DVA’s US Centers Project

We at DVA send Metta to all of the US people and animals. May you all be healthy and safe.

Dharma Voices for Animals launches US Centers Project:

DVA is very excited to announce the launching of our fourth countrywide Project in the United States, joining our projects in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, which have been going strong for several years.

The focus and goals of the US Center’s Project are to speak up for farmed animals by inviting, encouraging, educating, and supporting Buddhist retreat centers across the United States to transition towards (or wholeheartedly adopt) healthy, compassionate, climate-friendly, plant-based menus for all of their events. We estimate that we will be connecting with well over 1000 Buddhist centers that serve meals during their daylong and residential retreats in North America to an estimated 4 million Buddhists.

Endorsement from Venerable Thich TIn Man Abbot of the Chua Vien Quang Pagoda

In partnership with Audrey Sanchez of Balanced, we have created a website that is a resource for US Buddhist Centers. Here you can download our 43-page Plant-Rich Menus Guide and our 32-page Plant-Rich Recipe Guide. These guides include reasons to add more plant-based meals, meal ideas and recipes, retreat center guidelines and suggested things to consider when making a food policy, testimonials from other centers and endorsements for working with DVA and Balanced, plus so much more. 

US Centers Project Launches Circle of Compassion Grant Program:

As part of our US Centers Project, we now offer financial incentives for US Buddhist centers to change their food policy and transition to providing vegan or vegetarian options to all yogis as part of our Circle of Compassion Grant Program. If you are part of a center or know of a center that could benefit from receiving a financial grant for reducing or eliminating all animal products, please visit our Circle of Compassion Grant Program page to learn more.

MEET OUR U.S CENTERS PROJECT DIRECTOR!

US Centers Project Director
Ardjani Pedack, DVA US Centers Project Director
Ardjani Puig is a passionate and empathetic advocate for animals, humans and earth. She was raised vegetarian and turned vegan as a teen, upon learning of the suffering inherent in the dairy, egg and other animal industries – 25 years ago. Calling Mexico, Germany, Brazil and the United States her home countries, Ardjani brings a unique multi-cultural lense to her work, which has been focused on alleviating suffering in many disguises – especially in the human realm where she’s had a successful career in the humanitarian, social work, and psychotherapy field. 
 
She is a life-long practicing Buddhist who grew up in the sangha of the renowned Tibetan Lama Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche in Brazil, and has joined further sanghas and teachers over the course of her life for study, retreat and practice. She teaches mindfulness and meditation to groups and individuals through her private practice, where she combines the wisdom of Buddhist psychology, neuroscience, somatic trauma therapy and contemplative practice to bring insight, healing, and resilience to individuals around the world (including animal advocates).
 
Coming full circle from her early days of animal rights and environmental activism in Berlin, Germany, she is now honored and excited to enter the professional field of animal advocacy and support DVA in furthering its mission of raising awareness of animal suffering among American Buddhists and bringing compassionate institutional food policy changes to Dharma Centers around the United States. She is excited to begin this essential and monumental task and invites anyone interested in supporting DVA in that mission, feel free to email her at ardjani@dharmavoicesforanimals.org.

balanced:

Balanced Logo

Dharma Voices for Animals has collaborated with Audrey Lawson-Sanchez, Founder, and Executive Director at balanced in developing content for our cutting edge web-based resource to make transitioning to plant-rich menus easy for small or large retreat centers.

balanced is a network of public health professionals and nutrition science experts, working towards making healthier eating easier and more realistic for people within institutional food environments.

a well-fed world:

a well-fed worldDVA received a grant from a well-fed world to provide financial support to retreat centers that are interested in sampling alternative vegan products before they start offering them to their yogis.

“a well-fed world is an international hunger relief and food security organization advancing plant-based foods and farming to create a sustainable, nourished, and climate-friendly future.”

 

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