Buddhist-Based Resources for Relief and Social Change
Aung San Suu Kyi Imprisoned by Regime
News Update and Actions 5.14.09
Just as her current house arrest is about to expire, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi — leader of Burma’s opposition party, the National League for Democracy — has been taken into custody at her lakeside home in Rangoon, and held to face a special court at the notorious Insein Prison (sic!), along with her doctor Dr. Tin Myo Win and her live-in caretakers, Khin Khin Win and her daughter Win Ma Ma. They are charged with violating security laws specially crafted to control the conditions of Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest. She has been under house arrest for thirteen of the last nineteen years.
Accustations against Aung San Suu Kyi and the others stem from the capture of a 53-year-old American John Yettaw, who apparently swam across Inya Lake to Suu Kyi’s lakeside compound on the night of May 5. NLD sources said Suu Kyi spoke with him, her caretakers gave him some food, and Suu Kyi asked him to leave the premises, but he appears to have spent the night on her property. Security officials believe that Yettaw had made a previous visit to Suu Kyi’s compound in late 2008. Yettaw’s motivations are unknown. A US consular representative talked with him Wednesday in the presence of Burmese intelligence officers. Yettaw will face trial separately on serious charges.
This March, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that Suu Kyi's present detention violates international and Burmese law. Her latest term of confinement was due to expire at the end of this month, and it is clear that the junta has been looking for a legal pretext to keep her in custody. Whatever John Yettaw’s purposes were, the burden will once again fall on Aung San Suu Kyi and her associates, who are now in prison, awaiting trial and oxymoronic Burmese “justice” under a regime of generals and thugs. If found guilty, Aung San Suu Kyi will face three to five years in prison.
At his noon briefing today, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon read the following statement:
"The Secretary-General is gravely concerned about the news that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved to the Insein Prison to face criminal charges. The Secretary-General believes that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is an essential partner for dialogue in Myanmar’s national reconciliation and calls on the Government not to take any further action that could undermine this important process. As he has said repeatedly, the Secretary-General believes strongly that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all those who have a contribution to make to the future of their country must be free to be able to do so to ensure that the political process is credible.”
Along with many organizations and people around the world we call on the United Nations and ASEAN immediately to send envoys to Burma demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all Burma’s political prisoners. It is time for the Security Council to act. As Buddhists and lovers of freedom we urge you to encourage our own leaders to bring their influence to bear on Burma. We need to speak with one international voice. Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners must be free. The world is watching.
• The Time to Act is Now: Buddhist Climate Project In the run-up to the crucial U.N. Climate Treaty Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, this Declaration will present to the world a unique spiritual view of climate change and our urgent responsibility to address the solutions. It emerged from the contributions of over 20 Buddhist teachers of all traditions to the book A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency. The Time to Act is Now was composed as a pan-Buddhist statement by Zen teacher Dr David Tetsuun Loy and senior Theravadin teacher Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi with scientific input from Dr John Stanley. The Dalai Lama was the first to sign this Declaration. We invite all concerned members of the international Buddhist community to study the document and add their voice by co-signing. Click: www.ecobuddhism.org/buddhist-declaration.php • Check out my new essay "The Stickiness of Privilege."
• Clear View's brand new Adopt a Monk program: Description below, sample letters and flier for your community at the Adopt a Monk button.
• The second annual Gay Pride Parade scheduled for February 21st in Chiang Mai, Thailand, was canceled when parade participants were locked in a compound where they were gathering, subjected to violence by the Rak Chiang Mai 51 political group, known as the “red shirts.” Parade participants were harassed, hurt, and prevented from leaving or entering the compound for over four hours while 150 Thai police looked on. We are asking individuals, organizations and institutions - in Thailand and internationally - to write letters of support to Thai officials. Click here for details and instructions. Chiang Mai GLBT Support
And as always, we appreciate and need your donations.See our new fundraising letter at the bottom of this page.
Adopt a Monk from the Saffron Revolution
Currently there are approximately 220 monks and 8 nuns in prison in Burma, almost all arrested after the 2007 Saffron Revolution. Living under one of the most repressive regimes in the world, these monks and nuns braved death to call attention to the suffering of their people. Chanting the sutra of loving kindness, they walked, one hundred thousand strong, through the streets of cities across the country. The brutal crackdown that followed left untold numbers dead and thousands imprisoned.
Many of the monks have received lengthy prison sentences some totaling up to 68 years. In prison, monks and nuns are forcibly disrobed and are unable to follow the Vinaya, the monastic code of conduct. Most are tortured. Their sentences mean deprivation, humiliation, torture, meager meals, and almost no medical care. To survive in prison, monks and nuns depend on their families to bring them food, medicine, money, and love. However, many are sent to remote prisons or labor camps far from their families.
Clear View Project's new program invites you to "Adopt a Monk" to help bring attention to the false imprisonment of the monks and nuns in Burma. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners of Burma (AAPPB), reports that when the international community shines a light of attention on particular prisoners, their lot improves. When one prisoner’s life improves, hope is restored.
Adopt a Monk - How it Works
• Contact Clear View Project to choose a monk or nun. • Send regular letters on his/her behalf to the United Nations, Burmese Generals, & US government. • Send funds to buy more food & medicine for that monk. (details follow) • Hold monthly meditations at your center or public vigils in honor of the monk or all imprisoned monastics. • Send loving kindness to the monks & nuns, their families and the Burmese generals.
Monks inside & outside of Burma continue to risk their lives by educating & organizing in order to help their people.
Why focus on the monks and nuns in prison? • The international community is united in their call for Burma's regime to release all political prisoners. We join this call with our focus on monks & nuns in prison.
• Burma's sangha is a shadow of what it was. Today, monks continue to be harassed and arrested. They are under surveillance, unable to freely practice their monastic vows to alleviate suffering. Monasteries are closely watched, often infiltrated by "bogus" monks sent by the junta. Monks on alms rounds no longer line the streets of Rangoon. We are deeply concerned that Buddhism itself is at stake in Burma. There are hundreds of monks in exile or hiding who cannot return until it is safe for them. The moral fabric of Burmese society is slowly being eroded by these arrests and treatment of the highest religious leaders in the country.
• Burma's democracy movement is quiet but determined, though many of its leaders are in prison, hiding, or in exile. We can support the call of the monks to change Burma from the inside out by supporting their freedom. We hope that the "Adopt a Monk" Program will help lead to the release of not only the monastics, but all political prisoners in Burma.
How to begin? • Contact Clear View Project at margaret@clearviewproject.org or 707-360-8452 for start-up packet. • Sample letters to officials are available on web site, and by request. • Send funds for the monks to Clear View Project at address below or through our website. Checks can be made out to Clear View Project, with the note “for the monks”. • Keep informed about Burma. www.uscampaignforburma.org/category/news www.burmesemonks.org/ www.fbppn.net
"The Saffron Revolution was and is essentially not a struggle for political power. It is a revolution of the spirit that aims at changing Burma from the inside out. With loving-kindness, we intend to change the hearts & minds of Burma’s generals, returning them to their inborn buddha nature."
Clear View Project 1933 Russell St. Berkeley, CA 94704, 707-360-8452
Clear View Project is an affiliate of Buddhist Peace Fellowship, under the fiscal sponsorship of Inochi www.inochi.us, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
See the Adopt a Monk button for sample letters. Letters can be sent to:
Ban Ki-Moon Secretary General, United Nations 1 United Nations Plaza NYC, NY 10017
Sect’y Hillary Clinton U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520
Senior General Than Shwe Chairman, SPDC Embassy of the Union of Myanmar 2300 S. Street NW Washington, DC 20008
Ms. Louise Arbour UNHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
The Clear View Project provides Buddhist-based resources for relief and social change, promotes dialogue on issues of socially engaged Buddhism, and supports communities in need, internationally and within the United States.
Our vision reflects the Buddha's view of dependent origination, that life on this planet is contingent on the collective action and understanding of each of us. The Buddha's moral teachings can be expressed in a single great vow: not to live ones life at the expense of other life.
In line with what the Buddha called the “four requisites” — food, shelter, clothing, and medicine — we support the dispossessed — children, the poor, prisoners, and other oppressed peoples — in their quest for survival with dignity.
We will feed those who are hungry, heal those who are ill, and provide spiritual tools of transformation for self and society.
I never see you In Jetavana’s garden Sitting with closed eyes In meditation, in the lotus position Or In the caves of Ajanta and Ellora With stony lips sewn shut Taking the last sleep of your life. I see you Walking, talking, Breathing softly, healingly, On the sorrow of the poor, the weak, Going from hut to hut In the life-destroying darkness Torch in hand, Giving the sorrow that drains the blood Like a contagious disease A new meaning
— Daya Pawar
Daya Pawar is the late prize-winning poet and writer from India’s Marathi Dalit community.
Clear View's work comes out of founder Hozan
Alan Senauke's long experience in the world of socially engaged
Buddhism in Asia and the U.S. At home and abroad there are numerous
communities that cry out for spiritual tools of transformation.
Alan's
work with teachers and leaders from every spiritual tradition takes the
form of a vast web of resources for liberation. With a clear view, a
view that is tested and shared widely, we can follow the path of
freedom and keep our eyes on the prize.
Biographical Sketch
Hozan Alan Senauke is vice-abbot of Berkeley Zen Center, where he lives with his family. Alan is founder of the Clear View Project, developing Buddhist-based resources for relief and social change. He is Senior Advisor to Buddhist Peace Fellowship. In another realm, Alan has been a student and performer of American traditional music for forty-six years.(See the "Alan's Music" link on this site.)
Clear View Fundraising — A letter from Alan Senauke March 17, 2009
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Berkeley and Clear View on this nearly auspicious day! I began the Clear View Project late in 2007, after making a Buddhist witness journey to Burma. Four of us arrived in Rangoon in December, just two months after the violent repression of Burma’s Saffron Revolution. Our journey was supported by nearly a hundred friends, who gave freely for material aid in Burma and travel expenses for the delegation. Returning to the U.S. I gave numerous slide shows, raising further funds, and was able to place articles about Burma in Turning Wheel, Buddhadharma, Shambhala Sun, Inquiring Mind, and various newsletters.
I returned to Burma this winter to help train a wonderful Burmese staff of cyclone relief workers. And I continue to give talks, slide shows, and presentations around the country. (See Burma Training, January 09.)
I know this may not be the best time to ask you for a donation of money, but last night, along with many friends — known and unknown — and suffering people around the globe, I rejoiced at the outcome of an historic election that literally changes the complexion of leadership in America. Our troubles, of course, are far from over. The economy has been in freefall, wars continue, and there is much to set right in the world. I try to hold the long view about what is important and necessary to do. Keep Suzuki Roshi’s words in mind:
“Even if the money you have is very little, you should pay respect to it, and you should make the best use of it. How you make the best use of it is to make it help our society.”
So, maybe this is exactly the right time to ask you to support Clear View’s vital work of engaged Buddhism in our global society — warm hand to warm hand — in Asia and here at home.
Clear View’s Burma work has an essential mission: supporting the Burmese sangha and organizing political and human rights work for democracy and change in Burma. We’ve been doing our best to bring this message to the Buddhist Community in the United States. Throughout 2008 and into this year, Margaret Howe and I have developed strong partnerships with the International Burmese Monks Organization (IBMO), the Burmese American Democratic Alliance, and Buddhist Peace Fellowship. Together we have accomplished much. We…
• Have begun an Adopt a Monk program--see above or click here Adopt a Monk--to support the hundreds of imprisoned, disrobed monastics in Burma; • were lead organizers for a major Buddhist peace walk across Golden Gate Bridge on April 9, 2008; • organized two public events with IBMO monks outside the UN in New York City; • advised and supported numerous Burma vigils and protests around the U.S.; • co-produced a UN briefing with leading monks from the Saffron Revolution; • created altar cards and bumperstickers, mailed to 200 U.S. Buddhist Centers; • Maintained a Burma section of BPF’s widely-read web-site; • Helped draft and edit statements, reports, and talks by IBMO and other Burma activists.
Margaret’s grassroots organizing and advising fit hand in glove with my own writing and networking. With support from our Burmese friends and western donors, we are dedicated to continuing our outreach to Buddhist communities.
Clear View has also been modestly helping exiled monks in the U.S. and Thailand. We raised funds for cyclone relief, children in monastic orphanages, and Burmese educational initiatives fostering critical thinking. But this is not our main function. There are excellent channels for material aid — here I point to the Foundation for the People of Burma, where I’m a board member .
We’ve run this year on a shoestring, around $20,000. Along with our ongoing outreach, Clear View Project has valuable Burma projects in mind for 2009.
Working for Burma goes with other emerging plans for Clear View: visiting and teaching with Buddhist ex-untouchable communities in India this coming spring, helping insure the long-term viability of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, working with prisoners here in the United States, and other projects described in the enclosed brochure.
I am sorry to go on at such length here, but we urgently need your support. Our goal for 2009 is to double Clear View’s modest budget, to aim for $40,000. With that amount we can continue working for the safety and benefit of all beings. We welcome your donation of any amount from $10 to $10,000. I know that times are hard, but I promise to use your gift as well and wisely as we can. Thanks so much. And take good care.
Peace, Hozan Alan Senauke Clear View Project 1933 Russell Street Berkeley, CA 94703
Clear View Project is an affiliate of Buddhist Peace Fellowship, under the fiscal sponsorship of Inochi a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Your donations to Clear View Project are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
