Letter: Monks involved in oppresion of Rohingya?
Letter: Monks involved in oppresion of Rohingya? |
- Letter: Monks involved in oppresion of Rohingya?
- This Week in the Press: Stories of interest to Shambhala Sun readers
- An Open Letter from the Buddhist Community on Islamophobia
- His Holiness gives monastic ordination, meets with ITBF and visits a school in Leh
- His Holiness Visits Lamdon School and the Ladakhi Muslims in Leh
- His Holiness Attends Philosophical Conference, Public Meeting and Gives Teachings in Leh
- Cry Me A River
- His Holiness Attends Philosophical Conference, Public Meeting and Gives Teachings in Leh
| Letter: Monks involved in oppresion of Rohingya? Posted: 05 Aug 2012 08:00 AM PDT by Pilgrim, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, The Buddhist Channel, Aug 5, 2012 Many of us cringe when we hear news of the Buddhist Rakhine oppression of the Rohingya. The Buddhist Channel also issued a letter to the monks of Myanmar callng on them "to do the rignt thing." Human rights law requires that stateless persons should be treated with compassion and efforts should be made to resolve the problem of statelessness. The Myanmar government, for decades dealing with various problems and insurgencies, has apparently not succeeded in doing this. However, no country has a right to tell another who should and who should not be a citizen. The "right to a nationality" is poorly established in international law and there is no global practice that is binding on governments. It is up to the various governments to exercise their discretion in accepting refugees. Muslim countries, including neighbouring Bangladesh, although soundly criticising Myanmar's actions have also not been forthcoming in accepting these refugees. Bangladesh is embarassingly, in a similar position, as it is accused of tacitly supporting the oppression of the Buddhist tribes in the Chittagong Hill Tracts who are being pushed into exile into India. A political solution is needed, not calls for jihad which are just plain idiotic. This is the job for the reformist Myanmar government which now includes the highly respected Aung San Suu Kyi in its ranks. Many expressed dissapointment that the monks who led the Saffron Revolution are also involved in the oppression. The Young Monks' Association of Sittwe and Mrauk Oo Monks' Association have been reported to be two orgamisations which called for the shunning of the Rohingya and are obstructig the distribution of humanitarian aid. There has been no reports of the size nor influence of these organisations, but all the same, such actions appear extreme, at least by Buddhist standards. However, it is a mistake to view a religious group as a uniform block and it is unfair to paint the entire monastic sangha with the broad brush of blame. It should be borne in mind that Myanmar has almost half a million monks. A significant fraction of this number, most likely the politically aware, marched in the streets of Yangon during the Saffron Revolution. But the majority stayed in the monasteries, aloof from these political spasms. A small number of monks also sided with the government. But just as we applauded those who marched in the Saffron Revlolution, then blame should be directed only at these organisations which support the poor treatment of a minority. 
| ||||||
| This Week in the Press: Stories of interest to Shambhala Sun readers Posted: 05 Aug 2012 07:00 AM PDT If you're following the Shambhala Sun on Facebook, you know that we share interesting stories from around the web there all week long. But not everyone's on Facebook, so here's what we posted in the past week.
If you're not already following us on Facebook, like the Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma pages so you don't miss anything else. You can follow both the Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma on Twitter, too. Read More @ Source
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | ||||||
| An Open Letter from the Buddhist Community on Islamophobia Posted: 05 Aug 2012 06:00 AM PDT By Danny Fisher, http://buddhistletteronislamophobia.wordpress.comJuly 31, 2012San Francisco, CA (USA) -- As disciples of the Buddha who live in the West, we would like to take the holy month of Ramadan as an opportunity to express our growing concern about Islamophobia, both within our governments and within the Buddhist community worldwide.
Meanwhile, Newsweek reports that the Thai government has set up military encampments inside Buddhist temples—even using some of them as torture chambers—in their ongoing fight against a violent Malay Muslim insurgency in the southern states of Patani, Yala, and Narathiwat. More disturbingly, Newsweek reports the Thai government is paying ethnic Thais to resettle in majority-Malay areas in order to dilute the Malay population. Once again, there have been many human rights abuses and much loss of life on both sides of the conflict. In this time of conflict, we believe that the life and teachings of the Buddha can be a shining example for the world. He taught us to practice mutual respect among all people without prejudice, to work for the mutual benefit of all beings, and to try to solve our problems without resorting to violence. In those rare instances where violence is necessary, he taught us to practice restraint and to protect innocent lives. It is in this spirit that we are writing. In our own countries, we ask law enforcement agencies to stop targeting Muslim communities with indiscriminate surveillance and profiling. And we call on Americans to see their Muslims neighbors as fellow citizens, bound together with them through the shared values of democracy, equality, and freedom. In the wider Buddhist community, we ask our fellow Buddhists to refrain from using the Dharma to support nationalism, ethnic conflict, and Islamophobia. We believe that these values are antithetical to the Buddha's teachings on loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. The vast majority of Muslims the world over are peaceful, law-abiding people who share much the same dreams, hopes, and aspirations as their non-Muslim neighbors. They are our friends, our relatives, our colleagues, our neighbors, and our fellow citizens. Most importantly, they are our fellow sentient beings, all of whom, the Buddha taught, have loved and cared for us in the past. We stand with them during this holy month of Ramadan and denounce Islamophobia unequivocally. Signed, Joshua Eaton, M.Div., Boston, MA, USA Rev. Danny Fisher, Los Angeles, CA, USA 
| ||||||
| His Holiness gives monastic ordination, meets with ITBF and visits a school in Leh Posted: 04 Aug 2012 08:00 PM PDT Leh, Ladakh, J&K, India, 26 July, 2012 - Today, His Holiness the Dalai Lama reached the Leh Jokhang Temple, which locals call the Gonpa Soma (New Temple), at 8 o'clock. He immediately began to conduct the ceremony to ordain fifty Ladakhi Shramaneras (novice monks) as Bhikshus (fully ordained monks), which took nearly 4 hours. His Holiness was assisted on this historic occasion by the 102nd Gaden Tripa (Throne Holder of the Gaden tradition), the very venerable Kyabje Rizong Rinpoche, the Abbot of Namgyal Monastery, Thomthok Rinpoche, Geshe Tseten Namgyal, the Abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery and other Bhikshus. After enjoying lunch with these senior Bhikshus, His Holiness visited the regional Head Quarters of the Indo-Tibetan Border Force (ITBF), where he planted a tree. He gave a short talk to about 300, mostly Ladakhi, members of ITBF. His Holiness stressed the importance of relating to other people on a basic human level, considering other people to be human beings like ourselves, with the same kind of positive and negative emotions. He said that placing too much emphasis on secondary attributes like race, faith, social status, nationality and so on is a cause of division amongst human beings. Both religion and contemporary science recognize that destructive emotions cause us suffering, while positive emotions bring us happiness. And as human beings we have a marvellous intelligence that enables us to differentiate between them so we can cultivate our positive emotions and reduce our negative emotions.
His Holiness next went to visit Jamyang School, founded by Ladakhi Geshe Lobsang Samten, who presented a report of the school's progress over the last three years. His Holiness was pleased and told the story of his connection with the school and his wish to help people in the remote regions of the Himalayas. "There was a couple I met who used to visit Dharamsala. I came across them again when I gave the Kalachakra Empowerment in Kalpa, Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh. I asked where they were from and discovered that they came from the remote and undeveloped region of Dahanu in Ladakh. We talked about the need for a school and with Geshe Lobsang Samten's assistance we were able gradually improve the standards of education in such remote places."
"I am particularly pleased to know that the school has begun to employ traditional logic and debate from class five onwards, because it helps us sharpen our intelligence and develop a more penetrative understanding of whatever we are studying. We don't need to restrict our use of dialectics and debate to traditional Buddhist topics of study, but can also apply it beneficially to the study of modern subjects like science." "Wisdom and intelligence don't come about merely by reciting Manjushri's mantra and other prayers, although they may help. Real wisdom and understanding comes about through study and analysis of what you have learned from teachers or read in books. And you will deepen your understanding by thinking it over again and again, and examining it with reason."
Later, he met a group of Czech supporters and sponsors of the Springdale School in Mulbek, Kargil District, in the Jamyang School library. He told them it has long been his cherished wish to promote secular education as a way of deepening our awareness of reality. He pointed out that caring for the well-being of others is a natural human tendency, for which he has observed Czechs have a special affinity because of their own history and experience. Voluntarily helping others introduces a greater sense of compassion into society that ensures a greater sense of trust, which in turn, rooted in honesty, transparency and self-confidence, leads to a friendlier, more co-operative community.  Read More @ Source 
| ||||||
| His Holiness Visits Lamdon School and the Ladakhi Muslims in Leh Posted: 04 Aug 2012 07:01 PM PDT Leh, Ladakh, J&K, India, 27 July, 2012 - On this fourth visit to Lamdon Model School since the mid-seventies, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was given a warm reception by Mr. Eshey Tondup, the Principal, who showed him two new buildings: a dental clinic dedicated to the memory of the late Roy A. Kite, Jr. from France, whose longstanding contribution to the students' welfare His Holiness remembered well and a science block with three new Chemistry, Physics and Biology laboratories. The three-storey science building was built with grant from the Dalai Lama Trust. During his last visit to Lamdon school, in 2009, His Holiness urged the administration to provide such science facilities so students could gain practical experience of science. He offered financial help for them to do so and was deeply impressed with what has been achieved.
His Holiness went on to say, His Holiness referred to the dialogues he has engaged in with contemporary western scientists for more than thirty years. As a consequence a number of scientists have begun to take an interest in the workings of the mind and emotions, which are explained in great detail in the works of the great India masters of the Nalanda tradition, such as Nagarjuna. His Holiness concluded by expressing the hope that in the remaining 80 years or so of the 21st century students from Lamdon Model School will make a significant contribution to the cause of peace and happiness in Ladakh, India and the world at large. From the Lamdon School His Holiness went to visit the community of Ladakhi Muslims at Idga, Leh.
His Holiness is going to Padum, Zanskar 29th - 31st July, where he will teach the Thirty-seven Practices of a Bodhisattva and the Eight Verses for Training the Mind. Read More @ Source 
| ||||||
| His Holiness Attends Philosophical Conference, Public Meeting and Gives Teachings in Leh Posted: 04 Aug 2012 06:00 PM PDT Leh, Ladakh, J&K, India, 4 August, 2012 - Following his return from Zanskar, in the morning of 2nd August, His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated a 4 day conference at the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh, focussing on the presentation of Nagarjuna's Madhyamika view in the four Tibetan Buddhist traditions. He said, "The four traditional schools of Buddhism in Tibet may superficially seem to differ in the way they explain the view, but ultimately what they refer to is the same. As Panchen Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen said, 'When these views are examined by an experienced yogi, the import of them all comes to the same point." He reiterated that some of the important subtle philosophical views are not essentially different even if the ways in which they are expressed is different, because they are all the outcome of highly developed intellectual insight. In the morning of 3rd August His Holiness went to the local TCV school to address the local Tibetan community. In the course of his talk he reviewed the whole process of democratising the Tibetan community from the aspirations he had during his youth in Tibet, through coming into exile and the establishment of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile. He also gave an assessment of the practical aspects of the Middle Way approach and how a campaign for independence may seem immediately attractive, but, under the present circumstances, is ultimately not feasible in the long run. He remarked that the moment even a developed and economically significant country like Taiwan begins to talk of independence international support withers away. He also explained the changes he has made in relation to the Ganden Phodrang and other recent crucial developments. He was invited to an official lunch by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. In his words of appreciation he spoke of the importance of maintaining the Ladakhi identity, stressing that he was not referring only to the clothes Ladakhis wear, but also to! preserving values and ways of thinking. He advised them to work hard and to guard against letting corruption creep into their affairs. 4th August dawned under overcast grey skies following a storm during the night, but even as it began to drizzle, the weather did not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the nearly 40,000 people who had come to hear His Holiness teach at the Shiwatsel Ground in Choglamsar, Leh. They included people from all over Ladakh, among them many who have come down from nomadic regions like the Chang Thang, Tibetans living in Leh and visiting foreigners. He began by saying,
"Wherever I teach, I stress that the teaching should be authentic. The teaching we share was originally brought from Nalanda University by Shantarakshita. One of the points that was emphasised was the strict observance of Vinaya or monastic discipline. For example, it is quite clear that monks are not supposed to wear long sleeves and lay tantric practitioners should wear white robes. It is neither appropriate to dress up in monk's robes just to attend a teaching, nor to wear monastic robes, but to keep long hair." He noted that there were foreigners from non-Buddhist countries in the audience and repeated the advice he often gives that it is generally better and safer to stick with the religion you are born to. However, whether you take an interest in Buddhism or not is completely up to the individual, it's a personal choice. There is never a case for insisting that anyone adopt the Buddha's teaching. In fact the Buddha counselled his followers to examine what he taught and to adopt it only if they felt it was worthwhile, not simply out of respect for him. Similarly, he advised his Ladakhi listeners that although there are also Muslims and Christians in Ladakh, Ladakhi culture is largely a Buddhist culture and something worth preserving. Recalling his interest in science since childhood, when he was curious to know how things worked, he spoke of the ongoing dialogue he has conducted with scientists for the last thirty years or so. He acknowledged the contribution science has made to solving many human problems in such fields as medicine and health, but warned that just because science has not been able to prove something, rebirth for example, does not mean it does not exist. In the past, people turned to religion because they were afraid of ghosts and spirits and to some extent science has a! llayed those fears. Now it is important to ask what is the benefit of religion in the 21st century. Is it just a custom that has been passed down for centuries that we are keeping alive or is it something that can contribute to our living happier lives today?
Towards the end of his talk, His Holiness advised, "Think about what I have said, and try to think about what Buddhism is. If you find it interesting and useful, make the effort to put it into effect." He said the texts he is going to talk about are Dipankara Atisha's Lamp of the Path, which was requested by a King of Western Tibet and the transmission of which His Holiness received from Serkong Tsenshab Rinpoche, as well as Je Tsongkhapa's Three Principal Aspects of the Path, which he received from his tutors Tagdag Rinpoche, Ling Rinpoche and Trijang Rinpoche. He will continue the teaching tomorrow. Read More @ Source 
| ||||||
| Posted: 04 Aug 2012 05:00 PM PDT We have seen public tears aplenty recently. Mostly in the sphere of sport. There was Wimbledon and now the Olympics. Tears happen to the best of us, happen to me. Happened to me today. Now many hours later I struggle to remember what it was about. They didn't last long. How quickly tears come and how quickly they go, given half a chance. But what's this? Crying clubs?
I'm going to have to think about this.... Read More @ Source
| ||||||
| His Holiness Attends Philosophical Conference, Public Meeting and Gives Teachings in Leh Posted: 04 Aug 2012 12:00 PM PDT Leh, Ladakh, J&K, India, 4 August, 2012 - Following his return from Zanskar, in the morning of 2nd August, His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated a 4 day conference at the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh, focussing on the presentation of Nagarjuna's Madhyamika view in the four Tibetan Buddhist traditions. He said, "The four traditional schools of Buddhism in Tibet may superficially seem to differ in the way they explain the view, but ultimately what they refer to is the same. As Panchen Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen said, 'When these views are examined by an experienced yogi, the import of them all comes to the same point." He reiterated that some of the important subtle philosophical views are not essentially different even if the ways in which they are expressed is different, because they are all the outcome of highly developed intellectual insight. In the morning of 3rd August His Holiness went to the local TCV school to address the local Tibetan community. In the course of his talk he reviewed the whole process of democratising the Tibetan community from the aspirations he had during his youth in Tibet, through coming into exile and the establishment of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile. He also gave an assessment of the practical aspects of the Middle Way approach and how a campaign for independence may seem immediately attractive, but, under the present circumstances, is ultimately not feasible in the long run. He remarked that the moment even a developed and economically significant country like Taiwan begins to talk of independence international support withers away. He also explained the changes he has made in relation to the Ganden Phodrang and other recent crucial developments. He was invited to an official lunch by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. In his words of appreciation he spoke of the importance of maintaining the Ladakhi identity, stressing that he was not referring only to the clothes Ladakhis wear, but also to! preserving values and ways of thinking. He advised them to work hard and to guard against letting corruption creep into their affairs. 4th August dawned under overcast grey skies following a storm during the night, but even as it began to drizzle, the weather did not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the nearly 40,000 people who had come to hear His Holiness teach at the Shiwatsel Ground in Choglamsar, Leh. They included people from all over Ladakh, among them many who have come down from nomadic regions like the Chang Thang, Tibetans living in Leh and visiting foreigners. He began by saying,
"Wherever I teach, I stress that the teaching should be authentic. The teaching we share was originally brought from Nalanda University by Shantarakshita. One of the points that was emphasised was the strict observance of Vinaya or monastic discipline. For example, it is quite clear that monks are not supposed to wear long sleeves and lay tantric practitioners should wear white robes. It is neither appropriate to dress up in monk's robes just to attend a teaching, nor to wear monastic robes, but to keep long hair." He noted that there were foreigners from non-Buddhist countries in the audience and repeated the advice he often gives that it is generally better and safer to stick with the religion you are born to. However, whether you take an interest in Buddhism or not is completely up to the individual, it's a personal choice. There is never a case for insisting that anyone adopt the Buddha's teaching. In fact the Buddha counselled his followers to examine what he taught and to adopt it only if they felt it was worthwhile, not simply out of respect for him. Similarly, he advised his Ladakhi listeners that although there are also Muslims and Christians in Ladakh, Ladakhi culture is largely a Buddhist culture and something worth preserving. Recalling his interest in science since childhood, when he was curious to know how things worked, he spoke of the ongoing dialogue he has conducted with scientists for the last thirty years or so. He acknowledged the contribution science has made to solving many human problems in such fields as medicine and health, but warned that just because science has not been able to prove something, rebirth for example, does not mean it does not exist. In the past, people turned to religion because they were afraid of ghosts and spirits and to some extent science has a! llayed those fears. Now it is important to ask what is the benefit of religion in the 21st century. Is it just a custom that has been passed down for centuries that we are keeping alive or is it something that can contribute to our living happier lives today?
Towards the end of his talk, His Holiness advised, "Think about what I have said, and try to think about what Buddhism is. If you find it interesting and useful, make the effort to put it into effect." He said the texts he is going to talk about are Dipankara Atisha's Lamp of the Path, which was requested by a King of Western Tibet and the transmission of which His Holiness received from Serkong Tsenshab Rinpoche, as well as Je Tsongkhapa's Three Principal Aspects of the Path, which he received from his tutors Tagdag Rinpoche, Ling Rinpoche and Trijang Rinpoche. He will continue the teaching tomorrow. Read More @ Source 
|
In North America and Europe, the past decade has seen peaceful Muslim communities targeted by hate crimes, police profiling, and even challenges to their basic human rights of free religion and free assembly. The New York Times reports that the New York City Police Department infiltrated peaceful Muslim groups across the Northeastern United States for indiscriminate surveillance. The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro in Murfreesboro, Tennessee has faced vandalism, arson, and legal challenges opposing their new mosque, while France and Belgium have outlawed wearing niqab in public over concerns about immigration, the status of women, and the diluting of European culture.
| You are subscribed to email updates from BuddhaRocks ☸ Buddhist To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
