott Phap Dung, a
Vietnamese refugee who came of age as a San Fernando "Valley Boy" break
dancing and skateboarding. He says he struggled in school, fending off
racial taunts, before eventually graduating from USC and working as an
architect in Santa Monica.
But after a few years, he says, he began to feel that his profession was
"all about money and ego," with scarce opportunities to design socially
meaningful projects. He visited Deer Park several times for retreats, was
captivated by the gentleness he found there and decided to become a monk.
"I'd found a way of living that was much more meaningful," said the abbot,
who frequently works with troubled youth. "The way it helps people is much
more direct."
Except for some complaints from neighbors about the increased traffic — more
than 800 people often trek to Deer Park on weekends — San Diego County
officials say the monastery has drawn no major opposition.
The land's colorful history includes use as a nudist camp more than three
decades ago. After San Diego County bought the property in the mid-1970s, it
was used by such groups as the California Conservation Corps and the
Sheriff's Department, which trained SWAT teams and Marines from nearby Camp
Pendleton, according to former county surveyor Bill Ring.
The Buddhists purchased the land for $4 million in 2000 from the winning
bidder in a public auction.
Phap Dung says the monastics labored several months to transform both the
physical structures, which were riddled with bullets, and what they say was
a lingering energy of violence. They held ceremonies to ask the spirits of
the indigenous Indians for permission to use the land and took children on
walks to collect bullet shells and construct a peace sign with the shells on
the ground.
Today, visitors come from radically different stations in life. There is the
well-heeled Kasanoff, whose films include "Terminator 2" and "Mortal Kombat."
He parties in Cannes on luxury yachts and owns three Santa Monica firms
specializing in film, animation and martial arts cable TV.
There is also Estrellita Rojas, 18, a Boston high school student who
struggles to survive in a crime-ridden neighborhood, living without parents
and working for minimum wage as a salesclerk.
In a recent interview, Kasanoff repeatedly took pains to mention that he was
Jewish, with no desire to become a Buddhist, a monk or an ascetic who swore
off booze or "hot babes." He also made clear that he wasn't trying to push
anything on anyone.
But he spearheaded the recent Hollywood retreat for hundreds of
entertainers, invited Nhat Hahn to speak at a more intimate gathering of
friends, and figures that he's given out more than 100 of the monk's books
to acquaintances.
He said he was also including some of Nhat Hanh's messages in two of his
current film projects, the next "Mortal Kombat" movie and a remake of the
Japanese anime blockbuster "Ninja Scroll."
Kasanoff said he began soul-searching about five years ago, when he realized
that many of his famous and wealthy Hollywood friends were miserable and
driven by fear. Along the way, he stumbled onto Nhat Hanh's books and was
intrigued by the messages of mindfulness.
Since then, he says, he has begun practicing meditation, mindful walking and
chi gong.
"The whole miracle of this stuff is that you can be more relaxed, calmer and
yet get more done and have more energy," Kasanoff said. "I'm less frantic. I
don't scream as much as I used to. It's not how you take this stuff and
retreat from the world; it's how you incorporate it into your daily life."
In a different corner of life, Rojas tells a similar story of awakening. The
18-year-old Latina of Nicaraguan descent visited Deer Park in March with
other Boston youth involved in an HIV and substance abuse prevention
program. It was her first plane ride, first encounter with monks and
vegetarian food, first respite from an environment of gang warfare and
random violence.
"It was totally different," Rojas said. "It was out in the middle of
nowhere, a beautiful place where there was no violence, no discrimination,
no name-calling, no nothing. Everyone was so respectful and happy."
The skills of compassionate listening that she learned have quelled the
screaming matches she used to have with her sister. The acceptance she felt
at Deer Park, she says, has reduced her materialistic tendencies to link her
self-worth to brand-name jeans or shoes. She is less rowdy and more calm as
she meditates weekly, and aims to start a Boston sangha for
teenagers.
Such stories are common here. "People ask us to fix them or their children,
but we don't do that here," says Phap Dung. "We just become friends. We
climb the mountains. We count the falling stars. We enjoy being alive."
(http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-monastery1jun01,1,2507786.story)
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About NCVA
Founded in 1986,
the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community
advocacy organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese Americans in a
plural but united America – e pluribus unum – by participating actively
and fully as civic minded citizens engaged in the areas of education, culture
and civil liberties.
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www.ncvaonline.org. |