The revered Korean Dharma master and Buddhist activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim and volunteers from the Buddhist humanitarian organization Join Together Society (JTS), embarked on a two-day field survey of earthquake-affected areas of Myanmar. They were joined by Anchalee Kurutach, senior member of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) and coordinator of INEB’s Gender and Peace Program, to meet with Buddhist monastics, community leaders, and refugee support organizers to assess the ongoing impact of the earthquake and the urgent need for humanitarian relief.

A devastating earthquake struck Myanmar on 28 March, killing at least 5,352 people, injuring 11,366, with 538 people missing, according to independent media reports. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake and a subsequent 6.4 magnitude aftershock, which caused widespread damage to homes and infrastructure, was centered along the Sagaing fault line in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar, with its epicenter close to the nation’s second-largest city Mandalay (population 1.7 million).*

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim and Anchalee Kurutach were received in Mandalay on 16 September by the senior Burmese monastic and social activist Ven. Kittisara, who first took the visiting group to Shwe Sat Kyar Nunnery, home to 26 Buddhist nuns and school for about a hundred student nuns at grades 1–5 who reside at nearby nunneries. 

The abbess of Shwe Sat Kyar requested support to rebuild their old school building, which was deteriorating in many places and in dire need of repairs. The abbess noted that if JTS could provide construction materials, the temple would secure volunteer labor and lay practitioners would take responsibility for construction management. 

After touring the school and meeting students, inspecting the classrooms, dormitories, and dining hall, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim requested detailed construction and renovation plans and cost estimates, pledging that JTS would review the feasibility.

The group then moved on to Dhamma Gun Yee Myint Myint Khin Nunnery, encountering more severe challenges. Housing nearly 600 students, mostly from refugee backgrounds, the school’s main building was badly damaged in the earthquake leaving inadequate space for education and accommodation. The 80-year-old abbess appealed for a new three-story structure to provide classrooms, an auditorium, and much-needed dormitories. Ven. Pomnyun Sunim once again offered his commitment that JTS would review their detailed proposals to determine how best to assist.

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) in 1993 as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and based on the principle that helping others is the best way to enrich one’s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates program offices in South Korea, Germany, and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The second day began with a live-streamed Dharma talk by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim to sangha students, during which he explained the goals of his Myanmar visit.

“I’m currently in the Mandalay region of Myanmar, where a major earthquake occurred earlier this year,” he explained. “Myanmar is now facing two major problems. First, military conflicts between government and anti-government forces have led to civil war, creating a refugee crisis. Many people are fleeing across the border to Thailand or leaving their hometowns to relocate to other regions within the country. Second, most houses were destroyed in the recent earthquake. With reconstruction difficult and civil war compounding the situation, additional refugees have emerged. Today, I plan to visit refugee camps that are being cared for by nearby temples rather than international organizations. This area was formed by eight villages coming together, with a population of about 4,400 people and approximately 1,700 households. After surveying the site, I plan to establish support measures.” (Jungto Society)

The team then traveled to Sagaing Camp for Internally Displaced Persons, taking a long detour to avoid military zones. What they encountered was a community living with resilience in the face of severe hardship: families housed in bamboo shelters, children attending classes in makeshift temporary structures.

Together with INEB, the delegation delivered much-needed school supplies to the children and distributed relief packages—including rice, cooking oil, beans, noodles, chicken stock, and tea—to 137 households in the camp. Volunteers ensured distribution of supplies was orderly and dignified.

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim noted that while living conditions were far from adequate, the camp’s openness and the freedom of movement gave residents a measure of dignity not always found in refugee settings. He offered a pledge that JTS would provide support for drinking water, food, hygiene kits, medicines, and school supplies.

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim observed: “In his final words, the Buddha said, ‘Helping those who suffer has the same merit as making offerings to the Buddha.’ You are accumulating such merit every single day. According to the Buddha’s teachings, helping people in difficulty like this is truly Buddhist work. That’s why our Jungto Society doesn’t use donated money to build temples but uses it to help people in need like this.” (Jungto Society)

Beyond the camp, the delegation visited monastic schools also weighed down under the burden of their missions.

Shwe Yan Lin Min Kyaung Monastery School, educating 486 students and 68 novices, had shifted to bamboo classrooms after earthquake damage. The abbots requested help to build 10 new classrooms.

Phaung Daw Oo Monastic School, with nearly 7,000 students including 1,500 boarders from conflict areas, was struggling to cover salaries and textbooks while relying almost entirely on donations. Despite these challenges, the school continued to welcome children displaced by civil war.

Bodhi Aye Nyein Meditation Center, run by Ven. Kittisara, had seen community attendance drop from 50 to 20 participants due to social instability, but has been continuing to offer regular meditation programs despite the uncertainty.

Each visit highlighted the resilience of the sangha, even as Buddhist institutions struggled under the dual burden of being both spiritual refuges and educational lifelines.

As the day concluded, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim and the JTS and INEB team gathered for an evaluation session, weighing the needs of the communities against available resources. They determined to provide Sagaing Refugee Camp and Shwe Sat Kyar Nunnery with quarterly distributions of food staples, cooking oil, hygiene kits, medicines, and bi-annual school supplies.

Structural renovations are to be supported at Dhamma Gun Yee Myint Myint Khin Nunnery to ensure that the existing facilities are safe. The classroom construction project at Shwe Yan Lin Min Kyaung School is under review, pending cost estimates. Phaung Daw Oo School will receive sports equipment for the students, given that other support is already in place.

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim expressed deep gratitude to Ven. Kittisara for coordinating the Myanmar itinerary and stressed that final decisions would be made in collaboration with the JTS board and local partners to ensure transparency and effectiveness.

This two-day joint survey by JTS and INEB laid bare Myanmar’s layered crises: natural disasters, armed conflict, displacement, and educational disruption. Yet it also served to underscore the determination and resilience of Buddhist communities committed to extending compassion to the vulnerable. Their mission also highlighted that providing humanitarian aid is more than simply charity, but is a form of living Dharma practice.

INEB is a global network of individuals and organizations who are committed to building compassionate societies and working toward environmental sustainability and world peace. INEB emphasizes the importance of developing ethical, Dharma-based approaches to its work, and encourages members to work collaboratively and respectfully based on a foundation of shared values and aspirations. Headquartered in Bangkok, INEB has established a wide range of social projects and outreach programs aimed at overcoming suffering and empowering vulnerable communities through the practice of the Dharma and social programs such as education and training, community development, advocacy and lobbying efforts, and interfaith dialogue.

* Engaged Buddhism: INEB Launches Urgent Humanitarian Appeal in the Wake of Myanmar Earthquake (BDG) and Engaged Buddhism: INEB Offers Update on Humanitarian Aid One Month After Myanmar Earthquake (BDG)

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International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB)

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