VE Liberation Program 2013

              VARADA EFFORT 2013 LIBERATION PROGRAM

As Buddhists, we practice the paramita of generosity and what can be nobler than the gift of life?  In June 2013, Varada Effort will be liberating 108 heads of cows in Sri Lanka in batches. These cows will be purchased from the local slaughter houses and after the blessing by the monks in a simple ceremony; they will be distributed to the poorest families in various villages.

These families will be able to benefit from the milk produced by the cows and also use the cows to help in farming. However, the families have to pledge that they will not sell nor kill the cows during their lifetime and take care of them till their natural demise.

For this liberation, it is more meaningful than the usual, because we intend to use this as a birthday gift to our beloved guru by dedicating the merits to the long life of His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama. We will also request His Holiness to arrange for a puja by the lamas of Namgyal Monastery for the blessing of all our donors.

This program will not only save the lives of 108 cows but also help in the livelihood of 108 households. Assuming that each household has an average of 4 persons, approximately 540 sentient beings will be helped. Therefore the merit accumulated is many folds.

Since the number of cows is relatively large, we intend to stagger the timing of the liberation over several weeks in June. Those who intend to witness the ceremony in Sri Lanka and with a mini pilgrimage tour thrown in, may call us at +65-96731648  or;  write to: varada.effort@gmail.com  to register. The details of the itinerary and cost will be announced in Feb 2013.

Cost for liberating one cow:

 S$350/-

How you can contribute:

You may take up one cow by yourself or join with other members of your family or friends to take up one. Those who would like to contribute but not intending to purchase a cow may do so at any amount of your choice. At the end of the collection, we will pool the money collected and purchase a cow in a collective name to liberate. Therefore, no matter what amount you can afford, you can still take part and benefit from this liberation.

After the whole event is over, we will post the photos of the ceremonies and the new owners with their cows on line. The donors will be able to see their names printed on the placards displayed in front of each cow. Those who are interested may download the photos as souvenir.