2009 November 24 « Rev. Danny Fisher

November 24, 2009

A Gift of Dharma for 11.24.09

As I previously mentioned, I really wanted to wait at least 108 days before offering a quote from one of the teachers from whom I’ve already offered a quote. Like last time, however, though, it’s late and I’m tired. I’ve also found a good quote from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, whom I wrote about in the very first “A Gift of Dharma” post. Here’s the quote:

Throughout the day, put the teachings into practice. In the evening examine what you have done, said, and thought during the day. Whatever was positive, dedicate the merit to all beings and vow to improve on it the next day. Whatever was negative, confess and promise to repair it. In this way, the best practitioners progress from day to day, the middling practitioners from month to month, and the least capable from year to year.

November 24, 2009

Thank You Tibet!

This from the Tibet Fund:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2009

FROM: The Tibet Fund
Contact: Rinchen Dharlo or Robyn Brentano
212-213-5011

Global Campaign to Support the Tibetan People and Celebrate the Survival of Tibetan Culture is Launched

The Tibet Fund, Peace Jam Foundation, the Nobel Women’s Initiative, and the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education have joined forces to launch Thank You Tibet! a global campaign to celebrate the survival of Tibet’s great culture of wisdom and compassion and to support the Tibetan people’s steadfast commitment to nonviolence as a path to peace over 50 years in exile.

Nobel Peace laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jody Williams, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Mairead Maguire, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Shirin Ebadi, Betty Williams, and Wangari Mathaai have signed a Statement of Support to launch the campaign, and Williams, Maguire, and Ebadi personally delivered it to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India where they held a press conference stating that the Tibetan people “have set themselves as a model for the world, of nonviolence, truth, democracy and resilience.”

The campaign calls for messages of hope and support to build a groundswell of support for the Tibetan people at a time when their culture and identity are at great risk of disappearing in Tibet. People can sign the Nobel Laureates’ Statement of Support and upload their own messages in any medium-videos, music, visual art, photography, and text-to a dynamic website, www.thankyoutibet.org. The campaign will culminate on March 4, 2010 at a major event in New York City featuring interfaith leaders, Nobel laureates, celebrities and performances by Tibetan and non-Tibetan artists. Messages from the campaign will be projected throughout the event.

November 24, 2009

An Update from Amnesty International on the Situation in Sri Lanka

Photo by Eranga Jayawardena for the Associated Press.

This via email today from Amnesty International:

Beginning December 1^st, Sri Lanka’s government will respond to the calls for action that 50,000 of you made over the past few months – they will finally unlock the camps!

This past weekend, government officials announced that all restrictions placed on innocent civilians trapped unlawfully behind barbed wire fences will be lifted.

In just one week, internally displaced Sri Lankans will be free to come and go as they please. We are relieved that this nightmare will finally be coming to an end for some 130,000 people, who remain in the camps today. Thanks to all of your emails, postcards and the thunderous international outcry, Sri Lanka’s government could not hide this crime in the shadows any longer.

While we are heartened by this recent turn of events, we are still sobered by a few unrelenting facts:

Lack of information: Many of the displaced have not received any information about the choices available to them once they are freed. How can they be expected to decide whether to return to their home villages or resettle in another part of the country if they don’t know what resources will be available to them once they arrive?

Humanitarian access: It is extremely important that the government facilitate assistance by humanitarian organizations and allow the displaced to gain access to necessary government services and infrastructure, including education, medical and social welfare facilities. It is imperative that the displaced receive food, water and shelter as they re-establish their homes.

Incommunicado detentions: Around 12,000 persons (including children) suspected of links to the Tamil Tigers are being held by the government without charge in incommunicado detention, separately from the internally displaced. They should be promptly charged with a recognizable criminal offense and given fair trials in civilian courts, or else released.

Rest assured that we will not stop fighting until each of these points have been met. We will keep you posted until human rights are fully restored throughout Sri Lanka. Thank you for your action and commitment. Together, we’ve unlocked the camps of Sri Lanka.

Join Amnesty International by following this link: http://www.amnesty.org.

November 24, 2009

The Worldwide AIDS Death Tolls Passes 25 Million

A new United Nations report tells us that the death toll from AIDS has now eclipsed the 25 million mark. The good news is that the rate of infection has been “slowing sharply.” Still, we’ve all got to do our part to slow the infection rate even more sharply–until it’s zero. A couple of years back, I did a video podcast about simple things you can do online to help. Check it out below.

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