For decades, Myanmar, also known as Burma, was a refuge and resource for those seeking the Buddha’s teachings, including many of the most prominent and influential Western teachers of the mindfulness movement. Even beyond teachers of mindfulness, though, the effects of Burmese mindfulness teachings have been felt throughout the entire Western Buddhist world, in every tradition, and beyond the Buddhist world as well. Given this debt of gratitude and these threads of interconnection, how should we respond to events in Myanmar now? Although the country has long suffered from severe poverty, ethnic divisions that are a lingering result of colonialism, and the fascist rule of generals, events in recent years have been nothing short of a descent into horror. 

Watching now, one can only say, “cry the beloved country.” In February 2021, the military seized power in Myanmar, returning it to dictatorial rule by the junta, who have held power off and on since 1962. The modest progress toward democracy that had been made with the election, and subsequent parliamentary leadership, of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in 2015 collapsed, sparking nationwide protests. Journalists and activists were jailed and often sentenced to hard labor. Civil unrest was crushed with violent countermeasures, including the assault, imprisonment, and murder of protesters by the junta. The numbers are staggering: 2,519 people have been killed and 16,275 people arrested, and until recently, 12,962 were still detained by the military, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. In recent weeks, 6,000 prisoners were granted amnesty and released, including some political prisoners like writer Maung Thar Cho, who is known for his satirical pieces criticizing the Myanmar military before the coup, and Shwe Nyawa Sayadaw, an antiregime Buddhist monk. This is surely cold comfort to those opposing the regime given the immediate rearrest of Saw Phoe Kwar, a Karen peace activist and singer, after his release last week. 

Fighting between the Myanmar junta and resistance groups, including the People’s Defense Force (PDF), rages on, with the PDF claiming the deaths of 45 junta members recently. On the other side, the junta have been guilty of many attacks on civilians as well as fighters. The popular Burmese singer Aurali Lahpai was performing onstage in northern Myanmar in October when three military jets flew overhead and bombed the outdoor concert. One bomb struck near the main stage, killing Lahpai and several others in the middle of a song. At least eighty were killed in the attack, according to emergency workers. In two separate attacks in recent months, children’s schools were brutally targeted by the junta, resulting in the deaths of several children, in one case as a result of gunfire from helicopter-mounted guns. 

The members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, have largely been disempowered or jailed, including the onetime symbol of democratic rule herself, who was sentenced to a total of twenty-six years in prison on corruption charges, even for the supposed crime of having faked her own democratic election. 

The Bamar Buddhist majority in Myanmar, finding themselves again in the barrels of the government supposedly sworn to protect them, has been faced with the reality that the military junta is neither interested in Bamar identity nor Buddhism, but only in power. The junta, in recent years, has wielded specious claims to be defending Buddhism as a justification for disempowering Myanmar’s non-Buddhist tribal minorities. In some cases, members of the Buddhist sangha have been complicit, or even openly supportive, in these claims. 

Khin Mai Aung, a Burmese writer and lawyer in New York City, is one of many Burmese around the world who would like to see an end to ethnic division and fascist rule in the country. Aung says the feeling among Burmese is now growing that the mask has slipped, revealing that they are not motivated by even a perverse interpretation of Buddhism, but are simply cynical through and through. “The murder of Buddhist protesters, and even children, has made it clear in the eyes of many that their true enemy is anyone not themselves. Both Bamar Buddhists and non-Bamar, non-Buddhist minorities are engaged in resisting the government. I wouldn’t be overly optimistic about this given the history of ethnic divisions in Burma, but it does hold out a glimmer of hope.” 

What has become of the Rohingya, victims of a military offensive that sent hundreds of thousands of them across the border into Bangladesh and that many have called outright genocide? The situation in Rakhine has deteriorated, with rising tension between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, another armed group fighting for self-determination for ethnic minorities in the state, which has left the Rohingya caught between the two. Last November, there were reports of mass arrests of Rohingya who had tried to leave Rakhine, with the military handing out more severe sentences against those convicted. Meanwhile, the successful campaign by the junta to enlist the Bamar Buddhist majority against the Rohingya Muslims has alienated many in the West.

What Can We Do? 

“On one, obvious level,” says Maung Zarni, a Burmese dissident in exile who is now a UK-based human rights activist and a founding architect of the Free Rohingya Coalition, “one can support humanitarian efforts to bring aid to the Rohingya and others impacted by the violence of the regime.” To that end, we can note, Buddhist Global Relief is collecting donations, as well as recommending people give to the Buddhist Humanitarian Project, which was recently formed with the express purpose of giving aid to the Rohingya. “This is important and necessary,” continues Zarni. “On another level, one can support pro-democratic, pro-peace elements in Burma and abroad.” 

Joah McGee, a longtime popular podcaster on religion, culture, and politics in Burma/Myanmar, says “Myanmar is a place of contradictions, yet people sometimes see it in black-and-white terms. The monks are good or the monks are bad; the people are devout Buddhists living in enviable simplicity or they are ignorant racist peasants who don’t understand real Buddhism. The reality is more complicated.” 

In addition to working to advance accurate information about Myanmar into the global conversation, McGee is the founder of Better Burma, which provides humanitarian aid and “supports the Burmese people in their struggle for freedom.” 

McGee says that the junta exercises strict control over the flow of all goods in Myanmar and actively prevents humanitarian aid of any kind. “We have had to find ways to connect to clandestine local networks which deliver food, medicine, and other aid. Burmese people trying to deliver rice or medicine have to put spotters on the roads and try to evade the junta.” 

Hozan Alan Senauke, who oversees the network of engaged Buddhists called the Clear View Project, points to the importance of peacebuilding, the support of civil society, and training for democracy. Senauke says that the time for Western organizers acting as leaders in Myanmar has passed, but there are now local, indigenous movements that are doing excellent work, like the Spirit in Education Movement of Sulak Sivaraksa. 

Yet, Zarni notes, focusing on the situation inside Myanmar is not enough. “The crisis in Burma is not merely a local crisis,” he says. “China is involved, Russia is involved, and other governments like the UK, America, and Israel are involved because they are complicit, or because they have business interests in Burma, or are selling them arms, or because they don’t want to risk conflict with China, who supports the regime. We shouldn’t forget that Rakhine state, where the Rohingya have been driven out of, is on valuable coastal property which local and international actors are interested in for monetary reasons.” 

As Zarni points out, the Burmese crisis is finally a global crisis. As long as governments around the world fail to cooperate in the spread of true democracy, and as long as wealth inequality and dirty resource extraction rule the day, it will be very difficult to bring healing to Burma and other countries in the throes of poverty and fascism.

Myanmar’s crisis is not an isolated one; it is interdependent with the global political ecology. As with so many of the crises we face, solving them will require nothing short of the bodhisattva activity of healing the world. Our activities for Burma, then, shouldn’t be limited to sending money to refugees—as vital as that is—but should also include taking whatever opportunities we can to strengthen democracy, build wealth equality, and encourage responsible energy practices both at home and around the world. This may seem a daunting task, but as the Zen bodhisattva vow—“beings are numberless, I vow to save them all”—teaches us, the impossibility of a task is no reason not to do it.

The post Two Years after the Coup appeared first on Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

Nothing is permanent, so everything is precious. Here’s a selection of some happenings—fleeting or otherwise—in the Buddhist world this week and next.

Activist Wynn Bruce’s Self-Immolation Raises Questions Within and Beyond the Buddhist Community

On Friday, April 22, Wynn Bruce, a 50-year-old man from Boulder, Colorado, set fire to himself in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. He died soon after. According to the Washington Post, Bruce’s father and others who knew him say that the activist’s self-immolation was a protest of climate change.

Following Bruce’s death, some Buddhist practitioners took to social media to share their views on his actions. Buddhist climate activist Kritee Kanko, who said she was a friend of Bruce, said on Twitter that his self-immolation was a “fearless act of compassion.” Kanko and fellow teachers at the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center, where Wynn frequently participated in retreats, later specified that they had no knowledge of Bruce’s intentions, and they would have tried to stop him if they did. Soto Zen teacher and author Brad Warner disagreed with Kanko on Twitter, calling it a suicide in a reply to her initial statement. Bruce’s father, Douglas, told the Washington Post, “I agree with the belief that this was a fearless act of compassion about his concern for the environment.”

PBS and others point out that Bruce praised Thich Nhat Hanh around the time of the Zen master’s death in January—a meaningful observation given Nhat Hanh’s statement on Thich Quang Duc, the infamous Vietnamese monk who set himself on fire on June 11, 1963, protesting the South Vietnamese government’s treatment of Buddhists. In a letter sent to Martin Luther King, Jr. on June 1, 1965, Nhat Hanh wrote: 

To burn oneself by fire is to prove that what one is saying is of the utmost importance. There is nothing more painful than burning oneself. To say something while experiencing this kind of pain is to say it with the utmost of courage, frankness, determination and sincerity. 

According to the International Campaign for Tibet, 131 men and 28 women have self-immolated since 2009 in protest of Chinese oppression. 

Read more about Bruce’s life, including more from his father, here in the Washington Post, and more on the response from the Buddhist community here in an article from PBS News Hour.

Myanmar Military Sentences Aung San Suu Kyi to 5 More Years in Prison 

In a closed door trial on Wednesday, Myanmar’s military sentenced deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to five more years in prison on corruption charges claiming that she illegally accepted gold and cash payments totaling $600,000 from former Yangon chief minister Phyo Min Thein. Suu Kyi has denied these charges. The military had previously sentenced Suu Kyi to six years on corruption charges, so her complete sentence now equals eleven years.

The Junta Also Torches Villages, Killing Civilians and Buddhist Monk

Last weekend, Myanmar’s junta also set fire to nine villages in the Wuntho township in the northwestern part of the country, killing three civilians, the news website the Irrawaddy reports. One of those civilians was a Buddhist monk that asked the military not to burn houses, locals say. According to the Irrawaddy, roughly 30,000 people from the Wunthro and nearby Kawlin 

townships have been displaced this month.

Zen Buddhist Center Opens in Dublin, Ireland

This past weekend, a center for Zen Buddhism in Ireland opened its doors. Reverend Myōzan Kōdō Kilroy, a Soto Zen Buddhist priest in the lineage of Nishijima Roshi, will be the guiding teacher of the Dublin Zen Centre. Kilroy is also the founding president of the Irish Buddhist Union, and serves as a representative of the Buddhist community on the Dublin City Interfaith Forum. According to recent census figures, there are approximately 10,000 Buddhists in Ireland, an 11 percent increase from 2011. 

Artist Takashi Murakami’s Upcoming L.A. Exhibit Features Arhats, or Buddhist Saints

In May, the Broad Museum in Los Angeles will open an exhibit by world-famous artist Takashi Murakami titled, Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow. This is the museum’s first solo exhibition from the 60-year-old, Japan-born artist. Among the works is a 32-foot long painting titled “100 Arhats,” named for the Buddhist saints who have achieved nirvana. Other paintings incorporate depictions based on Daoist immortals, as well as “colorful, cartoonishly grotesque figures and motifs” from Japanese and Chinese history, a New York Times reviewer writes.

Coming Up:

May 4, 11, 18: Clinical psychologist Sameet Kumar, Ph.D hosts a three-part workshop on integrating Buddhist teachings and practices to help you navigate the inner journey of grief in these challenging times. Register for the Mindful Grieving Workshop here.

The post Climate Activist Wynn Bruce’s Self-Immolation Raises Questions Within and Beyond the Buddhist Community appeared first on Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

Nothing is permanent, so everything is precious. Here’s a selection of some happenings—fleeting or otherwise—in the Buddhist world this week and next.

The Taliban Is Now Working to Preserve Buddhist Statues in Afghanistan

Although the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan initially raised concerns over the destruction of Buddhist statues and artifacts at the ancient city of Mes Aynak, Taliban leaders now seem to be intent on preserving the archaeological site. Hundreds of meters below Mes Aynak lies one of the world’s largest untapped deposits of copper, estimated to be worth $1 trillion. With fighters standing guard on the rocky hillsides of the site, the Taliban aims to protect the relics in the hopes of securing a contract with China to extract the copper. “[Preserving the relics] is key to unlocking billions in Chinese investment,” said Hakumullah Mubariz, the Taliban head of security at Mes Aynak. 

In 2008, Hamid Karzai’s administration signed a 30-year contract with a Chinese joint venture to extract copper from Mes Aynak, but the project ceased in 2014 due to continued violence in the area. The Taliban’s Ministry for Mining and Petroleum has reached back out to Chinese investors, urging them to return to the mine. China’s ambassador to Afghanistan has said that talks are ongoing, but nothing more. 

Anti-Regime Suppression Escalates in Myanmar

Myanmar’s junta is continuing their brutal crackdown on civilian resistance, currently detaining an estimated 10,000 political prisoners—a figure that exceeds the estimated total number of political prisoners throughout their previous rule from 1962 to 2010. At least 103 prisoners have died in custody—many of those deaths resulting from torture—and since the junta started regularly targeting “suspected resistance forces” with artillery and airstrike attacks late last year, the total number of civilians killed has risen to 1,723.

The junta has also destroyed over 100 religious buildings, about half of which were Buddhist monasteries. Additional reports detail regime forces threatening monks, conducting interrogations and executions on monastery grounds, and looting donations and other valuables from monasteries. “They build pagodas and monasteries to show they are the guardians of Buddhism but will not hesitate to kill monks if they pose a threat to their power,” said Burmese monk U Waryama.

The Center for Buddhist Studies Seeks Funds for New Home in the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine

The new Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson broke ground this week and a press announcement stated that the Center for Buddhist Studies will be relocating to that building. The Center is currently raising funds for a suite in the building with a library and spaces for tea ceremonies, visiting scholars, conferences, and lectures.

QuestLove Missed the “Slap Heard ‘Round the World” at the Oscars Last Weekend Because He Was Meditating

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson told Jimmy Fallon that he had been practicing Transcendental Meditation when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at this year’s Oscars ceremony. The musician, film director, and activist, was practicing T.M. to counter stage fright just before he received an Oscar for his documentary Summer of Soul, and he missed the whole altercation. Questlove said he has been practicing T.M., which he learned from comedian Jerry Seinfeld, for the past two years. 

Coming up

April 2: Plum Village will premiere a new documentary titled A Cloud Never Dies about the life, teachings, and peace-building efforts of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. Narrated by actor Peter Coyote, the documentary will be available to freely watch on Plum Village’s YouTube channel. 

April 7: In the first public opening since the pandemic, Tibet House New York will open an exhibit called Radiance + Reflection: Mandalas and Moon, featuring artwork from David Orr. Register here.

April 18-April 22: In honor of Earth Day 2022, Tricycle will bring together leading Buddhist teachers, writers, and environmentalists—including Joanna Macy, Roshi Joan Halifax, David Loy, Paul Hawken and Tara Brach—for a donation-based weeklong virtual event series exploring what the dharma has to offer in a time of environmental crisis. Learn more here.

April 30: The annual Yeondeunghoe (Lantern Lighting Festival) in South Korea, a ceremony to honor the Buddha’s birthday, will be held this year after a two-year, pandemic-inspired hiatus. The festival earned a place on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity last year. Read more about the festival here.

The post The Taliban Is Now Working to Preserve Buddhist Statues in Afghanistan appeared first on Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

Nothing is permanent, so everything is precious. Here’s a selection of some happenings—fleeting or otherwise—in the Buddhist world this week.

Annual Fire-Walking Festival Celebrated Near Tokyo

On March 13, Buddhist monks and devotees gathered at Mount Takao, just outside Tokyo, to participate in an annual fire-walking festival called Hiwatari Matsuri. For roughly 50 years, the monks at Takao-san Yakuo-in temple have laid out smoldering embers from cypress bonfires for worshippers to walk through, barefoot, while praying for safety and world peace. In an interview with Reuters following last year’s festival, Koshou Kamimura, a monk from the temple, said, “Passing your body through the flames cleanses your soul and delivers your prayers to Buddha.” See here for photos from this year’s festival. 

Nonprofit Live to Love Organizes Relief for Refugees from Ukraine

In response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Live to Love International, a nonprofit organization serving the people of the Himalayas, is mobilizing its European chapters to deliver critical supplies to refugees. As thousands of Ukrainian refugees arrive in Germany every day, Live to Love Germany has begun distributing first aid supplies, blankets, food, hygiene items, and infant care items. The team is also building temporary shelters for the refugees. Donations to support the nonprofit’s relief efforts can be made through its website. 

Plum Village Monasteries Spread Thich Nhat Hanh’s Ashes

On the 49th day since Thich Nhat Hanh’s passing, Plum Village Monastery in southern France; Blue Cliff Monastery in Pine Bush, New York; and Nhap Luu Monastery in Victoria, Australia gathered to spread the Zen master’s ashes. Watch the ceremony from Plum Village, France here.

Myanmar Junta Bombs Buddhist Temples Twice in One Day

Last Tuesday, the Myanmar junta attacked two Buddhist temples in the country’s Sagaing Region, targeting the Yinmabin Township in the morning and Kalay Township in the early afternoon. Over 150 soldiers carried out the morning military raid, firing 60mm artillery shells into the village and the local monastery. Two children were among six locals killed in the attack. Hours later in the Kalay Township, the junta fired four heavy artillery shells, three of which exploded in the local monastery’s compound where 1,500 civilians were sheltering. Ten people were injured and sent to the local hospital for treatment. Local news site Myanmar Now calls the recent attacks “evidence that the junta is deliberately bombing civilians… as part of its nationwide campaign of terror.” 

Singing Bowls Go Viral on TikTok

Kehlsie Wright, who creates videos on TikTok under the username The Divine Mystic, is just one of many TikTok accounts to gain popularity recently for their #singingbowlmeditation videos. The hashtag currently has over 5.3 million views, while #singingbowl has 106 million views. On the app, self-filmed videos of singing bowl rituals are often accompanied by blue or purple ambient lighting, and contemplative captions. “How do you expect to keep going if you never allow yourself to rest?” reads the caption of a sound healing video from Elizabeth Jasmine, a self-described spiritual healer with over 30,000 followers who says she grew up going to Buddhist temple weekly. “I definitely witness a growth in the community that strives to self-healing… and believe[s] in the qualities of sound medicine,” another singing bowl practitioner, Alissa Portillo, who uses the name Soul Energy Space on TikTok, told Mashable.

The post Buddhist Monks Brave Smoldering Coals for Hiwatari Matsuri, Japan’s Fire Walking Festival appeared first on Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

Nothing is permanent, so everything is precious. Here’s a selection of some happenings—fleeting or otherwise—in the Buddhist world this week.

Activists Protest and Call for Boycott of Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics commenced on Friday, 7 a.m. ET and 8 p.m. in Beijing, amidst protests and calls for a boycott. In New Delhi, India, hundreds of protesters marched by the Chinese Embassy, holding Tibetan flags and chanting, “No Rights, No Games” and “Say No To Genocide Games.” 

In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, Students for a Free Tibet arranged for groups of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Hong Kongers to travel to Olympics qualifying events and other athletic competitions to ask athletes to boycott the games, or, as the bare minimum, to boycott the Opening and Closing Ceremony. Activists also shared guidance and resources to educate athletes about the human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese government. Two days before the Opening Ceremony, the Washington Post published an article stating that athletes from multiple countries, and some from at least two Western teams, would not be attending as their personal form of protest. 

Activists are also calling upon NBC, the US broadcaster of the Games, to go beyond business as usual and include equal coverage of the victims of China’s human rights abuses. On January 20, the International Campaign for Tibet posted an open letter to NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell, asking him and the network to report on the human rights abuses against Tibetans. 

Thousands Gather for the Final Memorial Service for Thich Nhat Hanh 

Thousands gathered on January 29 at Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam for the final memorial ceremony and cremation of the late Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, who passed away on January 22 at the age of 95. The week-long funeral in Hue was one of the biggest in recent decades, as tens of thousands of mourners visited the temple to pay their final respects to the beloved teacher. Following the final ceremony—which included guided meditation, chanting, and tributes from senior disciples—a formal funeral procession led Nhat Hanh’s coffin through the funeral grounds and finally to the crematorium at Paradise Garden Cremation Park. In the early morning of January 30, Nhat Hanh’s ashes were carried by his disciples and close venerables back to Tu Hieu Temple. 

The Plum Village Community recently shared a eulogy for Thich Nhat Hanh from his disciples, expressing their gratitude and love for Thay. “It is the greatest fortune of our life to have been able to become your students, to receive your guidance, and to belong to your Beloved Community,” the eulogy begins. “You are our Teacher, and you have taught and nurtured us with boundless love, patience, and care. The dewdrops of your compassionate nectar have refreshed our thirst. You have been the torch guiding us through the forest of confusion; the hand reaching out to us when we fall; the ladder rescuing us from our darkest moments. You have given us a path to walk, so that we no longer have anything to fear.” 

One-Year Anniversary of Myanmar Coup Marked with Even More Deaths and Arrests

Tuesday, February 1, marked the one-year anniversary of Myanmar’s military coup. Over the course of the year, the junta has imprisoned thousands of civilian protesters—hundreds of which died in custody, often from torture, and thousands more have been killed in the junta’s effort to stamp out rebel units, which has at times involved artillery and airstrikes.

Dozens of civilians were arrested on Tuesday for commemorating the anniversary with a “silent strike,” during which protest leaders urged people to stay at home and close their shops. At the same time, during a pro-military gathering in the town of Tachileik, an explosion killed two people and injured 30 others. On Monday, Britain, Canada, and the United States imposed new sanctions against military leaders and supporters.

Buddhist Communities Celebrate the Lunar New Year, Ringing in the Year of the Tiger

Though Lunar New Year is a secular holiday, many of the rituals have religious origins, and many Buddhists around the world celebrate the occasion. Tuesday, February 1 marked the beginning of the year of the tiger, and though the pandemic meant less travel and smaller celebrations, observers still gathered all across the globe, many of them returning home to celebrate with family in what is one of the world’s largest annual migrations. In China, even though COVID-19 restrictions have increased in the lead up to the Olympics, the Ministry of Transportation estimated 1.8 billion trips would occur around the holiday. Outside the home, observers lit incense and offered prayers at temples. Dozens gathered at Lama Temple in Beijing, AP News reports, while members of Duc Vien Buddhist Temple in San Jose gathered to celebrate Tết Nguyên Đán, the Vietnamese name for the holiday.

The post Beijing Olympics Commence Despite Protests and Calls for Opening Ceremony Boycott appeared first on Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

Nothing is permanent, so everything is precious. Here’s a selection of some happenings—fleeting or otherwise—in the Buddhist world this week and next.

Aung San Suu Kyi Faces Two-Year Prison Sentence

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s ousted civilian leader who was arrested when the country’s military seized power in February, has been sentenced to two years in prison for charges of incitement and non-compliance with COVID-19 restrictions during the 2020 election campaign. Originally set for four years but quickly halved, the sentence marks the first verdict on almost a dozen charges. “This proceeding should not be confused with an actual trial—it is theater of the absurd and a gross violation of human rights,” said Tom Andrews, United Nations Special Rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar.

Vietnamese Nun Opens Second Temple in Japan to Help Immigrants Affected by COVID-19

Last month, Vietnamese nun Thich Tam Tri opened a new temple called Tochigi Daion-ji in Nasushiobara, a city in Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture. Like the temple she previously opened in the city of Honjo in 2018, Tochigi Daion-ji will house and support Vietnamese nationals who came to work in Japan, but who have faced hard times, especially since the pandemic. Because of Japan’s strict COVID-19-induced travel rules, many workers who wish to return home are stuck in the country, and struggling to find work. As of 2019, Vietnamese immigrants represent the largest group of foreigners living in Japan. Read more about Thich Tam Tri and her work here. 

Two Thai Buddhist Leaders Pass Away

Mae Chee Sansanee Sthirasuta, a well-known Thai Buddhist nun, died on Tuesday from cancer. She was 68 years old. Sansanee founded the Sathira-Dhammasthan Buddhist learning center in Bangkok in 1987 to provide classes on dharma and meditation for people from all walks of life. She also established Ban Sai Samphan, a shelter for women, and Savikasikhalai Mahavichalaidhama University. 

The revered monk Somdet Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn, known as Somdet Chuang, died on Thursday at the age of 96 years old. He had been receiving kidney dialysis treatment for five years but had no other underlying health conditions. Since 1965, Chuang served as abbot of Wat Pak Nam Phasi Charoen in Bangkok’s Phasi Charoen District. He also founded the Luang Phor Sod Wat Pak Nam Foundation to promote Buddhist teachings. 

Coming Up

December 11: Nonprofits Better Burma and Support the Democracy Movement in Burma host a live, virtual event to conclude an art exhibit and auction titled Artists Against Tyranny. Funds from the three-part event will go toward humanitarian aid in Myanmar. Learn more here.

December 11-12: The Garrison Institute holds a multidisciplinary, two-day workshop titled “Nurturing Relationship Sensemaking: An Ideas and Practice Festival,” focused on interconnectedness. Register here.

December 15: The American Buddhist Study Center celebrates its 70th anniversary with a free online event. Learn more about the event here and register here.

The post Myanmar’s Military Sentences Aung San Suu Kyi to Two Years in Prison appeared first on Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

Since the February 1 military coup in Myanmar, the junta has arrested, charged, or sentenced almost 8,000 people, and killed over 1,300, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reports. Hundreds of thousands of protestors took to the streets immediately following the coup. Today, that civil disobedience movement continues to organize demonstrations and provide support for government workers who refuse to work for the military—civil servants such as healthcare workers and, as Myanmar Now recently reported, over 8,000 soldiers and police officers who have defected in the last 10 months. 

Artists were among the movement’s very first protesters. On surfaces across the country, filmmakers projected and muralists painted the three-fingered resistance symbol, while poets, cartoonists, and dancers performed their own resistance art. Though many artists remain in hiding, they haven’t stopped creating, and an upcoming exhibit and auction will showcase some of their work. 

From Thursday, December 9 to Monday, December 13, nonprofits Better Burma and Support the Democracy Movement in Burma will host the three-part Artists Against Tyranny event to raise funds for humanitarian efforts in Myanmar. See the event schedule below. 

Proceeds from donations and sales will go to Better Burma’s humanitarian efforts, including medical relief.

“The organizers involved in this art auction fundraiser have been supporting the people of Myanmar through various initiatives since the coup,” a Better Burma representative told Tricycle. Some of the organizers held a smaller art auction in April 2021 that raised $6,000. “We see this as something we hope will be ongoing,” he added.  

The art comes from Burmese artists who have left the country and those who remain in Myanmar, where they are in hiding for fear of retaliation. Artists who feel comfortable enough to reveal their names will do so, but many of the artists will remain anonymous. 

A live virtual event on Saturday night will open with an address from Dr. Sasa, the Myanmar-based resistance leader and UN envoy for the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, the Burmese legislative body who the junta prevented from taking office. Myanmar-based Nyi Thuta, a former captain who joined the resistance movement, will also address the virtual event. Performers outside of Myanmar include singer David Lai, traditional dancer Pa Pa, New York-based queer artist Emi Grate, and poet-activists Thet Su and Me Me Khant. US Senator Cory Booker and Australian member of Parliament Jamie Parker have expressed interest and support for the virtual event and may attend.

Artwork featured in Artists Against Tyranny | Courtesy Better Burma

An artist in hiding. Artwork featured in Artists Against Tyranny | Courtesy Better Burma

Artwork featured in Artists Against Tyranny | Courtesy Better Burma

An artist in hiding. Artwork featured in Artists Against Tyranny | Courtesy Better Burma

Artwork featured in Artists Against Tyranny | Courtesy Better Burma

An artist in hiding. Artwork featured in Artists Against Tyranny | Courtesy Better Burma

An artist in hiding. Artwork featured in Artists Against Tyranny | Courtesy Better Burma

Artwork featured in Artists Against Tyranny | Courtesy Better Burma

Artists Against Tyranny Schedule

From Thursday, December 9 to Saturday, December 11, the Jane Lombard Gallery in New York City will host an in-person exhibit featuring art from Burmese artists. Attendees can purchase the artwork on display. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (All times listed are Eastern Standard Time.)

Starting at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 11, Better Burma and Support the Democracy Movement in Burma will hold a 48-hour online auction. Get your bids in before the auction ends at 8 p.m. on Monday, December 13. 

At 9 p.m. on Saturday, artists will gather for a two-hour virtual live event. 

Learn more about the events and how to tune in here on Facebook and here on Better Burma’s website.

The post Myanmar’s Art of Resistance appeared first on Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

Nothing is permanent, so everything is precious. Here’s a selection of some happenings—fleeting or otherwise—in the Buddhist world this week.

Headspace Health Announces Nonprofit Initiative to Provide Free Access to Headspace for All US Teens Ages 13-18

Almost three months after Headspace merged with mental-health service Ginger to form Headspace Health, the company announced on Tuesday that it would launch a nonprofit initiative to provide Headspace app access to all US teens ages 13 to 18 via affiliation with select non-profits. The “Headspace for Teens” initiative is a partnership with youth-focused nonprofits Bring Change to Mind, co-founded by actress and activist Glenn Close, and Peer Health Exchange, and they expect to bring more nonprofit partners into the fold. Headspace will also work with teens to create content on the app. The “Headspace for Teens” press release cited a 2020 CDC study that showed an increase in mental health emergencies for children under 18 that year, including a 31 percent increase in mental health-driven emergency room visits for children ages 12 to 17 years old. “Even though many teens have an awareness of and vocabulary for mental health issues, this doesn’t always translate to action,” said Alice Nathoo, Head of Social Impact at Headspace. The new initiative will focus on acceptance, access, and action to change that.

Aung San Suu Kyi Faces Electoral Fraud Prosecution

On Tuesday, November 16, Myanmar’s military-run state election commission announced that it is prosecuting deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and 15 other political figures for electoral fraud and abuse of power. Myanmar’s junta stated that electoral fraud during last November’s election was the main justification for their seizure of power on February 1, when Suu Kyi was arrested. In May, the military appointed a new head of the election commission; now, the commission has declared November’s election invalid with many of its former members being prosecuted alongside Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi is already involved in 11 other criminal cases totalling over a century of jail time in maximum sentences. The election commission’s new prosecution could result in the National League for Democracy—Suu Kyi’s party that saw a landslide victory in November’s election—being dissolved and unable to be represented in a new election that will supposedly take place within two years of the military’s takeover.

According to an anonymous source for AP News, on November 30, a court in the capital city of Nyapitaw will give its verdict on a case in which Suu Kyi, former president Win Myint, and former Nyapitaw mayor Myo Aung stand trial for incitement. This would mark the first verdict in any of Suu Kyi’s current cases.

The Mindful of Race Institute Launches Its Online Learning Academy

The Mindful of Race Institute, founded by meditation teacher Ruth King, recently launched its Online Learning Academy, which features a selection of racial awareness programs based on the Mindful of Race framework. King told Tricycle that plans for the online academy began about a year and a half ago at the start of COVID-19, when many turned to online activities. “My workshops were primarily offered to teams and organizations, but I had so many individuals expressing their interest in accessing my work,” she said. So King began to transfer her training workshops to an online platform so that individuals could take part and deepen their understanding of racism and race. She shared that many of the courses are intended for consultants, coaches, practitioners, and people creating cultures of care who would like to enhance their impact on racial wellbeing. The academy currently offers 13 courses, including “Mindful of Race 101,” “Thoughts on Structural Racism and Leadership,” “Brave Space,” and “A Beginner’s Guide for Meditating with Race.” King will be leading a free webinar on January 8 at 12:00 p.m. ET to share an overview of the academy’s programs and answer any questions. Interested participants can register for the webinar here. 

Shin Buddhist Minister and Tricycle Contributor Kenji Akahoshi Discusses His Retirement in the San Diego Union-Tribune 

Rev. Dr. Kenji Akahoshi, the former minister at the Buddhist Temple of San Diego, has retired, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported in a feature on the almost 80-year-old. As the Tribune says, Akahoshi became a minister at age 71, when most people are retiring, after running a dental practice in San Jose. He and his wife, Karen, are now relocating from San Diego back to San Jose to be closer to their two grandsons and Karen’s 101-year-old mother. Read the full feature here and an article by Akahoshi in Tricycle’s most recent issue: “Finding Spirit in the Ordinary.”

Massive Fire Destroys Buddhist Temple in Berks County, Pennsylvania 

Firefighters responded to a massive fire at Mituo Village, home of the Amitabha Buddhist Society of Philadelphia, in Berks County, Pennsylvania on Saturday. By the time firefighters arrived, 40-foot flames had already torn through a large part of the Mituo Village complex, including a library, classrooms, and dorms. Everyone in the temple evacuated without injuries prior to the firefighters’ arrival, though one firefighter was hurt and transported to the hospital for treatment. State police are currently investigating the cause of the fire, which caused an estimated $500,000 in damage. 

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Nothing is permanent, so everything is precious. Here’s a selection of some happenings—fleeting or otherwise—in the Buddhist world this week.

Naropa University Announces Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies Certificate

Naropa University, the Boulder, Colorado-based university founded by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa, announced on Tuesday that it will add a Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies Certificate to its roster. The 200-hour non-degree will offer post-graduate level training in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT), trauma-informed care, and spiritual integration. The program will incorporate a course in MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy that launched in 2020 and add additional psychedelic therapies, such as the use of ketamine and psilocybin. Research surrounding the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics has seen a resurgence in the last few years, and the topic is currently drawing a lot of media attention. Naropa President Charles Lief said in a press release that the university “is well positioned to offer this new Certificate, which draws from our almost 50-year history of integrating academic study, community-based learning and contemplative disciplines as the foundation for training therapists, counselors and chaplain.” Applications for the certificate will open on November 15, and the course will begin in March 2022.

Myanmar Court Sentences American Journalist Danny Fenster to 11 Years in Prison

During a closed hearing inside Insein Prison in Yangon, Myanmar, a military court sentenced American journalist Danny Fenster to 11 years in prison, his lawyer announced on Friday. The 37-year-old from Detroit was arrested on May 24 at the Yangon International Airport as he was trying to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur. At the time, he was the managing editor of local news outlet Frontier Myanmar, which announced in October that it would suspend its print and online editions. Frontier Myanmar still sends newsletters to subscribers. The military court charged Fenster with violating the immigration act and the unlawful associations act for his role in unspecified news stories published by Myanmar Now that could potentially harm the military and included comments by the opposition party. Though Fenster stopped working at Myanmar Now in July 2020, prosecutors insisted that he still works at the news site, which continues to publish despite the military shutting it down in March 2021. According to the New York Times, members of Fenster’s family believe he contracted COVID-19 while in prison. The conviction comes just about a year after the November 8, 2020 general election in Myanmar, which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged this week with a call for the military to cease violence, release unfairly held prisoners, and restore the country’s path to democracy. The military has detained over 100 journalists since its February 1 coup. 

84000 Mobile App Sees Over 10,000 Downloads

84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, an organization that translates canonical Buddhist texts written in classic Tibetan, launched an app on October 27 and has since received more than 10,000 downloads. The app, which includes ​​a trilingual glossary and interactive reading tools such as pop-up definitions, launched with 200 sutras, a number that will grow overtime. The organization also reported 8,800 active users, and 17,000 sutras opened in the first week. The app is available for download on iOS and Android here.

Japanese Buddhist Nun and Novelist Jakucho Setouchi Passes Away

 Jakucho Setouchi, a Japanese Buddhist nun and novelist, died of heart failure at a hospital in Kyoto on Tuesday. She was 99. The writer, who received the Japanese Order of Culture award in 2006, was noted for her biographical novels and depictions of modern women defying traditional roles. In 1998, Setouchi revived interest in The Tale of Genji, a 1,000-year-old classic written by Murasaki Shikibu, by translating it from classical to contemporary Japanese, resulting in 2.5 million copies sold. A graduate of Tokyo Woman’s Christian University, Setouchi went on to become a Buddhist nun in 1973 at the age of 51, and she regularly delivered sermons at her home temple in Kyoto’s Sagano area. She was also active in anti-nuclear and anti-war movements and called for the abolition of atomic power after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno expressed his condolences at a press conference, saying that Setouchi made “great contributions to Japanese culture” through her achievements as a writer. “She devoted herself to listening to the thoughts and feelings of those in distress through her sermons and also contributed to social activities,” he said.

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For many Burmese people, poetry has been a source of hope and resiliency, helping them survive the military dictatorship’s total control over the country. In this 2017 documentary, take a cinematic trip to Myanmar and see the country through its people’s eyes and poetry. Burma Storybook centers around the 70 year-old activist and writer Maung Aung Pwint, as he navigates life after his imprisonment and the long-awaited return of his son returning home after two decades of political exile.

This film will be available to stream until midnight EST on Friday, December 3.

Learn more about the film at burmastorybook.com.

The central character Maung Aung Pwint and his wife Daw Nan Nyunt Shwe | Photograph by Dana Lixenberg

The hand of Maung Aung Pwint, a dissident poet | Photograph courtesy of Petr Lom and Corinne van Egeraat.

The Giant Buddha in Mawlawmyine | Photograph courtesy of Petr Lom and Corinne van Egeraat

Poet Mae Yway | Photograph by Dana Lixenberg

Monk and poet Su Yint | Photograph by Dana Lixenberg

Balloons over Bagan, an ancient city in Burma | Photograph courtesy of Petr Lom and Corinne van Egeraat

Water Festival | Photograph courtesy of Petr Lom and Corinne van Egeraat

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