Rev. Danny Fisher

I wanted to share with you about two great sites that I discovered recently. You should definitely check both of them out.

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The first is the official website of the TōDō Institute. The welcome message tells visitors a lot about what they’re doing.

Here you will find a wealth of material on Alternative Methods of Mental Health such as Morita Therapy and Naikan from Japan. These methods are rooted in Eastern philosophy; applied to life in contemporary Western society.

Morita Therapy represents the action element of Japanese psychology; Naikan represents the element of self-reflection. Together, they offer an alternative approach based on values such as mindfulness, purposeful living, gratitude and responsible action.

Most approaches to mental health in the West are rooted in European psychology. The principles presented here are quite different, originating in Japan and rooted in Asian tradition and philosophy. You’ll find guidance on topics ranging from depression to procrastination. So please relax, take off your shoes (Japanese style) and come explore resources which blend the practical, the spiritual and the psychological.

Naikan therapy has an explicit Buddhist connection, in that it was developed by Yoshimoto Ishin, a devout Jodo Shinshu Buddhist.

Anyway, there is lots of good stuff at the TōDō Institute’s site–take a look.

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The second site is quite possibly my new favorite blog: the Spiritual Pathways blog, a project of the Chaplaincy Department at the University of Texas’ M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. As a chaplain, I find it at times enormously fun and always useful. (For examples of both of these qualities, be sure to browse the chaplain interviews.) They’re also a great filter of news stories–in fact, they’ve caught a lot of items that have slipped beneath my radar. For example, in July, they posted about a terrific New York Times profile of a hospital chaplain. And, last month, they found the video posted below, which is certainly of interest to Buddhist chaplains.

From the Buddhist Peace Fellowship:

September 20, 2007

For the last week, thousands of Burmese monks have marched against the repressive Burmese military regime in cities across that nation. This is the largest public demonstration against the junta in nearly 20 years. As the Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks march, chant, and overturn their almsbowls (patam nikkujjana kamma), refusing to accept donations from members of the military regime, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship offers our full support and solidarity.

Burma has lived under direct social and political repression for nearly 20 years, since the democracy uprisings of 1988. The army’s answer to the people’s yearning for freedom in 1988 was the killing of thousands of demonstrators. This repression has in no way abated over the years, bringing with it ethnic cleansing of minority groups, corruption, forced labor, and widespread poverty.

On Tuesday, September 18, 2007, monks demonstrated in cities across Burma… In Sittwe, west of Rangoon, they faced tear gas and gunfire before dispersing. According to reports from exile groups in Thailand, some monks were beaten and arrested. On Wednesday, September 19, more than a 1000 monks in Rangoon marched and briefly occupied the Sule Pagoda in the center of the city, after being barred from the famous Shwedagon Pagoda.

Day by day, we closely follow this news from Burma. These non-violent demonstrations by Buddhist monks are expressions of compassion at a time when the already impoverished nation is staggering under August’s government mandated price hikes. Burma’s monks have historically used techniques on non-violence against oppression. They initiated civil disobedience against British colonialists. They were visible and central in the movement of 1988. In 1990, the sangha declared patam nikkujjana kamma and the government crackdown saw more than 130 monasteries raided, and at least 300 monks forcibly disrobed, arrested, imprisoned, and tortured. As truly engaged Buddhists, Burma’s monks have earned the trust and respect of their nation. Today, they are leading the way to democracy and human rights.

Win Min, a Thai-based Burmese analyst, said the generals were cautious about stirring a public backlash if they acted against the clergy. “It’s a dilemma for the junta. If they don’t crack down on protests by monks, more people will join protests. But if they do, it could trigger massive public outrage against the government,” he said.

We call on all our friends in the international Buddhist community support Burma’s monks as they take a stand for liberation and the end of military rule in this suffering land. We urge Burma’s leaders to meet the monks, and all the millions yearning for freedom with open eyes and ears, and with all weapons set aside. Then Burma will again find its rightful place as a beacon of freedom and dhamma in the world.

Earthlyn Manuel, executive director
and
Rev. Hozan Alan Senauke, associate director
on behalf of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship community

From The Progressive–and, for the record, I agree with A.I.U.S.A. and the A.C.L.U. on this issue:

A leading civil liberties organization and a leading human rights group have condemned the tasing of a University of Florida student on September 17. (The incident has been widely replayed on YouTube.)

Here’s the background: Senator John Kerry was speaking on campus. After his talk, one of the students, 21-year-old Andrew Meyer, stood at the audience microphone and insisted on asking not one but three questions.

He asked Senator Kerry why he didn’t contest the 2004 election, given that investigative reporter Greg Palast had uncovered widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans. Meyer asked Kerry why he didn’t come out for impeachment so as to prevent President Bush from waging another war against Iran, and Meyer contrasted the grounds for Clinton’s impeachment with those for Bush’s. And Meyer asked Kerry whether he was in the exclusive Skull and Bones club while at Yale.

Then Meyer’s mic was cut, and several police officers grabbed him and started to lead him away, to applause from the crowd. Meyer insisted he was doing nothing wrong, resisted as the police dragged him away, and cried out for help as the police wrestled him to the ground.

“Don’t tase me, bro,” Meyer said, and then screamed when the police did so.

Meyer was arrested for resisting an officer and disturbing the peace.

The A.C.L.U. of Florida objects to Meyer’s treatment.

“People have a reasonable expectation to ask questions in a public setting–even if they are aggressive and some disagree with their position–that is free speech plain and simple,” said Howard Simon, the A.C.L.U. of Florida’s executive director. “Similarly, Kerry had a reasonable expectation to be able to answer those questions. Neither of them was able to exercise their free speech rights due to the police action.”

Senator Kerry released a statement that said: “I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption, but I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention. I asked the police to allow me to answer the question and was in the process of responding when he was taken into custody. I was not aware that a taser was used until after I left the building. I hope that neither the student nor any of the police were injured. I regret enormously that a good healthy discussion was interrupted.”

Amnesty International USA said it was “deeply disturbed” by the use of the taser.

“Based on the available video footage, it is virtually inconceivable that these officers could have perceived this young man as a true threat once he was on the ground,” said Larry Cox, executive director for Amnesty International USA. “For several years there have been numerous instances of officers misusing TASERs, but shocking someone who was seemingly little more than a nuisance? That belongs in the Ripley’s of poor policing.”

Amnesty International USA added: “The use of a TASER against someone who is not violent and poses no threat to himself or others constitutes cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.”