ĂN CHAY A-THON Hướng về Mùa Phật Đản Phật lịch 2559, GĐPT Viên Minh đã tổ chức chương trình Ăn Chay Một Tháng (ĂN CHAY A-THON) nhằm muc đích giúp cho đoàn viên: An tĩnh thân tâm và tăng trưởng lòng từ bi Cúng dường Chư Phật nhân Đại Lễ Phật Đản Gây quỹ để trang trải chi phí tham dự Khóa Tu Học tại Chùa Hương Lâm (Pearland, TX) do BHD Miền Tịnh Khiết tổ chức vào các ngày 19-21/6/2015 và Trại Dũng Hạnh GĐPT Toàn Quốc tại Benton, Illinois, do BHD Trung Ương tổ chức vào các ngày 24-26/7/2015 Xin chân thành cám ơn quý Thầy Cô và quý Bác đã bảo trợ chúng con! Through your support and generous donations, we were able to raise $4114.25 through the Ăn Chay A-Thon!!
To commemorate the Birth, Enlightenment, and Parinirvana of the Buddha in this Vesak Season, the Vien Minh Buddhist Youth Group participated in the Ăn Chay (Eating Vegetarian) A-Thon, in hopes to achieve these goals: Cultivate peace and compassion Give alms to the Buddha in the Vesak season Raise funds to assist the youth members with travel costs to attend the spiritual retreat organized by the Youth Group s Regional Board (Mien Tinh Khiet) at Huong Lam Temple in Pearland, Texas on June 19-21, 2015 and the National Youth Group Retreat in Benton, Illinois on July 24-26, 2015. GREAT JOB to the Top 5 Fundraisers!! Đoàn (Unit) Fundraised Amount Oanh Vũ Nữ $336.00 Oanh Vũ Nam $445.00 Thiếu Nữ $673.00 Thiếu Nam $1299.75 Ngành Thanh & Liên Đoàn $1360.50 TOTAL: $4114.25 Thanh Quy - Bùi Gia Donald Ăn Chay 21 ngày: $272.00 Thanh Tâm - Trần Quốc Tín Ăn Chay 31 ngày: $524.00 Thanh Tuấn - Nguyễn Jordan Ăn Chay 20 ngày: $180.00 Diệu Toàn - Bùi T. Phú Mỹ Ăn Chay 31 ngày: $400.00 Thanh Hóa - Nguyễn Diệm Ăn Chay 31 ngày: $131.75
How I feel about being a vegetarian Nguyên Tú - Nguyễn Tuấn Mitch: At first, I was doubtful that I could eat 31 days as a vegetarian. With my parent s support and cooking expertise, I managed to complete those 31 days with ease. I survived solely on tofu, mushrooms, and rice throughout those days. My school doesn t usually serve a vegetarian only meal, so I had to bring my own lunch to school every day, which was a completely new experience to me. When my friends found out that I was eating a vegetarian diet for 31 days, they were (to my surprise) completely supportive! At times, I felt like giving up, but I m glad my family and friends were there to support me and help me keep going. At the end of the 31 days, I managed to gather over 100 hundred dollars from my parents and friends in sponsorship. The journey was long, but very rewarding and definitely beneficial. Thank you to all my sponsors. Quảng Minh - Nguyễn Anh Đạt: Thank you to my family and everyone for donating 70 dollars for sponsoring me to eat no meat for five days. I like to eat mac and cheese, brownie, and tofu to save lives and practice love. I love eating no meat.
Thanh Huệ - Trần Tấn Phước Henry: The first second I put veggies in my mouth, I didn t feel like an animal murder. For 19 days, I didn t eat meat. You might think it s hard, but it s really not. But the day after it was over, I felt like a murder again. If you read this, I hope you have the courage to eat chay. Also, thank you Thầy Chánh Trí and others for sponsoring me. Thank you mom, dad, and Sherry for supporting me to eat chay for 19 days and for eating with me. I couldn t have done it without you all. Quảng Thanh - Nguyễn Anh Khôi: We all know that we eat vegetarian because if we eat meat, it s like killing an animal. Our Chùa Viên Minh decided to do a vegetarian eating fundraiser for the activities we do there. Doing the fundraiser was easy. Step 1, sign a piece of paper telling how many days you are eating vegetarian. Step 2, ask people to donate. Then, start eating vegetarian and remember to donate. In case you didn t know, eating at chùa counts as one of your meals. Some food that aren t meat are cheese, rice, and noodles. We are doing this not only to raise money for our activities, but since we kids were born in America, we usually eat meat. This fundraiser tests us to see how long we can go without eating meat. The important thing about this is if we want to become a Buddha, learn to eat without meat.
Viên Chi - Nguyễn Lili: The Ăn Chay A-Thon was difficult for me because my family eats meat almost every night for dinner. So, eating no meat for 8 days changed me in a way. I m starting to eat less meat and starting to eat more veggies and fruits. Also, thank you to all the sponsors for donating your money to this cause; we appreciate it so much! Viên Hào - Nguyễn Uyển Như: Ăn chay was a great experience. I had fun experiencing different kinds of vegetarian food. When I told my friends at school about my eating vegetarian, they were worried about the intake of protein and how I would be missing out on some of the nutrients that meat provided. I reminded them that there were other supplements that I could take to get those nutrients and that vegetarian food is healthier than intaking red meat, fur, and other things that come with meat. In all, I think the fundraiser is a great way to start people on their road of eating chay and has encouraged me to continue to eat chay when it s available. Thank you mom for sponsoring me and all the dollar bills you contributed for all of my 28 days.