The £680 raised will be sent directly to Buddhist monk Siri Vijaya and the Una Watuna temple in Sri Lanka that saved the life of student teacher Cara Whitehead and those of her friends.
Miss Whitehead, 22, on a break from her work placement at Greenvale Primary School in Selsdon, said: "While I was sick he looked after me. He defended us from looters. I owe him my life."
Miss Whitehead was using the Christmas school break to work in a Sri Lankan elephant orphanage in Pinwala when she and nine co-workers decided they would treat themselves and spend Christmas by the sea in a hotel near Galle.
Miss Whitehead said: "We were on the balcony when people started running up the street. At first we thought it was a parade. Then we saw the water coming."
Miss Whitehead ran downstairs to find out what was happening. "A man said to me, 'The sea is coming'."
Badly injured people, some completely naked, started pouring into the hotel building to seek refuge from the deadly force of the waves.
After the first wave had passed Buddhist monks from the nearby temple arrived and urged Miss Whitehead and her friends to come with them to higher ground before the next wave arrived.
For the next day and night the monks fed, clothed and treated them all, including victims of the wave with severe cuts and bruises.
Miss Whitehead, who was suffering from a fever, said: "I was quite ill so they kept waking me up to make sure I was OK."
At this point Miss Whitehead and her friends still thought the flood was a localised event and had no idea of the scale of the disaster until someone told her 600 people had died in Galle.
Rest was made impossible by the continual ringing of a warning bell every time somebody saw a swell in the sea.
Miss Whitehead arrived back in England a week later because she could not face the thought of staying in the devastated country after what she had seen.
She said: "There were bodies everywhere, with people crying amongst piles of rubble."
Miss Whitehead plans to finish her teaching placement at the school in February and complete her Postgraduate Certificate of Education qualification in June.
If anyone would like to donate money to this appeal, please contact Greenvale Primary School on 020 8651 2833.
Search Buddhist Channel
We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)
Buddhist AI Chat Bot NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)
For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:
Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB
The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118
Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.
Dear Friends in the Dharma,
We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.
Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:
One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.
How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.
For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:
Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB
The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118
Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.
Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.
Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.
Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.
Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.
Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!
May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,
With deepest gratitude,
Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team
Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau
We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.
If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv