Bliss and Wisdom Foundation of Northern California
BWNC In The News
BWNC News Summary
BWNC donates 3,000 vegetarian turkey meals to wish the underprivileged a Happy Thanksgiving
(2025-11-25) The Bliss and Wisdom Foundation of Northern California (BWNC) organized a Thanksgiving community outreach in San Jose and the greater Bay Area to support families and individuals facing food insecurity. In response to concerns shared by educators and partner organizations about reduced food access during the holiday season, BWNC mobilized volunteers to prepare and distribute more than 3,000 vegetarian Thanksgiving-style meal boxes, offering a warm, dignified meal option that supports healthier, plant-forward eating.
Working with its vegetarian food program partner (Joyheart Cafe), BWNC coordinated ingredient sourcing and meal preparation in the lead-up to Thanksgiving and began distributing the first meals on November 19, including through local elementary schools. The initiative ultimately delivered meals through 18 nonprofit partners across 38 distribution sites, reaching low-income households, seniors living alone, individuals experiencing homelessness, and survivors of domestic violence. Nearly 300 volunteer shifts supported packing and delivery, not only conveying the compassionate vegetarian lifestyle but also bringing festive warmth to underprivileged communities in the Bay Area.
BWNC News Summary
BWNC Rescued Turkey, Aim to save 100 Turkeys
(2025-11-25) In response to the large number of turkeys slaughtered each Thanksgiving, a Southern California educational farm, Little Parrot Farm, set a goal to rescue 100 turkeys, and Peacock Villa (a BWNC entity) joined the effort to help provide space for environmental educational purposes, especially as space constraints required some rescued turkeys to be relocated to Northern California.
Peacock Villa’s managing director (People called her Captain Sheep) and volunteers worked proactively for months, calling slaughterhouses across the Bay Area and learning how difficult it can be to intervene in a highly consolidated turkey supply chain. A key breakthrough came on Nov. 14, when volunteers located a small, family-run facility sourcing from small farms and immediately purchased eight live turkeys, driving roughly five hours round-trip to bring them safely to the villa.
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After the first rescue, the team continued monitoring opportunities to save more turkeys, sometimes waiting as early as 6 am. at local meat markets to purchase live turkeys and transport them to safety. Captain Sheep and volunteers share observations of the turkeys’ social bonds and unique personalities as they settle into a calmer, protected environment.
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Looking ahead, Peacock Villa aims to rescue more than 100 turkeys and provide care that aligns with their natural lifespan, as farmed turkeys are typically slaughtered at 7–8 months, despite a potential lifespan of nearly 10 years. The Villa also cares for a resident flock of 20+ wild turkeys on the property and hopes the rescued and wild turkeys can coexist peacefully.
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Peacock Villa delivers a call to action that goes beyond rescue; the initiative encourages compassionate, plant-forward diet choices. To suggest that choosing a vegetarian “turkey” meal can help reduce demand and “save a life” during the holiday season.
BWNC News Summary
An Unexpected Key Figure of Preventing Wild Fire
(2025-10-11) A few years ago, in Southern California’s Rowland Heights, volunteers learned that 94 sheep were about to be sent to slaughter. Within a few hours, they raised over $10,000 to save the flock and began caring for them through a sanctuary program called “Happy Baa Baa Land.” Over time, the flock grew to 160+ sheep, supported by ongoing volunteer care, community donations, and adoptions.
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In 2023, Northern California faced a serious wildfire risk in a mountain area, an undeveloped property overrun with tall grasses. BWNC’s Peacock Villa’s terrain is uneven, mechanical clearing is difficult, and manual vegetation removal would cost roughly $40,000–$50,000 per year.
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At the same time, “Happy Baa Baa Land” was struggling with space and feed costs as the flock expanded. The two foundations coordinated: a large group of sheep was relocated north, helping address both challenges at once. The sheep now provide natural “fuel reduction” grazing, reducing dry grass buildup and lowering wildfire risk while remaining under long-term, compassionate care.
BWNC News Summary
2025 Enterprise Camp on cultivating curiosity and happiness
(2025-9-3) BWNC is hosting its “2025 Enterprise Camp” in San Jose on September 13, 2025, designed to support the well-being and personal growth of working professionals in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley.
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With the theme “Unlock the code for life transformation and become a true winner,” the program focuses on helping participants improve life satisfaction, relationships, and quality of daily living. It is a timely need in a high-pressure, fast-paced work culture. BWNC shared that since 2015, the program has held 11 cohorts with nearly 700 participants, reflecting strong community demand and sustained engagement.
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Highlights include conversations with experienced business leaders and monastics on aligning career and life purpose, practical learning on Observe Merits and Appreciate Kindness, and peer sharing on navigating work–family challenges. A featured session invites well-known Taiwanese author Dr. Hou Wen-Yung (online) to reflect on his decision to shift from a medical doctor to a full-time writer and what it taught him about meaning, happiness, and redefining success.
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Dr. Hou emphasized moving beyond an “efficiency-only” mindset. He encourages professionals to reserve 10%–20% of their time for curiosity, experimentation, and creative exploration. These habits can reduce burnout and help people reconnect with what energizes them. Participants also receive a signed copy of his latest book, adding an encouraging touch to the learning journey.
BWNC News Summary
Buddha’s Birthday & Bathing the Buddha Ceremony
(2025-5-13) On May 11, 2025, BWNC held its Mother’s Day Family Fair at the Bliss and Wisdom Center in San Jose, welcoming 2,500+ attendees for a joyful weekend of gratitude and connection, combining Buddhist cultural practice, well-being, and community building.
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A central feature was the Bathing the Buddha ceremony and a prayer station, inviting community members to pause, reflect, and find inner comfort and peace, while also helping families (including those new to Buddhism) engage with Buddhist traditions in an accessible, welcoming setting.
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To broaden community participation and deepen cultural engagement, the fair offered healthy vegetarian food (through Joyheart Cafe) and a wide range of hands-on family activities, including treasure hunts, handicrafts, and cultural arts experiences such as flower arranging, traditional Velvet crafts, Hanfu-related handwork, and DIY activities.
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The event also integrated community wellbeing supports, including a gratitude & stress-relief station, traditional Chinese medicine consultation, and spaces for families to write blessings and appreciation messages. The event was intended to link Buddhist values, such as gratitude, compassion, and mindful living, with everyday community health.
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Lastly, BWNC presented a diverse lineup of community performances, from children’s choirs and martial arts to dance groups and youth-led music, to strengthen intergenerational belonging and showcase vibrant Asian cultural expression alongside Buddhist community life.
BWNC News Summary
A Buddhist’s New Year Tradition in Silicon Valley
(2025-5-13) BWNC hosted a free, public Lunar New Year celebration that made Buddhist culture accessible, family-friendly, and community-centered: a dual event series, the Lunar New Year Day Bell-Striking Blessing Ceremony on January 29 and the New Year Blessing Festival on February 2nd. The events invited neighbors of all backgrounds to welcome the new year through temple-based traditions, from paying respects in the Buddha hall, making offerings, receiving festive red envelopes, and enjoying vegetarian snacks and refreshments, while also creating a warm space for connection and reflection.
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Jan 29 Striking the Bell Ceremony resonates with well-being and cultural programs: The bell symbolizes auspicious beginnings, and hearing it can help people settle into peace and joy at the start of the year. The event offered a rare annual opportunity for community members to strike the bell, share their personal wishes, and take it as a collective aspiration for world peace.
The program also incorporated rich cultural and educational elements, including a festive photo wall, a flower offering for health blessings, and a display of rare Thangka paintings, helping visitors experience Buddhist heritage in a vivid, welcoming way.
The Feb 2 New Year Blessing Festival is designed to deepen engagement through hands-on cultural activities, such as lantern riddles, paper cutting, sugar art, and clay crafts.
The festival creates an environmental learning “challenge game” built around eight eco-stories that link Buddhist values to everyday stewardship. The Jan 29 gathering included dedicated prayers for people affected by the Southern California wildfires, demonstrating compassion in response to real-world hardship.
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