Is Edward Snowden a Buddhist?

• Is Edward Snowden a Buddhist?
• Buddhist Monks Get Nasty
• Concluding Teachings, Public Talk on Ethical Mindfulness in Everyday Life and Addressing a Gathering for Tibet in Sydney

Is Edward Snowden a Buddhist? Posted: 17 Jun 2013 09:00 AM PDT By Konchog Norbu Is Edward Snowden a Buddhist? If one were to read the widely-circulated AP profile on the NSA leaker, one could be led to believe so. In the media scramble to glean meaning about Edward Snowden's 29-year old life and the possible motives for his actions, reporters have been sniffing along his online trail, including sifting through more than 750 comments he left on the technology blog Arstechnica. Mining Snowden's writing about personal freedom, privacy, and security (he posted under the pseudonym TheTrueHOOHA), the AP writer offers this nugget: "In another post that fall, he mulled the politics of personal identity. "'This is entirely dependent on the individual — as is the definition of freedom. Freedom isn't a word the [sic] can be (pardon) freely defined,' he wrote. 'The saying goes, "Live free or die," I believe. That seems to intimate a conditional dependence on freedom as a requirement for happiness.' "In that discussion, Snowden mentioned that he had identified himself as a Buddhist in paperwork he filled out for the Army. And in May 2004, he enlisted, with aspirations of becoming a Green Beret." Well, isn't that interesting: on top of everything else, Snowden is a self-identified Buddhist! Or is he? Papers like Israel's Haaretz turn it into an assertion: "He is a self-proclaimed Buddhist who joined the army in the hopes of becoming a Green Beret and fighting in Iraq…" But if we turn to the New York Times' profile, we learn an important lesson in selective editing and the danger of relying on just one news source when determining facts. Here's the relevant passage: "Toward the end of 2003, Mr. Snowden wrote that he was joining the Army, listing Buddhist as his religion ('agnostic is strangely absent,' he noted parenthetically about the military recruitment form). He tried to define a still-evolving belief system. 'I feel that religion, adopted purely, is ultimately representative of blindly making someone else's beliefs your own.'" So it seems that regarding Edward Snowden's religious beliefs, or lack thereof, we must remain agnostic as well. Read More @ Source

Buddhist Monks Get Nasty Posted: 17 Jun 2013 01:00 AM PDT Is there a division between this Muslim's face & you? There is a trend in Buddhism these days which not only goes against the spirit of the Buddha's teaching, but also against Buddhist rules. This is illustrated by the recent convention in Burma held by leading Buddhist monks there, in which various measures intended at reducing tensions between the majority Buddhist population of Burma and the minority Muslim community were discussed. "We hold this meeting with the intention of protecting our Buddhist race and our religion, and also to have peace and harmony in our community," said U Dhammapiya, a senior monk and a spokesman for the convention. At first glance, this may seem a reasonable statement, but if we examine it a little more wisely, it reveals some disturbing ideas not in line with the Buddha's teachings. Firstly, the monk refers to "our Buddhist race." This is a common attitude amongst those whose cultures have adopted Buddhism over long periods of time, but is it really a Buddhist one? Look at the wording carefully - presumably the monks did so before voicing it in public: "Our" suggests a division between 'us' and 'them.' In addition, the usage of the term 'Buddhist' in rela! tion to race suggests that there is such a thing as racial Buddhists, whatever that might be. But being Buddhist is not a matter of birth, but of choice, or intent. We can't be born 'Buddhist' as to be Buddhist is to consider the Buddha's teachings and put them into practice. What newborn child is capable of that?! Let's return to this attitude of 'us and them.' Does this fit in with Buddhist ideas or not? In a word, no. Buddhism is not a label or racial attribute that we can identify with, but a set of teachings & techniques to realize our true nature. Anyone can become Buddhist, whether they are born into a traditionally 'Buddhist' society or not - this author is an example of this. The Buddha did not teach us to view ourselves as a separate community to others, cutting ourselves off from them, or thinking ourselves special in some way. As Buddhists, our duty is live in peace & friendship with all people, whether Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, atheist, or whatever. This brings us to another disquieting announcement by the monks - to introduce a law banning marriages between Muslim men and Buddhist women. U Wirathu, a well-known nationalist monk, said he was delighted with the plans to try to stop any Buddhist woman from marrying a Muslim man. "I have dreamed of this law for a long time. It is important to have this law to protect our Buddhist women's freedom," he said during a press conference. What about a woman's freedom to marry who she wishes - Buddhist, Muslim or otherwise?! The proposed law would require any Buddhist woman seeking to marry a Muslim man to first gain permission from her parents and local government officials. It a! lso requi! res any Muslim man who marries a Buddhist woman to convert to Buddhism. It is based on similar laws in Singapore & Malaysia, which the Burmese monks say have helped to establish inter-communal harmony in those countries. However, the right to marry whoever one wishes is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 16, which states that "Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family." Surely making inter faith marriages impossible between Buddhists & Muslims is not going to do anything positive in the relations between the two religious groups. In fact, it runs the risk of driving the two groups further apart. This appears to be part of a wider campaign by U Wirathu who leads the controversial 969 campaign that is being implemented all over Burma. It encourages Buddhists not to do business with Muslims and only support fellow Buddhists' shops. How can this bring longterm inter-communal peace? Another important issue here is that Buddhist monks in the Theravada tradition - to which U Wirathu & his colleagues belong - are proscribed from involving themselves in politics & law-making in the the rules for monks. Furthermore, the Buddha instructed monks to desist from even discussing politics, reflecting on the Buddhist teachings instead. By involving themselves in such issues, these monks are actually breaking their own monastic code of conduct, and ceae to be worthy of alms - nor should Buddhist laypeople listen to their views on such subjects, as by doing so, they also risk losing sight of the Buddha's true teachings. It is really sad for a fellow Buddh! ist to re! ad of their activities - if they or their associates read this, they are seriously advised to focus their efforts on the Buddha's teachings regarding suffering and its ending, and practice to that end.  Reflecting on these Buddhists' actions described above may help us somewhat. They are acting out of fear and attachment, which unenlightened people do the world over. It is a real shame however, that as senior monks respected by countless Burmese Buddhists, they are so deeply enmeshed in deluded thoughts and actions. Clearly, they are fearful of the majority Buddhist traditions of Burma being diluted or even destroyed by an increase in Muslim population, especially if it comes at the expense of the former. This comes out of being attached to their Buddhist identity, that feeling that says, "I am Buddhist" or "I am Burmese," and not being able to see beyond such a limited and limiting perspective. Of course, we are all made up of cultural, ethnic, and hereditary factors. But Buddhism teaches us how to realize that awareness that lies behind all these particular faces and see the original face that lies behind them. To illustrate this point more concretely, we can take this author as an example. I am a man. I am British. I am caucasian. I am middle-aged. I am Buddhist. I am straight. I am married. Etc. But, if I take the time to look beyond these various masks that I have adopted over my life, what do I find? Looking back here now, I do not see a caucasian, middle-aged face, but rather a clear, spacious awareness. Moreover this awareness (or original face, or no-face) is full of whatever is present, as there is nothing here to keep it all out. If I were to see you now, in truth! I would ! be you, for your face would be present here, in my no-face. And this would surely be so for you also, but in reverse - you would have my face! (You can test this out right now by simply looking and seeing what is the case in this present moment - what do you see where you are?) For U Wirathu & his colleagues too, this holds true. If he were to look at a Muslim right now, he would see a wonderful human face existing in his own no-face - the two would be one. Then, there are no divisions, whether cultural, religious or otherwise. May all beings be happy. The above is adapted from an article on The Buddhist Channel, and can be read here: Monk's Convention in Burma Read More @ Source

Concluding Teachings, Public Talk on Ethical Mindfulness in Everyday Life and Addressing a Gathering for Tibet in Sydney Posted: 16 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT Sydney, Australia, 16 June 2013 - The first people to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama today were a group of philanthropists with whom he had some conversation before leaving his hotel this morning. Asked the secret of his optimism, he said: "We are basically social animals. We are not like turtles that lay their eggs, but never meet their offspring. Our survival depends on our mother's care and affection and someone who has received such affection has the potential to show affection to others." Back in the Sydney Entertainment Centre for the last of five sessions of Buddhist teachings, because it was his intention to give the Bodhisattva Vows, His Holiness sat quietly for some minutes while he refreshed his own vows. He then took his seat on the throne and the Heart Sutra was chanted in Vietnamese and English. He began his instruction by quoting Chandrakirti's 'Introduction to the Middle Way' as saying, 'This very mind gives rise to the external conventional world.' The 7th Dalai Lama, Kalsang Gyatso, said, 'The whole of cyclic existence and the peace of liberation are merely designated by the internal world of the mind.' His Holiness repeated that things exist merely by way of designation. Things are nominally existent; they exist as labels. Cyclic existence and the peace of liberation, samsara and nirvana, are brought about by our minds; without mind there is no karma. Nagarjuna said that cyclic existence and the peace of liberation ultimately cannot be found; they have to be understood in terms of our mind. "Does it make any sense?" he asked. "Since the text we've been reading is mainly concerned with praising compassion not wisdom, I wanted to balance it out. I make no claim to have any experience of bodhichitta or insight into emptiness, but I began to take an interest in my early teens. Once I became a refugee, when I had restarted my studies, I took more interest in emptiness. It wasn't until my late 30s that I really had the courage to! consider altruism." Members of the audience reciting vows during His Holiness the Dalai Lama's last day of teachings at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia on June 16, 2013. Photo/Rusty Stewart/DLIA 2013 Indicating the image of the 'Fasting Buddha' displayed behind the throne, His Holiness recalled that when he was young he had a copy of the same photograph in his room in the Potala, along with photographs of Bodhgaya and Sarnath, that had belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama. After 1959, he enquired about the location of the original statue and hearing it was in Lahore would have liked to go and see it, but that has not been possible. He described it as an important image for Buddhists because it reminds us of the hardship our teacher underwent in attaining enlightenment. Because Atisha has written that someone receiving the Bodhisattva Vows should hold at least some personal liberation or pratimoksha vows, His Holiness first went through the ceremony for giving the layperson's precepts. As a preliminary to generating the awakening mind he asked the entire audience to recite the Seven Branch practice contained in chapters two and three of Shantideva's 'Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life'. Following that ceremony he gave the Bodhisattva Vows. "So now the teaching is complete," he said, "this afternoon I'll talk about secular ethics. Buddhist is only for Buddhists, but the universal nature of secular ethics makes them applicable to all 7 billion human beings alive today." After lunch he met members of the Parliamentary Group for Tibet and the Australia Tibet Council, who he told: His Holiness the Dalai Lama meeting with members of the Parliamentary Group for Tibet and the Australia Tibet Council in Sydney, Australia on June 16, 2013. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL "Chinese policy about Tibet will not change unless there is an overall change in China. Former Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has spoken of China's need for reform and human rights' activist Liu Xiaobo has expressed concern for an open society. The free world has a responsibility to support people like Liu Xiaobo." While noting that as an ancient nation China cannot be overlooked, it must be brought into the mainstream of world affairs. At the same time there is an urgent need to find ways to preserve Tibet's language, religion, culture and ecology. He thanked them all for their support. Returning to the stage, distinguished actress and Sydney resident, Cate Blanchett gave the audience of more than 11000 a warm and generous introduction to His Holiness. Choosing to stand, he began his talk: "I am grateful to have this opportunity to speak to all of you. In my visits here and there, being able to address the public is what's most important. Everyone wants a happy life without difficulties or suffering. We create many of the problems we face. No one intentionally creates problems, but we tend to be slaves to emotions like anger, hatred and attachment. These emotions are essentially based on misconceived projections about people and things. "These emotions are powerful and we need to find ways of reducing them by eliminating the ignorance that underlies them and applying opposing forces. So long as we don't learn A,B,C, for example, an ignorance of A,B,C remains. It is only removed by learning about A,B,C that our ignorance is removed. It's the same with our emotions." His Holiness the Dalai Lama thanking actress Kate Blanchett after her introduction to his public talk in Sydney, Australia on June 16, 2013. Photo/Rusty Stewart/DLIA 2013 He explained that some experts say that any social animal has some limited sense of altruism. Without others we cannot survive; the rest of society is the source of our future. He compared this to having a piece of land on which our livelihood depends. We have to take care of it. Likewise, in human society we have to take care of others. Despite the superficial differences between us, we need to have a sense that all 7 billion human beings belong to one human family, the basis of our future. He cited going to hospital as an occasion when we are treated as equal human beings. We don't expect our nationality, race, religion or educational qualification to be an issue before receiving the treatment we need. Climate change and the environmental crisis similarly have no respect for national boundaries. From outer space you can't see them. All you can see is our one blue planet. His Holiness spoke of a dream of harnessing the potential of great areas of desert to generate solar power that could run desalination plants and so generate water to make the deserts green. Thinking about the whole of humanity, he observed that we have all taken birth from our mothers and that most of us have survived and grown as a result of her care. The affection she showed us gives us the potential to show affection to others. "While murder, bullying, exploitation and scandal regularly make the news, when thousands of children receive their mother's care and affection every day it isn't reported because we take it for granted. We may be subject to negative emotions, but it is possible to keep them under control, to cultivate a sense of emotional hygiene, on the basis of the human values that are rooted in that affection. This is what I call secular ethics." The Sydney Entertainment Centre, where over 11,000 people attended His Holiness the Dalai Lama's public talk in Sydney, Australia on June 16, 2013. Photo/Rusty Stewart/DLIA 2013 Mikey Robins put questions from the audience to His Holiness, starting by asking him what it felt like to be a Buddha. The reply was swift: "Me? Nonsense! I'm a human being like one of you." To a question about how to make a difference as an individual, His Holiness answered that the UN has shown that having a big office and a lot of paper doesn't produce peace. World peace must come from inner peace within individuals. About why I'm here, he said there are Christian and Buddhist answers, but a simpler one is not to worry about this and to try to be a happy person. Asked what to do to avoid a death full of fear and regret he recommended leading a more meaningful life, not creating problems, helping other people out and avoiding doing them harm. About forgiveness he said if you forget then there's nothing to forgive, but if you're angry and resentful towards others it's like being part of a chain reaction. Forgiveness is how we put a stop to anger, ill-will and a desire for revenge. To the last question, if he'll promise to come back, His Holiness responded: "Certainly, I love to come here. Maybe once every two years over the next 5-10 years. Yes." "Think about what we have talked about. If it makes sense, think about it some more. Discuss it with your family and friends. If it doesn't make sense, it doesn't matter, just leave it here in this hall when you go home." His final advice was met by friendly applause. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, with Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile Penpa Tsering (right) at the Gathering for Tibet at Tumbalong Park in Sydney, Australia on June 16, 2013. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL Attending the Gathering for Tibet at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour, His Holiness took to the stage with Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, Penpa Tsering, Chinese liberal intellectual, Dr Feng Chongyi, and his old friend Rev Bill Crews. He spoke about Tibet's ecology and the role it plays as Asia's watershed that has earned it the name the Third Pole. He mentioned that since 1974 the Central Tibetan Administration decided not to seek separation, but to acknowledge that remaining with the PRC has the potential to be in Tibet's interest as far as development is concerned. But the Chinese government must give Tibetans meaningful autonomy and implement the rights included in the Chinese constitution. "We have our own language, culture and way of life and want to preserve them. Our contacts with the Chinese people are improving, but because of censorship they are very poorly informed. Recently I have been advising Tibetans to reach out to Chinese people. I have been told that if they knew more about our Middle Way Approach, a majority of the Chinese people would support it. The best way to solve our problems is to take a realistic view of them. I appreciate all your support. Please, whenever and wherever you can, educate Chinese people about reality." Read More @ Source