For folks who don't know, the hard-line military government of Burma/Myanmar is apparently ordering its troops to fire into crowds of peaceful pro-freedom protesters lead by Buddhist clergy, killing and wounding people, including monks and nuns.
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi
ie.youtube.com/watch
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/bl...gate/detail
www.bpf.org/html/whats_n...ma_peace.html
Much Bay Area Buddhist practice, such of that of the California Vipassana Center and the Spirit Rock center, is rooted in the practice of the Burmese monks and nuns.
There are protests scheduled in San Francisco for tomorrow, Friday 9/28. I am going to make them if I can, and invite you to do so also.
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www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/bl...gate/detail
12 Noon, Friday, Sept 28
Protest at Chinese Consulate - 1450 Laguna Street at Geary in San Francisco (near Japantown)
Try to wear red (in solidarity with the maroon-robed monks), make signs, prepare to do both sitting and walking meditation.
Dear Friends,
Please come join us in a peaceful protest in solidarity with the people of Burma.
This week, tens of thousands of the Buddhist monks and nuns of Burma stood up with other citizens against the military dictatorship that has throttled their country for decades. Their actions have been peaceful, brave, bold, beautiful and deeply inspiring for the rest of us, and they could be the beginning of the liberation of a sad country. Or they could lead to massacres, prisons, repressions, and more. Global support matters at this crucial moment. Already the country's two major cities are under curfew, gatherings of more than five are forbidden, armed soldiers are on the streets, and the situation is tense. Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was greeted by thousands of monks in an early demonstration, her first public appearance in years, but is rumored to have been taken to a grim prison.
The major supporter of Burma's ruling military junta is China, and China is in a delicate position as it tries to polish its global image in preparation for the Beijing Olympics. This is a key opportunity to pressure China, particularly as the United Nations prepares to meet in New York. So we invite you to join us Friday at noon at the Chinese Consulate, 1450 Laguna Street at Geary in San Francisco (near Japantown). Try to wear red (in solidarity with the maroon-robed monks), make signs, prepare to do both sitting and walking meditation. This will be a principled nonviolent protest, with the aim of emphasizing where the power of Burma's resistance lies--in the moral authority of those who have devoted their lives to peace, and in the courage of its people. We are not looking for confrontations with the police or arrests and if asked to stop sitting will walk. We will demonstrate for an hour and are prepared to return, as the situation develops.
Rebecca Solnit and Marisa Handler
==============================================
When: Friday (Sept 28) 4:00 to 6:00 pm
Where: Walking meditation starting at end of Market Street at the Embarcadero, walking back and forth for a couple of blocks.
Wear all black with something orange- a scarf or a sweater.
dear friends-
i have been following the news of the buddhist monks protesting in burma- today the military has begun opening fire. as a gesture of solidarity i will be doing a walking meditation downtown san francisco this friday afternoon. from 4 to 6.
i wonder if you might want to join? it will start at the end of market street at the embarcadero and proceed very very slowly, one metta-full step at a time up market street through rush hour. if you'd like to join, please come wearing black with something orange- the color of the monks robes. you might also bring a sign of some sort, hand-held or on your clothes, that says something like 'in solidarity with the people of burma’.
it is very very important to me that this be peaceful, quiet and kind. a gesture of non-violent support and compassion to the burmese sangha. please contact me if you will be there. i appreciate your sharing this message with buddhist and non-buddhist friends, sanghas and websites.
if you cannot be there friday, you might consider doing a short walking meditation wherever you are, sending out compassion to the monks, the regular folk, and the military people in burma. and to all beings. may all beings be free of suffering.
with metta, ann dennehy
415.289.2019
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi
ie.youtube.com/watch
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/bl...gate/detail
www.bpf.org/html/whats_n...ma_peace.html
Much Bay Area Buddhist practice, such of that of the California Vipassana Center and the Spirit Rock center, is rooted in the practice of the Burmese monks and nuns.
There are protests scheduled in San Francisco for tomorrow, Friday 9/28. I am going to make them if I can, and invite you to do so also.
===========================================================
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/bl...gate/detail
12 Noon, Friday, Sept 28
Protest at Chinese Consulate - 1450 Laguna Street at Geary in San Francisco (near Japantown)
Try to wear red (in solidarity with the maroon-robed monks), make signs, prepare to do both sitting and walking meditation.
Dear Friends,
Please come join us in a peaceful protest in solidarity with the people of Burma.
This week, tens of thousands of the Buddhist monks and nuns of Burma stood up with other citizens against the military dictatorship that has throttled their country for decades. Their actions have been peaceful, brave, bold, beautiful and deeply inspiring for the rest of us, and they could be the beginning of the liberation of a sad country. Or they could lead to massacres, prisons, repressions, and more. Global support matters at this crucial moment. Already the country's two major cities are under curfew, gatherings of more than five are forbidden, armed soldiers are on the streets, and the situation is tense. Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was greeted by thousands of monks in an early demonstration, her first public appearance in years, but is rumored to have been taken to a grim prison.
The major supporter of Burma's ruling military junta is China, and China is in a delicate position as it tries to polish its global image in preparation for the Beijing Olympics. This is a key opportunity to pressure China, particularly as the United Nations prepares to meet in New York. So we invite you to join us Friday at noon at the Chinese Consulate, 1450 Laguna Street at Geary in San Francisco (near Japantown). Try to wear red (in solidarity with the maroon-robed monks), make signs, prepare to do both sitting and walking meditation. This will be a principled nonviolent protest, with the aim of emphasizing where the power of Burma's resistance lies--in the moral authority of those who have devoted their lives to peace, and in the courage of its people. We are not looking for confrontations with the police or arrests and if asked to stop sitting will walk. We will demonstrate for an hour and are prepared to return, as the situation develops.
Rebecca Solnit and Marisa Handler
==============================================
When: Friday (Sept 28) 4:00 to 6:00 pm
Where: Walking meditation starting at end of Market Street at the Embarcadero, walking back and forth for a couple of blocks.
Wear all black with something orange- a scarf or a sweater.
dear friends-
i have been following the news of the buddhist monks protesting in burma- today the military has begun opening fire. as a gesture of solidarity i will be doing a walking meditation downtown san francisco this friday afternoon. from 4 to 6.
i wonder if you might want to join? it will start at the end of market street at the embarcadero and proceed very very slowly, one metta-full step at a time up market street through rush hour. if you'd like to join, please come wearing black with something orange- the color of the monks robes. you might also bring a sign of some sort, hand-held or on your clothes, that says something like 'in solidarity with the people of burma’.
it is very very important to me that this be peaceful, quiet and kind. a gesture of non-violent support and compassion to the burmese sangha. please contact me if you will be there. i appreciate your sharing this message with buddhist and non-buddhist friends, sanghas and websites.
if you cannot be there friday, you might consider doing a short walking meditation wherever you are, sending out compassion to the monks, the regular folk, and the military people in burma. and to all beings. may all beings be free of suffering.
with metta, ann dennehy
415.289.2019
posted by:
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SF Bay Area
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Re: Protests In Solidarity With The Monks Of Burma - Fri 9/28
Mon, October 1, 2007 - 2:36 PMHey All,
I'm hesitant to post about this, because I'm not really the activist type, but the protest at the Chinese Consulate last Friday was a moving experience for me.
I saw various Buddhist friends there, including teacher Temple Smith, who has done mindfulness teaching at the One Taste center and with teens, and Sherri Nordwall, who I co-teach meditation and yoga with at the SF County jail. Jack Kornfield was there - he gave a talk about letting freedom Dharma and peace be unfurled, he gave out maroon cloth for protesters to wear, he was surrounded by a crowd of young students, and I shook hands with him for the first time. Seven or more priests from the SF Zen Center, including former abbess Blanche Hartman, were there in their formal robes, with their formal eating bowls turned upside down, in a symbol of not accepting alms from dictatorships. There was an artist woman (apparently named Mona Caron), using chalk to draw a beautiful mural of Buddha's vajra eyes looking over the world (sanfranciscolovesburma.blogspot.com/2007/09/blog-post_5642.html ).
As many European-ancestry folks were there, the crowd of about 150 was however about 55% Burmese. Lots of the signs were in Burmese, and some of the megaphone speeches. There was an energetic spikey haired guy with a headband, maybe under twenty five, who lead people in energetic chants about wanting democracy now, and boycotting the Beijing Olympics. There was an older guy in a blue sportcoat, who cried as he pleaded, "These Monks GAVE THEIR LIVES! They gave ALL THEY HAD TO GIVE! What more do these people HAVE TO GIVE? How can we help them? How can we not help them?" It was wrenching to listen to.
If you want to get involved, the site that J!m just posted seems to have updates on the situation and on protests - ko-htike.blogspot.com/ The Buddhist Peace Fellowship site also seems to have a lot of stuff on it, e.g. www.bpf.org/html/whats_n...maevents.html
May All Beings Be Happy,
Adam
