“Presents of Seonjae”: Gifts for Disadvantaged Youth

(Picture) Monks and volunteers wrapping presents for “Presents of Seonjae” program

Jogye Order welfare foundation, “Friends on the Path” has a winter program to send presents to youth in the “Presents of Seonjae” program. Seonjae is a youth figure founded in the Avatamsaka Sutra. On December 8, there was a present-packing event to advertise this campaign. The volunteers packed nutritional supplements, books, scarves, gloves, etc. They even signed cards with the presents, which are to be sent to the youth of disadvantage families.

Head of the Bureau of Dharma Propagation Ven. Hyechong said, “It’s wonderful to share with our neighbors. We should share with the knowledge that the people who know the merit of sharing and the people who do not know the merit of sharing are the same people.”

Jogye Order temples and Buddhists have been actively participating in this campaign. The Geochang Temples Association raised 4 million won for Friends on the Path by a fundraising program called “one-day tea house.” They would sell tickets beforehand and people would come to the event to drink tea and talk. BotapsaTemple gave gifts to 150 youths from disadvantaged families for the Presents of Seonjae program. All together 10 million won was raised in less than a month for this new campaign.