In response to the hostilities of the ongoing war, Rissho Kosei-kai European Sangha respectfully vows to make progress toward peace together with the people of Ukraine, Russia and every country in the spirit of revering buddha nature of all living beings. We also pray for an immediate end to the hostilities and a restoration of peace in Ukraine, offering memorial services for war victims from the heart.
Shall we join this movement together?
Statement
Rissho Kosei-kai strongly opposes the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is trying to change the status quo through violence. In order to save precious human lives, we urge Russian diplomats to engage in talks that will bring an immediate ceasefire and lead to a peaceful resolution.
Together with Rissho Kosei-kai members worldwide, we sincerely offer prayer for peace and memorial service for the spirits of all victims of the ongoing war, in our daily practice of sutra recitation at home. We also had the online Sangha assemblies as follows:
World Sangha prayer of peace by reciting the Threefold Lotus Sutra in a single day (13 March)
Memorial service on the Ukrainian border for all victims of the war (8 May)
Emergency Fund for Ukraine
On 3 March, we contributed our first emergency aid for displaced people in Ukraine contributing £135,000 in partnership with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN World Food Programme (UN WFP). This funding came from our daily donation to Donate-a-meal Peace Fund. We forgo a meal on several days a month and make a donation, moved by compassion for people who are suffering from such problems as hunger, illness and natural disasters, and praying that our donations may help relieve their suffering and also contribute to world peace.
On 31 March, we launched the Emergency Fund for Ukraine to help interfaith entities, UN agencies and civil society groups help the people in and fled from Ukraine. Rissho Kosei-kai members have contributed JPY 139,712,401 (GBP 873,203 (GBP 1 = JPY 160)) by 26 September 2022.
Activity report
Activity report about the Ukrainian war
3 March 2022
Emergency aid for displaced people in Ukraine contributing £135,000 in partnership with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN World Food Programme (UN WFP)
12 March 2022
Issued our statement “A message regarding the situation in Ukraine” Read PDF
13 March 2022
World Sangha prayer of peace by reciting the Threefold Lotus Sutra in a single day
31 March 2022
Launched the Emergency Fund for Ukraine to help interfaith entities, UN agencies and civil society groups help the people in and fled from Ukraine
4 May 2022
Dispatched staff members to the neighbouring countries of Ukraine
8 May 2022
Memorial service on the Ukrainian border for all victims of the war
15 May 2022
Youth members of our European Sangha gathered together for prayer and reflection while collecting messages for peace in Ukraine.
15 July 2022 — Present
Our European Sangha members together with the people from Japan, including Rissho Kosei-kai members, keep developing volunteer projects in the neighbouring countries of Ukraine to help the refugees organised by Religions for Peace.
21 — 23 September 2022
Our headquarters hosted the multi-religious Tokyo Peace Roundtable of Religions for Peace, inviting leaders of religious institutions, bodies and faiths, from Russia, Ukraine and other conflict areas. They recognised their responsibilities and committed to ongoing dialogues. To find out more, please visit here.
13 — 18 December 2022
Visiting Caritas, a Roman Catholic NGO, in the southwestern Ukrainian town of Mukachevo, we handed over 4,000 hot pads as well as the relief supplies brought from both the UK and Italy. We plan to send additional tons of hot pads, using the emergency donation as the source of this support.
Messages for peace
Rissho Kosei-kai European Sangha collects and shares people’s reflections on peace in prayer for those in suffering as well as all victims of the war on the occasion of our Youth Day 2022. We will introduce the messages from people all around the world.
Youth Day is a worldwide annual event with a history of over 50 years for Rissho Kosei-kai’s youth to take action in prayer for peace.
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