…sent in by a friend named Kevin Churchill. He sent it to me via e-mail and I thought it would be great to share with you. Thanks Kevin for sending it to me.
And hey, if you hear of some “inspiring” or “heroic” story in your hometown, school or wherever, I’d love to hear about it and post it here. Just e-mail it to me!
They shoot monks, don’t they?
By WONG CHUN WAI, The Star, Sept 30, 2007
It took a while but the government that shot monks in Vietnam was eventually toppled. We hope the same happens in Myanmar.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — IT’S the wrath of the people – that best describes the uprising of the people of Myanmar who have had enough of the dictatorship in their country, who has turned the mineral-rich country into an exporter of cheap labour. Click here to read more of this article
My good bud Rod at The Worst Horse is running an article called “Burma Is Important”. It is a must read for those currently concerned with the struggle of the Burmese people. Make sure to drop by and take action. Do it because, as Rod and many other people are saying, Burma Is Important!
I don’t have many words either, and I was smiling nearly the whole time. The best way to describe this video is inspiring! Take 3 minutes and thirty-nine seconds of your time, please, and watch! Very good music to listen to, as well as the story playing out on the video.
The band is called Sick Puppies (don’t let that scare you, they’re quite mellow) and the song is “All The Same”. The story playing out is one man’s mission to give free hugs to those who want them. Amazing!
George W Bush’s meeting with Dalai Lama likely to infuriate China more
telegraph.co.uk[Saturday, September 29, 2007 09:58]
By Richard Spencer in Beijing
President George W Bush is to become the first American president to meet the Dalai Lama in a gesture of recognition for the religious leader of Tibetan Buddhism that risks infuriating the Chinese government.
Mr Bush will meet the Dalai next month at a ceremony in front of the symbol of American democracy, the Capitol building, where the Tibetan leader will be presented with the Congressional Gold Medal. Click here to read more of this article
Well, by now we all know what is going on in Burma. There are multiple reposts on this blog from various sources, as well as links and more. There are bloggers the world over exposing the realities in Burma and the struggle they face. There is all the talk of outrage and this country or that one expressing their solidarity for the people of Burma. There are comparisons drawn about Darfur.
One thing that is really starting to break is the fact China is really not stepping up to the plate. The strongest word they’ve used is “restraint” when it comes to dealing with the situation. There is talk going on about how this is going to affect how the world will view the Olympics, which are set this year in Beijing. But there’s a big thing missing here, and I am really beginning to wonder why.
Where is the concern for Tibet? You’ve all heard of Tibet right?
The Saffron Olympics: The slaughtered monks of Burma will haunt China.
Saturday, September 29, 2007; Page A18
BY NOW China’s Communist rulers must have realized that one unintended consequence of hosting the 2008 Olympics is unprecedented global scrutiny of Beijing’s retrograde foreign policy. For decades, one pillar of that policy has been the cynical political and economic exploitation of rogue states that most of the rest of the world shuns — notably North Korea, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Burma. Under growing international pressure, and with the looming threat of a besmirched Olympics, Chinese policy is slowly changing. But not fast enough, as this week’s events in Burma demonstrate.
In the past three days, Burma’s ruling junta has carried out a bloody and criminal crackdown on a peaceful protest movement led by thousands of Buddhist monks. The regime admits that 10 people have died in the volleys of gunfire and the baton charges its soldiers have directed at demonstrators. More likely is that the death toll is in the scores. Hundreds of monks and democratic opposition activists have been rounded up at night and trucked away to unknown fates; troops have occupied and ransacked monasteries. Click here to read more of this article
Burma: Hundreds may be dead, as junta tries to keep brutality unseen
by Rosalind Russellin, The Independent (UK), Sept. 29, 2007
Rangoon, Burma — Burma’s military leaders locked down monasteries, arrested dissidents and set up barricades across Rangoon yesterday in an attempt to suffocate the waves of street demonstrations calling for an end to their rule.
They also tried to cut off ordinary people’s communication with the outside world, heightening fears that the crackdown that appears to have knocked the wind from the demonstrations could become more violent.
Yet, despite the regime’s best efforts, a day after security forces killed at least nine demonstrators – dissident groups say the total could be as high as 200 – hundreds again risked their lives to defy the government in small but angry protests across Burma’s main city. Click here to read more of this article
Monks stage hunger strike in Bamaw prison
by Myo Gyi, Mizzima news, Sept. 29, 2007
Yangon, Myanmar — Over 30 monks being detained in Bamaw prison have started a hunger strike . They were later transferred to other prisons and separated on September 27.
The local authorities raided various monasteries in Bamaw on September 25 night and arrested 108 monks. They were forcibly disrobed and sent to prison. Since then, 30 monks have been staging a hunger strike and over 100 monks are reciting the Sutra.
The authorities later sent them to Momauk and Mansi army lockups on September 27.
“The monks didn’t accept alms and chanted Sutra. They were taken away in buses on September 27 and sent to army lockups in Mnahsi and Momauk, the prison staff told us,” a relative of a monk told Mizzima. Click here to read more of this article
I’m sure most of you have seen his message but for those who haven’t, please take a minute to watch. There is also a call to action that Mr. Carrey calls for, writing to the UN. There is an e-mail address that comes on the screen, write it down and do what you can to express how you feel about the situation in Burma. Hopefully later tonight there will be some good news as a UN envoy has arrived in Burma and is set to meet with various officials. For the time being, watch and do what you can to keep the pressure on the UN and the world to do something!
Protests continue in Rangoon amid ongoing crackdowns
Sep 28, 2007 (DVB)–Soldiers have used slingshots to disperse demonstrations in Rangoon today, which have been less organised than on previous days.
Chants from the protestors have taken on a different tone from earlier messages of goodwill, with protestors calling for lightning to strike and kill those who had attacked monks. “Before they were chanting metta, but now they are cursing the soldiers,” said a local resident. Troops were deployed at the corner of Sule pagoda road and Anawrahta road where shootings took place yesterday, about six blocks away from the Pansodan junction with Anawrahta road where more than 10,000 people were protesting. Click here to read more of this article
This is a repost from a Burmese magazine called Irrawaddy. I thought for my readers it would be much easier to find it here, and to be able to expose the article and give it more publicity. You can also drop by http://uscampaignforburma.org/index.html and sign some of the online petitions, read news and commentaries, etc. I urge you to take a moment to do so. Please read on…
Sons of Buddha in Prison: Burmese Activists Monks
By Tate Naing
September 25, 2007
Original article click here.
Burma has been a Buddhist country for thousands of years. People who believe in Buddhism adore the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha—they are called the three sacred treasures. They revere the Sangha (monks) as sons of Buddha.
The Burmese state-owned media, newspapers and TV stations always release news about how the reigning State Peace and Development Council builds and repairs pagodas and monasteries or how they donate alms and medicine to monks.
However, my own experience regarding the SPDC’s brutal treatment of monks is completely different from the daily news released by the SPDC media. Click here to read more of this article
IT IS the world’s first statue skyscraper. A 500ft bronze Buddha, the biggest ever built, is set to dominate Uttar Pradesh for 1,000 years.
The $250m project has the backing of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, but not local farmers.
The struggle to construct the statue and surrounding parks and facilities on roughly 700 acres of fertile land is pitting plans by devoted Buddhists against poor villagers who make their living growing rice, sugar cane and wheat on small plots of land that have been in their families for generations. The farmers are angry, afraid and adamantly opposed to the construction of the giant symbol of love and compassion. Click here to read more of this article
Just a quickie here to fill you in on new stuff. I’m posting again from work, we just moved and my internet is not on from home yet, but soon enough. I am working on 3 new, original, articles. One of which is an interview of sorts with Noah Levine, it may actually be a bit for that one though as it’s being done via e-mail and will take some back and forth to get it right. Another is a guest article by a friend, Melle, from Holland. Melle is a member of the metal act Obsidian. He wrote me about my first article, said how he liked it and talked about some things I thought would make for an interesting article, asked him to write it, and he did (it came out great by the way). I am doing minor editing work to it and it will be posted soon. And lastly, the third article has a little less Buddhist flavor, and is (a rant) about the macho-ness of men in the current day and age, and asks the question, why does a man have to be a tough guy all the time. So, once I get back online at home and work out some things with the articles there will then be new posts, yay!
In no way, shape or form am I trying to seem like I know everything, because I know, nothing. I only hope to help others based on my opinion and interpretations of the things I read and or study and my life experiences.
"A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden." - Buddha
May any merit obtained by these blog writings,
Be dedicated to all beings, everywhere!
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