This is the final blog article of 2023 so we decided to share something a little bit different.

Below, is a message from Tom, our valued team member and CEO. We give him the floor as he introduces himself and shares a brief message with our global community.

And you Tom, and thank you for being here.

____

Hello, I’m Tom Truty, CEO of Universal Clear Light, Inc. (UCL), a non-profit organization founded and directed by Tenzin Osel Hita. This umbrella organization includes projects like the Global Tree Initiative, Habit Alignment Key Experiences, MahaSpace EcoComminities, and more.

Tom has been following GTI’s work since its inception.

My passion for the ecological and humanitarian projects UCL embodies has stretched back to childhood: volunteering in local animal shelters, exploring meditation in my teens, and many years of vegan living. After serving Lama Zopa Rinpoche as Director of Education for the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition for over a decade, I worked with Wisdom Publishing building online education courses and was also part of the volunteer team of the Global Tree Initiative at its start. I joined the UCL Board of Directors in 2022 and became CEO in 2023.

This year, Tenzin Osel Hita and I participated in Habit Alignment Key (HAK) Experiences in Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia, and we have been developing the needed support to continue with more in 2024 and beyond. These profound and innovative retreat experiences provide an opportunity to move out of one’s comfort zone, yet in a safe, familial space. Topics such as the Nalanda Tradition of Buddhist philosophy, quantum physics, vegan lifestyles, music and movement, Ayurveda and traditional paradigms, and much more weave into unique and flexible offerings.

Global Tree Initiative has evolved and is growing, with a stunning 4.5 million trees in hundreds of communities in 67 countries already having been planted. Truly a reason for rejoicing!

As the work of each of the UCL project volunteers and staff expands, we would like to dedicate their benefits to all sentient beings, specifically to Dato’ Lee Chung Han and his family. Chung Han was a founding member of the UCL Board of Directors and passed earlier this year; we gratefully and respectfully honor his compassionate enthusiasm for so many beneficial projects.

We thank each of you for your compassionate action, as we each help to shape the world we and future beings live in!

Tom