Chapter 13: Buddhist Peace Delegation… “The letter that Thay and the other monks prepared in Bangkok in March 1973 was read by the President of the Buddhist Church. It was a beautiful message to all the monks and nuns throughout the country: “We hope that you can share a few days per week with the young generation that has suffered so much from the war.” Before 1973, local Buddhist temples in Vietnam had done only seasonal charity work or urgent relief work for war victims. In March 1973, the entire UBC had only seventeen day-care centers. But after the appeal, many monks and nuns left their temples and began to work with the poor in the villages and slum areas. By January 1975, more than 300 day-care centers had been set up by the UBC throughout the country without any overseas aid! This was the fulfillment of my dream.”…
