The Dalai Lama congratulated US President-elect Barack Obama on his election victory on November 4 with the following letter:

 

Dear President-elect Obama,
 
Congratulations on your election as the President of the United States of America.
 
I am encouraged that the American people have chosen a President who reflects America's diversity and her fundamental ideal that any person can rise up to the highest office in the land.  This is a proud moment for America and one that will be celebrated by many peoples around the world.
 
The American Presidential elections are always a great source of encouragement to people throughout the world who believe in democracy, freedom and equality of opportunities.
 
May I also commend the determination and moral courage that you have demonstrated throughout the long campaign, as well as the kind heart and steady hand that you often showed when challenged.  I recall our own telephone conversation this spring and these same essential qualities came through in your concern for the situation in Tibet.
 
As the President of the United States, you will certainly have great and difficult tasks before you, but also many opportunities to create change in the lives of those millions who continue to struggle for basic human needs.  You must also remember and work for these people, wherever they may be.
 
With my prayers and good wishes,
 
Yours sincerely,
 THE DALAI LAMA

COURTESY FREETIBET.ORG...

An ominous calm settles in Myanmar, as people return to the squalor and inflation that brought them to the streets in protest.

It's been one year since saffron draped monks marched through the city of Yangon, formerly Rangoon. They took to the streets, in peace, to show strength for the people who came to them for help. The whole world watched. And, despite all the media coverage, the government crackdown that followed still continues today.

One year later, the monks and others who stood up, are still on the run. Nightly house-to-house searches take place looking for dissidents who have, or are willing to continue the fight for their rights. One year later, the democratic leader of the country, Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house arrest. One year later, the military regime still rules this Buddhist country with an iron fist.

Meanwhile, eight Nobel Peace Prize laureates, including Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, released a joint-statement this week marking the anniversary of the “Saffron Revolution” by urging the people of Burma to “maintain nonviolence, determination and vigilance—despite the odds.”

Let's all hope that the rules of karma lead to freedom for the people of Myanmar and the end of their oppression.

READ MORE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES...
WATCH A SLIDE SHOW FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES...
READ MORE AS THE BUDDHIST CHANNEL PAYS HOMAGE TO THE SANGHA OF BURMA...

It's worked for Barack Obama and his election campaign, could it work for Buddhism too?

Social Networking and the internet have proven to be very successful for Barack Obama and his election campaign. Obama has used the worldwide web to get his message out to young voters, enlist volunteers, and solicit campaign funds.

So what can this phase of the internet do for Buddhism? Here are some networking websites that might attract people to Buddhism or already have.

Facebook.com
Of course we start with Facebook which has over 500 groups listed under Buddhism. The largest one comprising close to 4,000 members and includes videos and discussion boards.

Meetup.com
Meetup boasts as being the "world's largest network of local groups." Meetup makes it easy for anyone to find or organize a group in their community.

According to their website, "Meetup's mission is to revitalize local community and help people around the world self-organize. Meetup believes that people can change their personal world, or the whole world, by organizing themselves into groups that are powerful enough to make a difference."

Buddhistway.org
We have also discovered a strictly Buddhist social network. The Buddhist Way encourages you to "share your Buddhist Way of Life." Not as elaborate as the other sites, it does contain blogs, chatrooms and forums.

When we use these sites for communicating the dharma, just remember to be mindful and act responsibly. Also be aware of friendly monks.elcome to BUDDHISTWAY.ORG! Please register yourself and take a look around. There's lots to see and do, so take your time, meet some new friends, and share your Buddhist Way of Life.

courtesy robotpirateninja.com

Barack Obama has made it clearly known that he is a Christian. But many Buddhists believe that he may have studied some of the Buddha's teaching. It looks like we were not the only people looking for a connection on the internet:

Every once and a while I Google 'Obama and Buddhist' just to see if he is a secret Buddhist. So far nothing has come up. What I did note is that there were a number of Buddhists blogs, organizations, and individuals who see Buddhism in Obama's approach to listening, problem solving, patience, tolerance, and so on. -The Original Black Buddha

Earlier this year, we told you about his sister, Maya, who considers herself a "Buddhist".

So the connection grows, whether it's real or not. Even Obama's own website has a "Buddhists for Obama" group. At last count, 438 people have become members.

And that leads us to the "Buddhists for Obama" fridge magnets.

But our favorite comes from Lama Surya Das, who made a guest appearance this month on the Stephen Colbert Show on CTV/Comedy Central. Colbert introduced him on a very funny segment called "Obama's Church Search". Colbert asked Surya Das why Obama should become a Buddhist now that he’s left the church he grew up with. The Lama gave twelve reasons why Obama should become a Buddhist on his blog:

12. Buddhists have more fun.

11. It’d be great to have a president for once who practiced right speech, right actions, right intentions and right livelihood, as Buddha taught.

10. I’d call him Head Lama Obama.

9. All the best people are. My religion is the best and the only way, just like yours.

8. Buddha has for 2500 years taught change and inclusivity.

7. Buddhist meditation and mindfulness training is good for both physical and mental health.

6. Buddha was the world’s first ecological leader and protector of animals as well as human beings. (Obama could rename 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue “The Green House”)

5. Nonviolence and altruism is the Buddhist way. War might be outlawed.

4. Buddhist practices of mindful anger management and nonviolent conflict resolution could make him an enlightened leader, like Aung San Su Kyii of Burma and the Dalai Lama of Tibet. (Pres. Medvedev of Russia does yoga.)

3. I am a Buddha, and so can you.

2. It would help the energy crisis.

AND FINALLY, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, my father’s favorite answer to all of life’s big questions:
1. BECAUSE…

May 18, 2008
THE SUNDAY TIMES

New York -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his Vesak Day message said the Buddha’s timeless teachings of peace, compassion and love for all living beings should inspire the efforts to address the broader challenges confronting our world -- in peace and security, in development and in the protection of our environment.

“In these areas, we have to rise above our perceived narrow self-interests, and think and act as members of one global community. This is the path to enlightenment, and it is the foundation of a better world for all,” he said.

The Secretary General recalled that this year, the observance of Vesak falls at a time of profound loss.“Cyclone ‘Nargis’ has devastated Myanmar, while a massive earthquake has ripped through southwest China.

READ MORE ON THE BUDDHIST CHANNEL...


WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF CHINA AND MYANMAR...

May 05, 2008
THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA – Canada has granted honorary citizenship to Aung San Suu Kyi, the legendary crusader for democratic reform in Burma. Suu Kyi's first cousin Sein Win accepted the honour Monday on her behalf as the coastal nation in Southeast Asia reels from a deadly cyclone.

It's feared that up to 10,000 people died in the devastating storm, and thousands of people desperately need clean drinking water, food and shelter. Win thanked Canada for the tribute on Parliament Hill and for a $2-million donation to help cyclone survivors.
READ MORE IN THE TORONTO STAR...

"Since China wants to join the world community," the 14th Dalai Lama said as I was traveling across Japan with him for a week last November, "the world community has a real responsibility to bring China into the mainstream." The whole world stands to gain, he pointed out, from a peaceful and unified China—not least the 6 million Tibetans in China and Chinese-occupied Tibet. "But," he added, "genuine harmony must come from the heart. It cannot come from the barrel of a gun."
READ MORE FROM TIME MAGAZINE...

October 17, New York Times

Over furious objections from China and in the presence of President Bush, Congress on Wednesday bestowed its highest civilian honor on the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists whom Beijing considers a troublesome voice of separatism.
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES...

September 30, New York Times

As they marched through the streets of Myanmar’s cities last week leading the biggest antigovernment protests in two decades, some barefoot monks held their begging bowls before them. But instead of asking for their daily donations of food, they held the bowls upside down, the black lacquer surfaces reflecting the light. It was a shocking image in the devoutly Buddhist nation. The monks were refusing to receive alms from the military rulers and their families — effectively excommunicating them from the religion that is at the core of Burmese culture. That gesture is a key to understanding the power of the rebellion that shook Myanmar last week.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES...

At our Sunday service today, Sensei Ulrich wanted to discuss the situation in Burma. He wanted to hear our thoughts on religion and politics. Are church and state separate? Sensei told us some of the background on the how monks fit into Buddhist societies. As the monks beg for food in the streets, he described a relationship that evolves between the people, the monks, and the rulers (government). The monks count on the people for food. The people rely on the monks for dharma. The monks listen to the people. The monks become the voice of the people. The government listens to the monks so that they understand what is required of them. Their relationship is a triangle of interdependence and is well explained in the classic "The Buddha" by Trevor Ling (Penquin, 1973).

Unless you have a situation that is corrupt. (See wedding video of multi-million dollar wedding of Thandar Shwe, daughter of Burmese dictator Than Shwe)

The Burmese monks needed to help the people and make a stand. Sensei Ulrich ended our talk by asking us another question, how far we would have to be pushed before we took action?

Show support for the people of Burma.

Bonnie-Blake-Tittaferrante of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhists of Thunder Bay sent us this link to an online petition on Amnesty International web site.

Monks’ Protest Is Challenging Burmese Junta
New York Times
BANGKOK, Monday, Sept. 24 — The largest street protests in two decades against Myanmar’s military rulers gained momentum Sunday as thousands of onlookers cheered huge columns of Buddhist monks and shouted support for the detained pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Buddhist monks led an protest through Yangon, Myanmar. The Associated Press estimated the crowd to be as large as 100,000 people.

The Buddhist Channel website has created this online petition:

A Petition Campaign for Buddhist Solidarity with the Monks and Nuns of Burma

"Love and kindness must win over everything"

We, the Buddhists of the world, implore the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC, the official name of the military regime of Burma (Myanmar)) to refrain from taking any actions that:

1. Physically harm the Buddhist monks and nuns participating in the protest marches currently taking place in major cities and towns in Burma
2. Infiltrate the protesting groups by pretending to be monks and nuns (via having the head shaven and dressing in monks' robes) and then instigitating violence from within through such pretension
3. Offer poisoned foods as alms (Dana)
4. Arresting and beating up people or persons who offers food and water (dana) to the monks
5. Arresting the protesting monks and treating them like criminals, such as catching the monks by lariats and ropes, tying them up with wires and strapping them onto electrical poles, slapping their cheeks, kicking them with military boots and hitting their heads with rifle butts.

We appeal to the members of the military regime to act in accordance with the sacred Buddha-Dharma, in the spirit of loving-kindness, compassion and non-violence.

We implore the millitary regime to accede to the wishes of the common people of Burma, to establish the conditions for the flowering of justice, democracy and liberty.

We wish to convey our admiration and support to the large number of Buddhists monks and fellow Dharma practitioners for advocating democracy and freedom in Burma, and would like to appeal to all freedom-loving people all over the world to support such non-violent movements.

We pray for the success of this peace movement and the early release of Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Show your support to the Burmese Sangha!

Please copy and print the above and galvanise a signature campaign within your community. Collect your list of signature and together with the message above, send it to the nearest Burmese Embassy in Ottawa.

Embassy of the Union Of Myanmar
Sandringham Building, 85 Range Road, Suite 902-903, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 8J6
Office hours: (Mon - Fri)
Tel: 00-613-232-6434
Fax: 00-613- 232-6435
E-mail: meott@magma.ca

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will meet with the Dalai Lama in October. The meeting has Chinese officials very upset. Especially since the meeting will take place on government grounds.

"We are against the provision of venues by foreign countries to the Dalai Lama's secessionist activities and also against foreign dignitaries meeting with him." -Statement by Chinese officials to the Globe and Mail

The Chinese, who have run a behind-the-scenes campaign to prevent a formal meeting between the Tibetan leader and the prime minister, claim that the Dalai Lama is not a mere religious figure. Instead, they argue that he is a political figure who aims to split their country apart.

The Dalai Lama has had positive results recently on the world stage. Last year, U.S. President George W. Bush signed a bill giving the Dalai Lama a Congressional Gold Medal, once again over Chinese objections. More recently, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is scheduled to meet with the Dalai Lama at the chancellery in Berlin in September.

By the way, did you know that the Dalai Lama and George W. Bush have the same birthday (July 6). A good reason not to depend on astrology.

The Dalai Lama is welcomed to the White House by President Bush on September 10, 2003. (White House)

The following is a letter sent to the White House in 2001, stating the feelings of all Higashi Honganji ministers regarding the World Trade Center tragedy and their future American foreign policy.

September 24, 2001

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President

The terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D.C. on September 11th have brought tremendous confusion and suffering. We, the followers of Shin Buddhism, express our deepest condolences to the victims, their families and friends. This tragedy reminds all of us how helpless we are in the face of such a catastrophe where only sadness, pain, and anger remain.

However, while we do not accept any act, terrorist or otherwise, in which the dignity of human life is ignored, we cannot condone any retaliatory acts that can lead to war. Such actions will only result in spreading more hatred and violence throughout the world and lead to the suffering of innocent victims. We therefore urge you to seek a course of non-violent action to detain and bring before a world forum of justice, those who may be responsible for the acts of September 11, 2001. We further urge you to seek a way of building bridges of understanding and reconciliation with all those who have harmed us. In addition, we ask that you do everything possible to defend the safety and rights of citizens here in the United States who may be targeted because of their ethnic or religious background.

Six years ago, in June 1995, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, our Headquarters, Shinshu Otani-ha of Kyoto, Japan, issued an Anti-War Statement which reaffirmed that all followers of our tradition should do our best to work for world peace and walk the same path as all people, regardless of their ethnicity, language, culture, and religion. Buddhism is a religion to free oneself from sufferings, one of which is the attachment to one’s own views and the imposing of it on others. This attachment hinders true dialogue.

The terrorist attacks and the probable American retaliation reconfirm the urgent need for our pledge to be practiced. The primary wish of all humanity, past, present, and future, is to live peacefully in a world free from discrimination. Only through realizing this universal wish, may all human beings be united as one.

It is our fervent hope that America display her greatness by looking deeply into the nature of all suffering and showing true Compassion.

Respectfully,

Ministers of Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temples
(North America and Hawaii Districts.)

On May 25th, the Burmese military regime extended the house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi by another year. Aung San Suu Kyi, now aged 61, has been under house arrest since May 2003 after the regime's militia attacked her convoy and killed up to 100 of her supporters.

On October 14, 1991, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her nonviolent struggle on behalf of democracy and human rights. Being under house arrest, she was unable to accept the award in person. Her sons accepted it on their mother’s behalf.

As a child, Suu Kyi conquered a fear of the dark by standing alone at night in her family’s rambling lakeside home. Now she has spent the best part of sixteen years confined to it. She battles her isolation with the same single-mindedness, sustained by her faith, Buddhism.

Amnesty International says in its latest annual report that the state of human rights in Burma has worsened. Buddhism is the majority religion in Burma and almost all the rulers claim to be Buddhists, but even Buddhists in Burma have no freedom. The country's current regime is ‘religionless’ and shows no no value to their own people. Buddhist monks have been jailed for protesting against the ruling military government. Security forces have also destroyed or looted Buddhist temples, churches and mosques of other ethnic communities.

The military rulers do not worry about killing Buddhist monks while they claim to adhere to Buddhism. The Burmese authorities have stepped up repressions across the country and there are 1185 political prisoners there. The EU and the USA have imposed sanctions on Burma.

On June 6, the Canadian Parliament reinforced their policy on this issue, "We are very proud to announce that our motion requesting the Burmese Government to release Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest was passed with the unanimous consent of the House, " said Larry Bagnell, Chairman of Parliamentary Friends of Burma.

Under house arrest, Suu Kyi meditates and memorizes Buddhist sutras. Her speeches and essays include frequent references to Buddhist principles.

REM's Michael Stipe narrates this PSA for Aung San Suu Kyi, the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Produced in association with MTV UK

FOR MORE BACKGROUND:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1950505.stm
http://www.dassk.com/index.php

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
http://www.bpf.org/html/home.html
http://www.cfob.org/