What about these people who put everything on the line to stand up to a military dictatorship-
I think it is Just what we need here in the USA - the courage to stand up against militarism...
as anyone who has any inkling of what war is...(I believe it's the worst we can be as men),-

I think the monks of Burma are the kind of people I could learn from...
Against the worst odds they prevail in a nonviolent manner and still get their point made for the world to see...

now what do we do with this ?
The fate of those Burmese monks concerns me.

its a vastly different situation over here.

I'm just very disappointed how the world gasped, yawned, and then forgot

It political as usual. Special interests involved, so no one gets involved.

Peace and Blessings.

It was once sung that -"We are the world..."
Where does that begin and end?

Situations change due to action and non-action. Those monks took action in the hope that the world would react in sympathy with them. Should we not address this state of affairs? Can't we make a difference in some way?
Isn't their struggle ours as well?

There are over 6,000 registered Taobums now - that could make a difference in concerted action...

I go through definite cycles of outrage, complacency, ambivalence, acceptance, etc... It's very tough to effect change as those in power do a very good job of insulating themselves and protecting their turf. There is so much suffering, abuse, and exploitation in the world. Burma is one small piece in the puzzle, albeit as important as any other - Sudan, Somalia, Baltimore City, the White House, Iraq, nearly every Indian reservation in America, China, North Korea. Where does one start? Someone once taught me to do something tanglible, however small, when I'm feeling especially frustrated. It could be writing a letter, starting a petition, contributing to a charitable cause, etc.. When I'm particularly upset, I find a cause that I think can make a tangible difference in someone's life and make a donation or volunteer some time. It makes me feel a bit better. Another way I deal with the pain is that I no longer follow news. It's selfish but where I need to be right now. I also think the principle of healing yourself before attempting to help others is very important.

My favorite charity recently has been an organization that gives support (psychological, economic, medical,...) to refuges who have been victims of torture. It's called Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma - www.astt.org. I've personally met many of their clients and seen the work they do and done a little volunteer work. It makes me feel a bit better about myself. Most of them come from the African continent, particularly Kenya in recent years, but they're from all over. I also support the International Campaign for Tibet. I used to be invovled in Amnesty International but I stopped because I have some issues with their politics...

Now deposing the despotic regime in Myanmar is a tougher nut to crack. Particularly when our administration has caused the US to lose all international credibility when it comes to human rights issues...

If you can think of something we could do as a group to show our support, I'm in. One thing that I've seen done in the past is to draft a letter to the leadership of the country in question making whatever requests you think are appropriate and have it signed by as many people as possible or, better yet, have a lot of people send a copy of the letter. The letter needs to show due respect (even though none is really deserved) and needs to be sensible and dispassionate. Amnesty International and ICT do this a lot and it sometimes helps, particularly when it comes to trying to find out info about political detainees. I've written several letters to the leadership in China over issues related to Tibet. Letters can also be sent to Congresspersons, the United Nations, Asian political organizations, the White House...

You can raise public awareness locally among your friends and coworkers. Print up bumper stickers, buttons, have a rally and sign petitions. There's a lot that can be done but getting up the inertia and figuring out what is best to do with that energy is difficult. I feel for your frustration and even more so for the people of Myanmar.

Ignorance is bliss, but ignorance somehow seems irresponsible to me. It's as if you don't know about some problem, then you don't have to worry about and hopefully someone else will come along and fix it. What kind of a world would it be if we all had that attitude?

Let's face it though, there is no real news in the United States anymore. It's little more than state mandated propaganda and pop culture nonsense to distract society from thinking about the real issues. I have totally switched to alternative news and information like rense.com and antiwar.com. I might not be able to do much about most of the evils in this world, but being aware at least helps me to feel compassion and empathy. We at least owe the suffering that much.

I actually worked with Burmese refugees to stop the military regime. I got the U of MN to divest $1.5 million of their stock from Total Oil, the French company using slave labor in Burma. A judge in Europe just reopened the lawsuit against Total Oil so it looks like they may finally be held accountable and the recent U.N. pressure just got the regime to release all their political prisoners (supposedly).

Here's me launching the campaign: http://www.mndaily.com/daily/1998/01/06/ne...m1/p1burm1.html

My Burmese friend knew a monk who had been taken on as a child -- he was absconded on a train by another monk! Anyway when my friend remet this monk the monk had telekinetic powers. My friend then showed me this hunk of metal with special writing on it -- he said he saw the monk transform the metal -- bend it and put special writing on it - without even touching the metal. Just using his brain.

My Burmese friend has now started a temple with a monastery here in Minnesota. Last time I talked to him, about a year ago, he was looking for Burmese monk refugees to actually take over the monastery.

Another really crazy thing about Burma is that the military has used slave labor to build monastery retreats for Westerners who want to practice Buddhist meditation. Pretty creepy that Westerners don't research the background of this stuff -- or would rather not want to know.

This is happening with this huge Buddha statue being put in N. India even though it's displacing several VILLAGES and the local farmers are against it. The Western Buddhist foundation is pushing the statue through stating they are not responsible if India does not have a democracy. CRAZY.

Anyway so the military regime of Burma wants the "power" yoga while the democracy movement -- Aung San Suu Kyi -- practices only mind yoga -- with no use of powers -- just focused on the emptiness of Hinayana (or vipassana).

I gave up on US mainstream news sources a long time ago and focused on international and independent sources. Even though I don't go looking for news, it still finds me. I'm pretty aware of what's happening in the world. The difference is that I've stopped studying it and looking for it.

I still worry about the world and the people in it. That is exactly why I've stopped studying the news. I still support international causes and stay literate - I've been reading Chomsky lately - great stuff. More importantly, I've realized that I've got to focus on my own needs for the time being, then perhaps I will be able to fix the world's problems. Selfish - yes, irresponsible - if you think so, I'll accept that description. Necessary for me right now? Yes.

"What kind of a world would it be if we all had that attitude? "
I think that if each of us spent more of their time cultivating compassion and exploring their original nature (as I'm actively doing - as opposed to reading newspapers), the world would be a better place.


Great work Drew!

Glad to see you're reading Chomsky. My favorite books of his are

1) Year 501: The Conquest Continues

2) World Orders: Old and New

3) Political Economy of Human Rights, Pt. 1: Third World Fascism and the U.S. Connection (or close to that)

4) At War with Asia.

Chomsky was nice enough to correspond with me and I critique him in my masters thesis linked at http://nonduality.com/hempel.htm

It is a sad thing indeed with what is happening in the world of Buddhism. Profit is the name of the game. They are taken under the influence of their desires, and influence of others.

About the Maitreya Project out in India, I wrote several articles to the Buddhist Channel about placing a statue of a Buddha out ther displacing the villagers. I told them it was wrong and not actual Buddhist practice to do so. But, many Pop-Buddhists out there creamed for the big statue. Shows how much they really understand the Buddha Dharma.

Also there is Afghanistan with the bombing of a Buddhist statue, several actually. People became upset when the Taliban ordered it done, but they never looked at why. THe bombings of Buddhist statues occured in Afghan. because one day some form of representatives from England went to the head of the Taliban and asked to repair the statues, and that they will pay for it The Taliban head was appalled because here in his country, people are starving, and dying, poor and no shelter and clothes, and here rich foreigners want to repair a statue that doesn't breathe.
Because of ignorance and fanaticism, Buddhism will be resulted to the usual blind faith practices, and lose respect. Only Buddhists can destroy Buddhism, that is also the Sangha (community of monks) as well.

You can probably find my articles on the Buddhist Channel still. Some are under Lin Zi Yi, some are under Lin Zi Quan in the "letters" section on the home page.


Another load of information in this video, EndGame by Alex Jones.


Peace and Blessings,
Lin

Yes and as your teacher notes -- the direction of the West is total technological control -- what I call "The Actual Matrix Plan" -- http://nonduality.com/hempel.htm

"Electric Brains" and Other Menaces

By Ven. Master Hsuan Hua

Furthermore, the range of computers has grown out of control. Within the next two centuries, telephones and the like will be totally obsolete. Televisions and computers will have disappeared. Every person’s physical body will contain the capabilities of these machines. Nobody will have to bother dialing a telephone or punching a touch-tone. A person will only need to beam out the number of the desired party from his own built-in phone, with its antennae located in the eyebrows, perhaps, or from his hair, and the other person will receive the call the same built-in way. Hello! Good morning! That’s how easy it will be to place a phone call.

Excellent reference!

Here's another reference from your teacher -- I was trying to find out exactly how to get "complete ordination" at all the monasteries he set up here in California. Looks like you need to go through their degree program!

http://huiheng20.blogspot.com/2007/05/ques...le-article.html

After the Ven. Master left, lots of things changed at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. I never been there, and never studied there.

Interesting, I had not heard that angle. Still not sure destroying the statues was the best way to send a message though.

P.S. Alex Jones, I wouldn't have taken you for a conspiracy guy Lin . Alex is a awesome.



This brings up something I have been meaning to ask (again these topics bubble up at the perfect time). Basically I used to read some of Rudolph Steiner's stuff. He was a real renaissance man: spiritualist, artist, intellectual, architect etc.. Anyhow, one of his concecpts is of the twin forces of evil. I was wondering if Buddhism had a similar conception. I think I am veering off topic though, and this may be important enough to warrant its own thread so I will start a new one.

Brgds!

Of course violence is not the way to go, yet there are times when conditions may be right to smack someone across the head to wake them up from dreaming. lol

My father was big on politics, and introduced me to "alternative" methods of educating myself..lol..in terms of government, society and the like.

It is important for cultivators of the way, in the modern times with modern advancements, to utilize these advancements well, and wholesomely. By knowing both sides of the political coin, we can learn how society is manipulated, and how the people within it follow mindlessly. After such realization, without emotionally attaching to the anger and frustration which does arise, one figures out ways to teach people by example, and or see the mental conditions of people, and use them to steer their focus a bit away from every day desires and attachments, to something a bit more...beneficial..relatively.

I don't believe any thing right a way, but I look into what is presented by observing the way law become interpreted, how people become more confined into their own desires and thoughts...and then I find what Alex Jones is saying to be factual..but facts to me are conspiracies to another.. hahaha

Twin Forces of evil....relatively, there are many forces of evil out there. Maybe further explanation of your meaning in another thread would be great!

Peace and Blessings,
Lin