Tomorrow, in solidarity with other peace-loving bloggers around the world, The Buddha Diaries will be joining in International Bloggers Day for Burma. We also encourage readers to visit FreeBurma.org to learn about the October 6th Global Day of Action for Burma.
Just to recap the news, recent public demonstrations against the military junta in Burma have been brutally suppressed. As the New York Times reported:
Protests against Myanmar's government ignited in August over fuel prices hikes, but public anger ballooned into mass demonstrations led by Buddhist monks against 45 years of military dictatorship. Soldiers responded last week by shooting at unarmed demonstrators.As is now customary, bloggers are adding substantially to the international dialogue surrounding this humanitarian crisis. We've listed some of the better posts here:
- The Buddhist Blog has been devoting itself to extensive coverage of the situation for the past two weeks.
- Firedoglake posts a video with chilling images shot by Burmese residents.
- "Bloody Crackdown on Protesting Buddhist Monks in Burma," posted by Digital Dharma.
- thinkBuddha offers something a little more analytical
(Best thanks to Cardozo for preparing today's entry in The Buddha Diaries. I'll be back Friday. Blessings, PaL)
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4 comments:
Thanks for the nod. I think the more people keep talking about this the better. It maintains a dialog with people around the world and maintains unity.
I heard that everyone is wearing red in solidarity with the Burmese people on that Global Day of Action on Oct. 6th.
Thanks for helping keep this movement alive.
Wonderful Site!
P: BBC has been doing coverage about Burma. Interesting story, the one about the Major who deserted rather than go kill monks. Blame is on the 'gung ho' officers who love to carry out violent orders. Hey, just like all military (and private contractors).
The image I would paint is of a shadowy man behind a desk. Issuing decrees of mass murder, behind which is a row of generals in the shadows, feeding the "courage" and "bravery" of their warriors. A bureaucrat and his boys.
Historically? a bad scene. Monks were killed this way in Japan, too. What I'm left with though, is, Buddhists don't seem to be very successful at handling the world. Perhaps the practice is lacking, unwilling - not balanced by an understanding of power and leverage. Or, they should stay out of dangerous situations. Low profile, pose no threat....unless one can back it up with other ideas which produce real results. Otherwise, it's a suicide mission in the hopes someone will care enough to come to aid. And who can really help in this world? The powerful concentrate on controlling the resources, which in turn, corrupts them.
This has happened so many times, one would think to try something else. Buddhism appears to be a philosophy which doesn't fare well in the environment of causes, because it only handles a small aspect of human behavior and only hopes to influence outsiders by sympathy. Politically, even if it had the numbers to effect change, it probably would self-corrupt quickly. This is evidenced by strict discipline, even beating, being necessary in the advanced monasteries.
I am thinking silence would be best. Go one's way silently. Work quietly. When one dons orange robes and other appurtenances of appearance (shaved heads) and joins groups which sets oneself apart and makes one a target for manipulation by political prejudice... I don't know, seems like a major mistake.
Otherwise, one must understand and facilitate political tactics based on Machiavelli and Lao Tzu,* among others, who understood shifting power.
*Machiavelli was born into a tumultuous era, in which Popes were leading armies, and wealthy city-states of Italy were falling one after another into the hands of foreign powers—France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire
*Lao Tzu, similiar deal in China.
Great job! FREE Burma!!!
Bush slammed the UN and the rulers of Myanmar in his UN speech last week.
The UN must do something, but they never use military force to fight.
That is a huge problem.
Illegal drug fortunes are a BIG part of this.
absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
please support EVIL rulers
the Left condemns Burma's
while its China coddles them
absurd thought -
God of the Universe wants
complete narco states
criminals in power
loving the corrupt drug war
absurd thought -
God of the Universe thinks
keep trying communism
you can never KILL too much
pursuing Utopia...
http://free-burma.org/
http://absurdthoughtsaboutgod.blogspot.com/
:)
.
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