Happy Birthday, Dr. King…
Rev. Danny Fisher
Just a Buddhist Minister Trying to Benefit Beings
January 15, 2010
A Gift of Dharma for 1.15.10
Today’s quote comes from Siddhartha Gautama (circa fifth and/or sixth century B.C.E.)–the historical Buddha and de facto progenitor of the Buddhist religions. It is attributed to him in the eighteenth chapter of the Dhammapada (which is on “Impurities”):
Make an island for yourself!
Work quickly! Be wise!
With impurities all blown away,
unblemished,
you’ll reach the divine realm
of the noble ones.You are now
right at the end of your time.
You are headed
to Yama’s presence,
with no place to rest along the way,
but have yet to provide
for the journey.Make an island for yourself!
Work quickly! Be wise!
With impurities all blown away,
unblemished,
you won’t again undergo birth
& aging.Just as a silver smith
step by
step,
bit by
bit,
moment to
moment,
blows away the impurities
of molten silver –
so the wise man, his own.Just as rust
– iron’s impurity –
eats the very iron
from which it is born,
so the deeds
of one who lives slovenly
lead him on
to a bad destination.[...]
Life’s easy to live
for someone unscrupulous,
cunning as a crow,
corrupt, back-biting,
forward, & brash;
but for someone who’s constantly
scrupulous, cautious,
observant, sincere,
pure in his livelihood,
clean in his pursuits,
it’s hard.[...]
There’s no fire like passion,
no seizure like anger,
no snare like delusion,
no river like craving.It’s easy to see
the errors of others,
but hard to see
your own.
You winnow like chaff
the errors of others,
but conceal your own –
like a cheat, an unlucky throw.If you focus on the errors of others,
constantly finding fault,
your effluents flourish.
You’re far from their ending.
January 15, 2010
“At the Movies” – This Week’s Post is Up at Shambhala Sun Space!
My latest “On the Buddhism Beat” post is now online over at Shambhala Sun Space. As I note in the post, the biggest news developments in the past couple of weeks (I didn’t do a post last week) revolved around “the movies.” Of special note are all the movie-related stories coming out of Tibet:
On December 28th, a Chinese court in Xining, the provincial capital of Qinghai, sentenced Tibetan filmmaker Dhongdup Wangchen to six years in prison on the charge of subversion. Wangchen and Buddhist monk Jigme Gyatso are the two filmmakers behind the documentary Leaving Fear Behind. The film is about twenty ethnic Tibetans and their views on China and Tibet, and was filmed inside Tibet. Their footage was subsequently smuggled out of the country so that it could be seen worldwide. Before the Olympics in Beijing, the two were jailed by Chinese authorities. Gyatso was released from prison in 2008, but was tortured during interrogations.
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office expressed “serious concerns” about human rights in China following Wangchen’s sentence and other recent incidents.
Meanwhile, China formally told the Palm Springs International Film Festival this week that two Chinese films were being withdrawn from its program “in protest of the scheduled screening of [the documentary The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom].” As the New York Times reports, “While Chinese officials told the festival’s director that the filmmakers themselves had decided to withdraw their state-financed works, many China experts believe that it is the state sending a message, rather than the individuals.” The controversy, though, only served to sell out all screenings of the film.
Movie star Richard Gere was [on hand at the Gelug Monlam in Bodh Gaya] to lead a candlelight vigil for Tibet through [the village].
While in town, Gere also threw his support behind Tibetans for a Vegetarian Society–a non-profit public charitable trust dedicated to turning Bodh Gaya into a “vegetarian zone.”
January 15, 2010
Help Haiti – Drop the Debt
This from the ONE Campaign:
As further news reaches us from Haiti following Tuesday’s earthquake, the true scale of the disaster is now emerging. Reports now suggest as many as 50,000 people may have died, with hundreds of thousands made homeless.
This is a time for all of us to be reminded of our common humanity and do all that we can to help.
Take action for the immediate cancellation of Haiti’s debt and to ensure new aid comes in the form of grants.
Send a message to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner here.
January 15, 2010
Yele Haiti
Over at The Nation, John Nichols offers an important plug for Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti, and the organization’s work related to earthquake relief. He also reposts a statement from the founder, which I will repost as well:
Haiti today faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced.
The magnitude 7.0 earthquake – and several very strong aftershocks – struck only 10 miles from Port-au-Prince.
I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now.
President Obama has already said that the U.S. stands ‘ready to assist’ the Haitian people. The U.S. Military is the only group trained and prepared to offer that assistance immediately. They must do so as soon as possible. The international community must also rise to the occasion and help the Haitian people in every way possible.”
Many people have already reached out to see what they can do right now. We are asking those interested to please do one of two things: Either you can use your cell phone to text “Yele” to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund (it will be charged to your cell phone bill), or you can visit Yele.org and click on DONATE.
