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Buddhist Peace Fellowship Tampa Bay, Florida, USA

The Tampa Bay, Florida chapter of BPF was born from the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Some founding members had attended local demonstrations against the impending war, and were disappointed with the prevalence of angry rhetoric. It seemed to be counter-productive to the objective of stopping the war, and counter to their Buddhist practice. They felt a need for a Buddhist voice in the anti-war movement and other local progressive causes. The national Buddhist Peace Fellowship office was contacted, and our chapter had its first organizational meeting on June 23rd, 2003. The Tampa Bay area centers on two counties: Hillsborough, with Tampa its only major city, and Pinellas, which includes St Petersburg, Clearwater and a number of smaller municipalities. Tampa Bay runs down the middle, spanned by three long bridges. The bay defines the area, but also presents a barrier to travel. The regional population is close to three million. It's a diverse, fast growing area, with many different cultures and lifestyles. In addition to various sports teams and corporations, it's home to the US military's Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, and Church of Scientology headquarters in Clearwater. There are currently over twenty local Buddhist groups, including temples serving Lao, Sri Lankan, Thai and Vietnamese communities, six Tibetan groups, and groups practicing in traditions such as Mindfulness, Nichiren, Thai Forest, Vipassana, and Zen. BPF-Tampa Bay has made a concerted effort to welcome Buddhists of all traditions, and we have active members from a number of Mahayana, Theravada and Vajrayana groups. For our first two years, our chapter met monthly on a Saturday morning. We would spend a couple of hours on business matters, and then adjourn for an informal pot-luck and visiting. Eventually, attendance declined, and we began to schedule other activities. Since January 2006, we have sponsored monthly talks about Buddhism in the modern world. Attendance has been variable, and it is likely that our monthly schedule will soon change again.

In addition to regular meetings, we have sponsored a number of public events, including Change Your Mind Day for three years, smaller outdoor meditations, a Non-Violent Communication workshop with Diana Lion, a Hiroshima Day observance in 2005, and vegetarian picnics. We have also had a presence at larger events, including anti-war rallies, a large alternative fair, and Earth Day. We have a table with literature from various local groups, and sometimes we contribute a speaker. We sometimes offer used books on Buddhism-related topics for free with "donations welcome"; the open dana basket at such events has become our major method of fund-raising. Our website (www.bpf-tampabay.org) has provided a public face for both BPF-Tampa Bay and the local Buddhist community. In addition to BPF information, it includes pages of listings and links for special events, regular meetings, and local Buddhist groups. Simple pages of contact information are provided for groups with no web page of their own. Mostly due to the website, BPF has become a common resource for people looking for information about Buddhist groups or Buddhist involvement in a project. We also sponsor a Yahoo discussion group. It has over 50 members, and is sporadically active, with announcements, forwards, and occasional arguments. Involvement in BPF-Tampa Bay has had its ups and downs, but seems to be generally rising. The average age of active members has been decreasing. New ideas and new people are stimulating our evolution. Our group's changes have been a reminder of impermanence. Our vague leadership structure is a reminder of emptiness. Our obvious room for improvement is a reflection of suffering. Overall, our BPF chapter has been a good teacher of the Dharma to those who have worked with it, and hopefully, has had some positive effects on the world at large along the way.