Monks exhorted to relaunch stir against Myanmar junta

From Merinews - In the aftermath of the bloody ‘Saffron Revolution’ in September there is fresh unrest among the Buddhist clergy in Myanmar. Posters have begun to appear in central Myanmar exhorting monks to rise in revolt once again against the military regime.

The monks in Myanmar are restive and plans are afoot to restart protest movements similar to September, which has been dubbed the ‘Saffron Revolution’

Posters have begun to appear exhorting the Buddhist clergy to once again hit the streets of Myanmar on the country’s Independence Day. Posters have been seen pasted in Pakhokku town in central Myanmar, the Myanmarese media in exile reports.

For China’s Journalism Students, Censorship Is a Core Concept

From The Washington Post - About 200 Tsinghua University journalism students filled a classroom one recent Friday evening for a two-hour lecture on the political history of Tibet.

The mountainous territory has always been an inalienable part of China, they were told, and the Dalai Lama is a sly traitor hiding behind his Buddhist religion to promote secession. The lecture, a rendition of China’s standard government line, put some students to sleep, but most listened patiently.

The guest professor, Zhou Xiaoming, a Tibet specialist and government consultant, was providing the students with their latest class in “Marxist journalism.” The course, required for graduates and undergraduates, was brought to the elite university by its recently founded Research Center on Marxist Journalism and Journalistic Education Reform.

Happy New Year 2008

As the New Year is being celebrated today, and has already begun in certain parts of the world, I wish you all a happy and healthy 2008! It is my wish and hope that all conflicts, including and not exclusive to Burma, Tibet, Iraq, Darfur, Thailand and Pakistan, not only be resolved but in such a manner that ends the suffering of all beings involved.

It is also my wish to continue to pursue the path of liberation to free all sentient beings from suffering.

West Memphis Three facing redemption?

Ed. Note - Thankfully, technology has/will come through for these three guys via new DNA evidence, and I hope that once they are released (which needs to happen) that they will lead productive lives in the face of all the crap they had to deal with. Every time I read about this case it reminds me of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Can anyone say witch-hunt? hysteria? How about innocent?

From the Sunday Times - NEARLY 15 years ago, the brutal murder of three Arkansas Cub Scouts in an alleged satanic rite sickened a nation and strengthened the hand of death penalty champions across the United States.

Now the same ghastly crime may be the final nail in the coffin of capital punishment in an America that is manifesting a crisis of conscience over the morality of executions.

They’ve got spirit

From The Star Online
Let’s face it: very few young people are willing to take a year-long retreat, be vegetarian or join a monastery.

That’s why James Long jumped at the chance to serve his spiritual needs by joining Kechara Saraswati Art (KSA).

“I don’t really like to sit and meditate, chanting ‘Om’ for hours. When we paint a statue or do art work, our body is focused on that, our minds are focused, and we recite mantras while we work. We at least refrain from idle gossip and bad thoughts,” he says.

Freecycle gears running as smooth as ever!

From The Associated Press - When Laura Gernell heard about a place where people gave away perfectly good things to strangers _ no money changing hands, no questions asked _ she figured it was too good to be true.

But husband Ronald had lost his job as a truck driver and she was temporarily unemployed, at home in a rented, unfurnished apartment with her infant son. With nothing to lose, she joined The Freecycle Network, a Web-based community swap program, and asked if anyone had a sofa to spare.

Mysterious death of elderly Buddhist monk in Bodh Gaya

From Andhra News - An 84-year-old Buddhist monk from Bhutan, has alleged immolated himself on Thursday inside the premises of Maha Bodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar under mysterious circumstances.

Police recovered the dead body in meditation posture with 90 per cent burns. The body has been identified to be of monk Gem Lhamo with the help of an identity card recovered from his bag.

Global Gandhi, what if?

On a random journey through the abyss we call the internet, I came upon the following commercial. It is for the company Telecom, but before I lose you, the commercial leaves you with a big WHAT IF… as in, what if Gandhi’s words had gone global? Or what if he was around today, in the technological age we are in, how would his words have affected us since we’d all be able to hear them? I thought it was a cool concept and made for an interesting watch. So take a moment and hit play…

Dhamma Banned in Burma

From The Irrawaddy - The Burmese military government has ordered a ban on Buddhist dhamma talks and seminars in Rangoon, according to monks in the former capital.

The monks told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that dhamma [the Buddha’s teachings] talks by four well-known monks were forced to cancel in December. The monks were named as: U Kawthala, also known as Dhamma Sedi Sayadaw; U Kawvida, also known as Mizzima Gon Yi Sayadaw; U Nadapadi, also known as Pyu Sayadaw; and U Sadila, also known as Lu Yay Chun Sayadaw.

Brothers win award for video about Myanmar refugee

Ed. Note: The Video these two guys made is at the bottom of this article!

Citizen-Times – Two brothers-turned-filmmakers have produced an Internet video to help a teenage Burmese refugee headed for a new home in the U.S.

Andrew and Benjamin Schultz recently won second place in a nationwide Home Depot/YouTube contest with their short video “A Home for Mark,” about their efforts to help the teenager now living in a refugee camp in Thailand. Their short video has drawn more than 2,350 hits on the popular video Web site.

Vietnamese Monk Gives Rare Interview to Al-Jazeera

Vietnam Review - Speaking from house arrest at the Thanh Minh Zen Monastery in Saigon, a prominent dissident and church leader discussed the situation in Vietnam with Al Jazeera. This is the first time deputy leader of the outlawed Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), Most Venerable Thich Quang Do, 80, has been filmed for TV in over 25 years spent under detention in Vietnam.

Buddhist Community Grows With S. Fla. Temple

The Associated Press - Between the alligator-infested Florida Everglades and the craziness of Miami Beach lies a peaceful center surrounded by tomato and fruit farms.

Wat Buddharangsi, a Thai Buddhist temple, is unexpectedly found on five acres in the rural town of Homestead, a short drive from Miami. To get there, you have to take the miles-long roads just off U.S. 1 that surround dozens of farm and fruit trees, dominated by immigrants who work in the fields. Across the corner is one house with the American flag waving in the light breeze, life-size statues of soldiers standing in the front yard.

A Monk Of Charity

From Thanh Nien Daily - On visiting Ky Quang II Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City’s Go Vap District, one discovers that hundreds of people, especially underprivileged children, are living there.

The man who supports them is Thich Thien Chieu, head monk of the pagoda.

According to Thich Thien Chieu, 218 children call the pagoda their home.

Monks help relatives remember Thailand’s tsunami dead

Buddhist monks gathered by Thailand’s tranquil Andaman Sea on Wednesday for a blessing ceremony in memory of the 5,400 people killed when a tsunami swept the kingdom’s beaches three years ago.

About 200 people from Thailand and abroad, many who lost loved ones in the tragedy, sat silently and grasped red roses as the orange-robed monks chanted blessings to mark the anniversary of the disaster.

Happy Holidays to you all!

My wish this holiday is for all beings to be free. Keep those less fortunate in your heart and mind and do an act of compassion when you see the need for it!