2009 May 16 « Rev. Danny Fisher

May 16, 2009

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION: Call for the Immediate Release of Aung San Suu Kyi and All Prisoners of Conscience in Burma

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, has been detained for 13 of the last 19 years, mostly under house arrest. On May 14, 2009, Aung San Suu Kyi and two of her assistants were taken from her home to Insein Prison following an incident in which an American man allegedly swam across a lake to her house and stayed there for two days. Reliable reports beginning in early May confirm that while still confined in her Yangon home Aung San Suu Kyi had been suffering from dehydration, low blood pressure and weight loss. Her medical condition makes her transfer to Insein Prison at this time doubly serious. Please call on Myanmar’s leaders to free Aung San Suu Kyi and all other prisoners of conscience.

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May 16, 2009

Burma News (5.15.09)

Two big headlines today in regards to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s upcoming military trial:

Reuters reports that the European Union has joined the international chorus of voices opposing Suu Kyi’s criminal charges and incarceration in Insein Prison. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement:

I deeply regret that … (Nobel Peace Prize winner) Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi has been arrested by the authorities of Myanmar and charged with violating the terms of her detention. In fact, instead of being arrested she should have been released from house arrest, which was a clear violation of international law as determined by the United Nations…I urge the authorities of Myanmar to consider the consequences for national reconciliation if Mrs Suu Kyi and other political prisoners continue to be detained.

The Washington Post reports that the home in which Suu Kyi has spent thirteen of the last nineteen years under house arrest is now in danger.

A little-known lawsuit filed by Suu Kyi’s estranged older brother, a U.S. citizen, poses another threat. In 2001, Aung San Oo demanded ownership of half of the two-story house that had been the property of their mother. A Burmese court suspended the case because foreigners may not own property in Burma, but sources in Rangoon have indicated in recent weeks that the suit may be revived. The courts in Burma are completely under the control of the military junta.

May 16, 2009

The Guardian Profiles Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

“Tenzin Palmo … ‘For me, retreat is like inhaling; it’s what I was born to do.’” Photograph by Sarah Lee for The Guardian.
The Guardian profiles Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, the Tibetan Buddhist nun of the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school who founded the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal Pradesh, India. Bibliophiles out there might also be aware of the popular book Vicki Mackenzie wrote about Jetsunma’s solitary retreat experience: Cave in the Snow: Tenzin Palmo’s Quest for Enlightenment.

May 16, 2009

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Vesak Message

Via the University Buddhist Association: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown wished Buddhists in Britain a Happy Vesak recently. He said:

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Wesak. Britain’s Buddhists will join with others around the world to reflect on the birth and enlightenment of Lord Buddha and I wanted to let you know that my thoughts are with you as you celebrate this Buddha Day.

The Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path have brought so much peace to so many and we can all learn from Buddhist philosophy and the practice of mindfulness.

Today we should reflect on the great spiritual contribution that Buddhism has made to the world and congratulate Britain’s Buddhists for their vibrant contribution to our national life. Please do pass on my best wishes to your family and friends.

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