About us
Our vision
Our mission
We transform the world by promoting values of kindness and compassion, and by embracing the interconnection among all forms of life.
We believe it is possible to live in a different way: one that is healthier, more conscious and rooted in care for all living beings.
We bring together individuals and organizations in philanthropic initiatives that foster systemic change and address the root causes of suffering.
Inspired by the principles and values of the Buddhist tradition, our work is rooted in long-term commitment, collaboration and integrity.
Our vision
We transform the world by promoting values of kindness and compassion, and by embracing the interconnection among all forms of life.
We believe it is possible to live in a different way: one that is healthier, more conscious and rooted in care for all living beings.
Our mission
We bring together individuals and organizations in philanthropic initiatives that foster systemic change and address the root causes of suffering.
Inspired by the principles and values of the Buddhist tradition, our work is rooted in long-term commitment, collaboration and integrity.
Pillars
Our strategy is built on five essential elements of the Buddhist tradition.
Each one of them shapes our philanthropic action in a concrete and transformative way.
INTERCONNECTION
All living beings and ecosystems are naturally linked to each other. What affects one inevitably affects every other being, and the whole system.
WISDOM
Wisdom helps us deal with ignorance, the root of suffering. It allows us to understand the complexity of reality and to respond with thoughtful and appropriate solutions.
EQUANIMITY
A caring attitude that extends to all beings and situations, without judgment or division. Equanimity is the foundation of balance and mental clarity.
COMPASSION
The ability to feel another’s suffering and to wish for their well-being. It is a central value in Buddhism, and the heart of our philanthropic work.
IMPERMANENCE
Everything is in constant transformation, nothing lasts forever. Understanding this helps us let go, and reminds us that what we give selflessly becomes fertile ground for new value.
Who we are
Why we are
Deeply rooted, looking forward
Addressing complexity with complexity
Inspired by Buddhist philosophy, we have identified the five pillars above as the foundation of our philanthropic work. While remaining nonreligious and open to all spiritual paths, we explicitly operate within the philosophical framework of Buddhism.
Reality is complex. It is multifaceted, ever-changing, counterintuitive at times. It is made up of elements all connected to each other by causal relationships, as even modern Science reminds us when it states “nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed”. Any action aiming to impact reality must take this complexity into account.
Siddharta Gautama, better known as “the Buddha” (the Awakened One), was a philosopher and a spiritual teacher who lived around 2,500 years ago in the region corresponding to today’s northern India. During his life, he experienced both extreme comfort and wealth, as well as profound pain and poverty. His years-long inner journey culminated in his Enlightenment: he came to understand that life entails suffering and that suffering can be prevented by eradicating its root causes, namely ignorance, hatred and greed.
By recognizing the impermanent and interconnected nature of all beings and phenomena, the Buddha understood the true complexity of reality. He therefore encouraged the cultivation of inner virtues to ease both personal and collective suffering, especially wisdom and generosity.
Buddhist philosophy embraces this complexity by recognizing that all beings and phenomena are both transitory and interconnected. We thus see it as the ideal conceptual framework for guiding the kind of systemic change we aim to pursue.
What defines a “systemic” change? It is a type of change that takes into account all the factors relevant to the feasibility and sustainability of a proposed solution. In practical terms, while a standard approach addresses a problem with a single solution, the systemic approach addresses it with an integrated strategy designed to generate a synergy of solutions that sustainably reinforce each other over time.
We strongly believe in the power of systemic change and its ability to generate meaningful, lasting and impactful responses to the complex challenges of our time.
Who we are
Deeply rooted, looking forward
Inspired by Buddhist philosophy, we have identified the five pillars above as the foundation of our philanthropic work. While remaining nonreligious and open to all spiritual paths, we explicitly operate within the philosophical framework of Buddhism.
Siddharta Gautama, better known as “the Buddha” (the Awakened One), was a philosopher and a spiritual teacher who lived around 2,500 years ago in the region corresponding to today’s northern India. During his life he came into contact with extreme comfort and wealth as well as with extreme pain and poverty. His years-long inner journey culminated in his Enlightenment – he came to understand that life entails suffering and that suffering can be prevented by eradicating its root causes, namely ignorance, hatred and greed
By acknowledging the transitory and interconnected nature of all earthly beings and phenomena, the Buddha came to see the true complexity of reality. He thus recommended cultivating certain inner virtues to alleviate one’s own and others’ suffering, particularly wisdom and generosity.
Why we are
Addressing complexity with complexity
Reality is complex. It is multifaceted, ever-changing, counterintuitive at times. It is made up of elements all connected to each other by causal relationships, as even modern Science reminds us when it states “nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed”. Any action aiming to impact reality must take this complexity into account.
Buddhist philosophy is aware of such complexity, as it recognizes that all beings and phenomena are both transitory and interconnected. We thus find it to be the perfect conceptual framework for implementing systemic change, which is the approach we want to keep on things.
What identifies a “systemic” change? It is the type of change that takes into account all of the factors relevant to the feasibility and sustainability of a proposed solution. In practical terms, if the standard approach addresses a problem with a specific solution, the systemic approach addresses the same problem with an articulated strategy aimed at producing a synergy of solutions that sustainably reinforce one another.
We strongly believe in the power of systemic change, in its ability to produce meaningful, long-lasting and impactful responses to the complex and troubling issues of modern society.
