Rev. Danny Fisher

Just a Buddhist Minister Trying to Benefit Beings
May 17, 2009

Burma News (5.16.09)

Photo by the Associated Press.
Here’s what’s happening in Burma, specifically with regards to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi:

  • The Associated Press reports that lawyer Aung Thein has said that he was “dismissed from the [Burma's] Bar Council on Friday, a day after he applied to represent Suu Kyi [at her upcoming military trial]. He has defended political activists in the past and was earlier jailed for four months for contempt of court.”
  • In the wake of all the news about Suu Kyi’s trial, Reuters reports that U.S. President Barack Obama has formally announced he will maintain sanctions against Burma. “The crisis between the United States and Burma … has not been resolved…[The junta's repression of democratic activists exhibit] actions and policies [that] are hostile to U.S. interests. For this reason, I have determined that it is necessary to … maintain in force the sanctions against Burma to respond to this threat,” he said.
  • The U.S. Campaign for Burma reports that activists are very pleased with this move by President Obama.
  • The Washington Post writes about Suu Kyi’s legal team’s sense of fury around American John W. Yettaw’s intrusion, which has put their client at great risk.
  • The Democratic Voice of Burma reports that “the head of the Burma caucus of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has said that the charges to be faced by Burma oppositon leader are ‘just ridiculous’, and urged fellow ASEAN governments not to fall for the ‘fallacy’ of elections next year.
  • Reporters Sans Frontières has issued a statement condeming “a new wave of obstacles that Burma’s military government has imposed on Internet usage as well as its expulsion of two American journalism teachers on 6 May.” They added, “It is getting steadily harder for Burmese to send emails or access websites while all means of communication were cut yesterday around opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s home.”
  • On that same subject, the New York Times offers an in-depth story about the new film Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country.

    • May 17, 2009

    Woodenfish English Sutra Translations Available Online for Free Download

    This from our friend and past interviewee, the Venerable Dr. Yifa:

      For the past three years the Woodenfish Sutra Translation Project has distributed nearly 100,000 English translations of Chinese Buddhist sutras in hand-held size paperback editions for free. To make these translations even more easily accessible, as of 2009 our publications are available for free download at the Woodenfish website.

      These publications include:

    • T 235 *Vajra Prajnaparamita Sutra* 金剛般若波羅蜜經
    • T 251 *Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra* 般若波羅蜜多心經
    • T 366 *Amitabha Sutra * 阿彌陀經
    • T 412 *Sutra on the Past Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva* 地藏菩薩本願經
    • T 685 *Yulan Bowl Sutra* 盂蘭盆經
    • T 684 *Sutra on the Difficulty of Repaying the Kindness of Parents* 父母恩難報經
    • T 2887 *Sutra on the Profound Kindness of Parents* 父母恩重經
    • —- *Sutra on the Difficulty of Repaying the Profound Kindness of Parents * 父母恩重難報經
    • T 1670 *Nagasena Bhiksu Sutra* 那先比丘經
    • *Nagasena Bhiksu Sutra* –endnotes那先比丘經註解
      This series of translations include:

    • Facing bilingual Chinese-English pages to encourage language training
    • Introduction to the history of the particular sutra
    • Glossary of terms found within the sutra
    • Catalogue of other English translations of the same sutra
      The Woodenfish Sutra Translation Project works in collaboration with Buddha’s Light Publishing to make these publications available to the public at no cost. Your comments on the project or the contribution of your translation work will be appreciated.

      Please visit www.woodenfish.org click on “sutra translation” for more
      information pertaining to this translation project.

    Download the sutras here.

    Another friend and past interviewee, Peter Romaskiewicz, worked on these translations as well.

    May 17, 2009

    New Tang Dynasty Television on the Aung San Suu Kyi Fracas