Comments on: Metta Sutta http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/ Exposing the ugly truths about the Bush Administration. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:06:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1.3 by: Mike the Mad Biologist ¦ Mirror ¦ rorriM http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-509921 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:59:11 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-509921 [...] Stumbleupon Review of : http://scienceblogs.com/mikethemadbiologist/2007/09/this_is_what_courage_really_lo.php Myanmar : This is What Courage Really Looks Like. From the page: “I don’t have much to add about the situation in Myanmar; maha has some good posts about it, along with AmericaBlog. But the picture to the left is a study in contrasts. The foreground speaks for itself, but if you look at the upper left background, you’ll see an advertisement for the movie 300. To my mind, 300 represents a juvenile, fantastical crusade for freedom from dictatorship. But unlike 300, most struggles against dictatorships and juntas during the last century have not involved smashing things, bellowing, and rippling abdominals, but ordinary people, who simply possess a dreadful hope that, despite all the murderous evidence to the contrary, human decency and the justice of which we can conceive will prevail over unethically-wielded might. Too often, this has not been the case, and there has been a dreadful and bloody price. Yet the people of Myanmar still march, only armed with the conviction that their government is unjust and that it can be changed through non-violent means. They are awe-inspiring and humbling, not only for their courage, but for their steadfast commitment to dignity in the face of in indignity. More: [...] […] Stumbleupon Review of : http://scienceblogs.com/mikethemadbiologist/2007/09/this_is_what_courage_really_lo.php Myanmar : This is What Courage Really Looks Like. From the page: “I don’t have much to add about the situation in Myanmar; maha has some good posts about it, along with AmericaBlog. But the picture to the left is a study in contrasts. The foreground speaks for itself, but if you look at the upper left background, you’ll see an advertisement for the movie 300. To my mind, 300 represents a juvenile, fantastical crusade for freedom from dictatorship. But unlike 300, most struggles against dictatorships and juntas during the last century have not involved smashing things, bellowing, and rippling abdominals, but ordinary people, who simply possess a dreadful hope that, despite all the murderous evidence to the contrary, human decency and the justice of which we can conceive will prevail over unethically-wielded might. Too often, this has not been the case, and there has been a dreadful and bloody price. Yet the people of Myanmar still march, only armed with the conviction that their government is unjust and that it can be changed through non-violent means. They are awe-inspiring and humbling, not only for their courage, but for their steadfast commitment to dignity in the face of in indignity. More: […]

]]> by: Free Burma! http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-299463 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:09:36 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-299463 Free Burma! International Bloggers' Day for Burma on the 4th of October International bloggers are preparing an action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. These Bloggers are planning to refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4 and just put up one Banner then, underlined with the words „Free Burma!“. www.free-burma.org Free Burma!
International Bloggers’ Day for Burma on the 4th of October

International bloggers are preparing an action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. These Bloggers are planning to refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4 and just put up one Banner then, underlined with the words „Free Burma!“.

www.free-burma.org

]]> by: Bloodthirsty Liberal » Who Killed Myanmar? Why’n, What’s the Reason For? http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-295387 Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:52:38 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-295387 [...] You are, but you are not alone: Note to this misguided person (I’m trying to be nice): The phrase “saffron robe” comes from a practice of the original order of monks. They were allowed only two possessions, a robe and a bowl. The robe had to be made from “pure cloth,” meaning cloth that no one else wanted. So they made their robes from cloth that had been used to wrap corpses. This cloth usually had an orange stain from the spices used to cover the odor of decomposition. Hence, “saffron robe.” As for the monks coming up with a better “game plan” — the same game plan worked pretty well for Gandhi. In the short run peaceful resistance looks ineffectual, but in the long run it often gets better results than insurgent warfare. [...] […] You are, but you are not alone: Note to this misguided person (I’m trying to be nice): The phrase “saffron robe” comes from a practice of the original order of monks. They were allowed only two possessions, a robe and a bowl. The robe had to be made from “pure cloth,” meaning cloth that no one else wanted. So they made their robes from cloth that had been used to wrap corpses. This cloth usually had an orange stain from the spices used to cover the odor of decomposition. Hence, “saffron robe.” As for the monks coming up with a better “game plan” — the same game plan worked pretty well for Gandhi. In the short run peaceful resistance looks ineffectual, but in the long run it often gets better results than insurgent warfare. […]

]]> by: Mike the Mad Biologist http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293843 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:44:07 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293843 <strong>Myanmar: This Is What Courage Really Looks Like</strong> It's not like the movies. Myanmar: This Is What Courage Really Looks Like

It’s not like the movies.

]]> by: just my 2 cents http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293841 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:41:10 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293841 suicide is a cause of bad hell rebirth as is killing any human, in fact somewhat worse -- I surely don't see suicide -- even of the monks in viet nam -- as a means to relieve all beings from suffering. then, the question is, how could Zen monks have done this? not the same as Theravadans who don't have Mahayana vows in any event, we should all pray for these Burmese monks and pray for all the Burmese people suicide is a cause of bad hell rebirth as is killing any human, in fact somewhat worse — I surely don’t see suicide — even of the monks in viet nam — as a means to relieve all beings from suffering.
then, the question is, how could Zen monks have done this?
not the same as Theravadans who don’t have Mahayana vows

in any event, we should all pray for these Burmese monks and pray for all the Burmese people

]]> by: maha http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293757 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:46:37 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293757 <i>I wonder if the monks will use self immolation as a weapon against the junta? </i> That's very unlikely. Suicide is very much outside the rules. The Vietnamese monk(s) (I think there was more than one, but I'm not sure) who self-immolated were Zen monks, and Zennies have a tradition of being outrageous, whereas the Burmese guys are Theravada, which is more traditional. On the other hand, I believe some time back a prominent Burmese monk starved himself to death in a hunger strike I wonder if the monks will use self immolation as a weapon against the junta?

That’s very unlikely. Suicide is very much outside the rules. The Vietnamese monk(s) (I think there was more than one, but I’m not sure) who self-immolated were Zen monks, and Zennies have a tradition of being outrageous, whereas the Burmese guys are Theravada, which is more traditional.

On the other hand, I believe some time back a prominent Burmese monk starved himself to death in a hunger strike

]]> by: Swami http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293738 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:20:51 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293738 I wonder if the monks will use self immolation as a weapon against the junta? I don't know about its overall effectiveness but it certainly grabs the world's attention. Remembering back to the buddhist monks in Saigon in protest to the Vietnam war the tactic could be said to have been the original shock and awe with an externally non-violent bent. I wish them success in their quest for democracy. And Bush's sanctions are just short of a joke..because something is better than nothing even when nothing is offered as something. Is freedom still on the march? I wonder if the monks will use self immolation as a weapon against the junta? I don’t know about its overall effectiveness but it certainly grabs the world’s attention. Remembering back to the buddhist monks in Saigon in protest to the Vietnam war the tactic could be said to have been the original shock and awe with an externally non-violent bent.

I wish them success in their quest for democracy. And Bush’s sanctions are just short of a joke..because something is better than nothing even when nothing is offered as something.

Is freedom still on the march?

]]> by: VJB http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293708 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:32:57 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293708 Quite a while back I asked you, Maha, whether such a thing as a Buddhist fundamentalist could exist. You answered that some are sticklers about form and ritual. What I think we have here in the demonstrations in Burma is the best possible construction of the words 'fundamentalist' or 'conservative'. I have not seen anything like this since Selma--orderly, sincere, showing the roots of belief. I wish the Metta Sutra could be the rallying chant here in our disputes. Makes our partisanship look pretty petty. (Might make some 'conservative' and neo-con heads explode, but in a constructive way, of course [fat chance]). Quite a while back I asked you, Maha, whether such a thing as a Buddhist fundamentalist could exist. You answered that some are sticklers about form and ritual. What I think we have here in the demonstrations in Burma is the best possible construction of the words ‘fundamentalist’ or ‘conservative’. I have not seen anything like this since Selma–orderly, sincere, showing the roots of belief. I wish the Metta Sutra could be the rallying chant here in our disputes. Makes our partisanship look pretty petty. (Might make some ‘conservative’ and neo-con heads explode, but in a constructive way, of course [fat chance]).

]]> by: SamFromUtah http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293661 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:38:48 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293661 <i>...make it a target of its global democracy promotion campaign...</i> Yikes. That's about the most Orwellian name for a hit list I've ever heard. …make it a target of its global democracy promotion campaign…

Yikes. That’s about the most Orwellian name for a hit list I’ve ever heard.

]]> by: Daryl http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293657 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:32:56 +0000 http://www.mahablog.com/2007/09/27/metta-sutta/#comment-293657 Kind of puts an end to any delusion of Bush "spreading freedom and democracy" around the globe. Apparently the Burmese junta didn't get the memo. To paraphrase what George Will wrote before the Iraqi invasion,"If our sole reason for invading Iraq is to spread freedom and democracy then what next? On to Burma?" Kind of puts an end to any delusion of Bush “spreading freedom and democracy” around the globe. Apparently the Burmese junta didn’t get the memo.

To paraphrase what George Will wrote before the Iraqi invasion,”If our sole reason for invading Iraq is to spread freedom and democracy then what next? On to Burma?”

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