Candlelight Vigil for Freedom in Burma

Three Burmese activists from Phoenix joined several KPC sangha members, ordained and lay, in attending a candlelight vigil for Freedom in Burma on October 26th at the Amitabha Stupa Peace Park in Sedona, Arizona. Under the light of the full moon the vigil participants chanted what is probably the most recognizable Buddhist chant in Tibetan, “OM MANI PADME HUNG”, the essence of compassion and compassionate activity.

There is no lighting at the Amitabha Stupa or throughout the Peace Park so it generally is closed at dusk. This night we used the light of the full moon as it rose over the mountains to illuminate our path. The photojournalist from the local newspaper was there, too, and sent the awesome photographs that are posted on this blog. Keeping the aperture open seems to produce interesting results.

The Burmese activists have been working tirelessly for many weeks and seemed happy to be with a group of people who are trying to help their cause. They also loved the Stupa!

Burma is important. Please keep yourself abreast of current events there as they seem to be shifting about almost on a daily basis, the outcome of which still seems to be up for grabs. Maybe with enough effort we can help move the potential outcome towards freedom and compassion!

By this effort may all sentient beings be free of suffering!

Cold Beautiful Practice

When I got to the Amitabha Stupa for the 5pm Amitabha and Chenrezig practice there were 8 or 10 people enjoying the Stupa. It was a cold and windy afternoon, but because we are in Sedona it was a beautiful cold and windy afternoon, and this did not seem to deter anyone's enthusiasm.

We settled into the Amitabha practice with four people and towards the end of the Chenrezig practice, a bit late, came Mary and Wiggleworm. I guess Wiggleowrm was up for some chanting, dog-style, which he accomplished with great aplomb as we closed the practice. He was the loudest voice other than mine for the dedication at the end.

What is it about our habits? The Lama’s tell us that the habits of the mind are the only thing that transits the intermediate state between this life and the next. Not our soul, just our habits (not good news for those who have a “good soul” but bad habits!) show up in a form determined by our karma (the accumulation of actions). There is a lot of this that I don’t understand and wouldn’t be able to convey with any more depth than a parrot, however when Wiggleworm gets going, I do wonder about the pervasive control that habits have over oneself and whether this is what is behind his dog-style chanting (otherwise known as howling).

I will never be able to figure it out. But it is a good habit, I think, to chant along anyway. He seems to enjoy it.

A Very Good Thing To Do

In the West it is difficult sometimes to convey the importance of a stupa or in our case the Amitabha Stupa in Sedona.

Maybe a good place to start would be with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. As you know he received the Congressional Gold Metal, the highest civil honor that Congress can bestow. To know him, is to know compassion; to listen to him is to learn about wisdom; to be close to him, is to feel the presence of the of someone very special (remarks by Senator Diane Feinstein). Amidst the pomp and formality of the occasion, this humble monk who is the spiritual leader not only of the Tibetan people but a sure guide to people of all faiths and traditions throughout the world, brought to this staid affair simple laughter, joy and an ease of being that, I believe, allowed all to relax and enjoy themselves. Being in his presence seemed to catalyze peace, joy, and compassion among otherwise political enemies.

That phenomenon gets repeated at the Amitabha Stupa or any consecrated Stupa for that matter. Like the Dalai Lama’s energy, a Stupa harmonizes its environment. I have to admit I do not know how this happens, just that it does. People (non-Buddhists in particular) visiting the Amitabha Stupa recognize this and then write about it in the Stupa Guestbook: “…a beautiful place; …peaceful energy; …very calming; …thank you for offering this place of refuge to the world.”

Our Lama Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo would have it no other way: she has been at it, offering places of refuge for more than 25 years. She has built dozens of Stupas in the United States. This is a remarkable accomplishment. She is simply a remarkable person as is the Dalai Lama. Her compassion is vast as is the Dalai Lama’s compassion. In fact, there is no distinction.

So how does one connect the dots here? The importance of the stupa. The importance of the Dalai Lama. The importance of our Lama Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo. There are no dots to connect, actually, because all these elements are the same. Jetsunma is, as is the Dalai Lama, as is the Amitabha Stupa, none other than a form of enlightened activity. The separateness of their appearance is important but more important is this: their nature does not stop where yours or mine starts. It is continuous, and if we are willing to let it take place we can be transformed by their presence. I guess then that even more exciting than feeling good at the stupa, is the chance for it to catalyze from our nature the qualities of enlightenment. Take a moment and think about this. If you are like me and can only understand an inkling of what is possible, that is enough to get started!

The physical shape of the Amitabha Stupa is that of enlightenment. This is a gift that Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo has given the world, right here in Sedona with its 2-million visitors a year and all the spiritualist stuff that is said to be here. The stupa sits on some type of power spot (something else I really can’t say I understand, but so what!) and it is here only to benefit sentient beings.

The importance therefore of this quiet peaceful place, like the importance of the Dalai Lama’s quiet and cheerful presence, is the same: to help you and me and our pets and the birds that fly overhead and the ants and snakes on the ground – the whole lot of sentient beings – end their suffering. What a remarkable gift to give!

Please come to the Stupa and help yourself and all sentient beings, it’s a very good thing to do!

Responding to the Crisis in Burma

A few of us will travel to Tempe, Arizona on Saturday the 6th to join in a peaceful protest rally focusing on the crackdown on advocates of democracy and the detaining and killing of Buddhist monks in Burma (see the prior post on this blog).

Why not pull together a response to the Burmese crisis here in Sedona as well? We have the perfect spot: the Stupa; and the perfect means: our Buddhist path of peaceful witness not only to the causes of suffering but also to its cessation. The Buddha taught about both.

It’s an unbelievable tragedy that Buddhist monks and peaceful demonstrators in Burma have been detained, tortured and killed. It’s heartbreaking that people suffer because of the cruelty of the Burmese Junta that appears to be calling the shots in this crackdown; and, also knowing that the members of the Junta and others involved in perpetrating these monstrous acts are likely to suffer endlessly because of their actions.

Having maintained his concern, and having worked with great effort for the welfare of the Tibetan people, when Mao died the Dalai Lama wept knowing the likely suffering for Mao that would be result from the cruelty that was perpetrated with his blessings on the Tibetan and Chinese people. It is the same with the Junta in Burma. We weep for the monks and lay people rounded up by the Junta and for the Junta and its functionaries.

One way to help is to get involved in the protest: maybe this will contribute towards turning the tide in Burma and changing the behaviors of that government (if not bringing it down all together). If you are not sure how to plug in, check out Buddhist Relief, Inc. (www.buddhisrelief,org). They have ideas and a good list of worldwide resources for responding to the crisis in Burma.

Stay tuned to this blog as well in case something gets going at the Amitabha Stupa in Sedona in response to the crisis in Burma.

By the way, the press uses "Myanmar" instead of Burma but I am holding on to the name that the protesters use. The Junta changed the name but the legitimacy of that act is questionable.

By the effort, may all sentient beings be free of suffering.

Burma: What You Can Do

This is what the monks in Burma have done:

This is what you can do:

WRITE OR CALL YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

SIGN PETITIONS

To the Chinese Govenment
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/uscampaignforburma/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=730&t=HomePage.dwt

To the UN
http://new.petitiononline.com/9848/petition-sign.html

Take Action to Free Aung San Suu Kyi
http://actionburma.com/

The Burma Campaign UK: Campaigning for Human Rights and Democracy in Burma
Email the EU President at http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/eu_action.html

US Campaign for Burma
http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/action/action.html

Call for Immediate Action Against the Burmese Military Regime
http://www.petitiononline.com/BUR_2007/petition.html

Stand with the Burmese protestors.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/h.php/?cl=20589575

Release Myanmar Protestors
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/mmr-270907-action-eng

Canadian Petition
http://www.amnesty.ca/take_action/actions/myanmar_peaceful_protests.php

Some UK Petitions:
You must be a British citizen or resident to sign this petition
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SupportBurmese/
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/DemocracyBurma/
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/BurmaPeace/ (deadline to sign up: 4 October 2007)

ENGAGE IN PEACEFUL PROTESTS

visit www.azaaz.org for a worldwide list of peaceful protests

Saturday October 6 12 noon in every major city across the world:

A Day of International Action for a Free Burma
Free Aung San Suu Kyi & Support the Monks in Burma

“We are marching in solidarity with the monks and ordinary people of Burma who are risking their lives for freedom and democracy.

We appeal to all religious and secular communities across the world not to look the other way while the people of Burma cry out for international support.”

Official Dates and Places (Cities / Countries) will be listed soon. (See http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=4973307490)

Suggestions for Protest Signs: Honor Burmese Monks and Nuns -Stop the Bloodshed -
Start a Revolution of Compassion - Compassion is Revolution

CONTACT US: buddhistrelief@gmail.com

Connecting at the Amitabha Stupa

Guess who was at the Amitabha Stupa yesterday when we started the Amitabha practice? Naomi Rose. Folks who work with kids may recognize the name. She is the author of “Tibetan Tales and Little Buddhas,” (check it out on Amazon.com: search for Naomi Rose, her book will come up first in your search).

Anyway, Namoi and her husband were visiting the Amitabha Stupa while on vacation and en route to Naomi’s teacher, Garchen Rinpoche, who has a center about 40 miles from ours in Sedona. Small world. Her interest is Dharma and children and teaching. She is a wonderful, kind and warm person. We swapped stories about some of the stupas in the Southwest, ones in Santa Fe where she and her husband live, and the great Dharmakaya Stupa built by the Shambala sangha and its supporters worlwide that is up in Red Feather Lakes (northern) Colorado.

When I got the okay a few years ago from my teacher to take robes, I was living in Denver, Colorado, and I went up the Dharmakaya Stupa, which was the closest to me, to make offerings. Without really thinking about it being January 6th (read: cold), I put on my robes and a jacket and hat and gloves and headed up to Red Feather Lakes, which is about 25 miles south of the border with Wyoming. I had been the that Great Stupa before, but always during a warmer part of the year. So there I was in early January, in my robes (that I was not used to wearing in public) at an altitude and latitude that I was not really used to. I don’t know when I had ever been colder! The hike up to the Stupa is close to a half-mile and in that part of the world the wind blows quite persistently. I really wasn’t all that familiar with wearing the bottom robe, essentially a tube of material that one friend said, “oh, it’s tea-length” meaning ankle length. So I was trudging up the hill, still reeling from the okay to pursue ordination, in an ankle length robe that I was trying to keep down as the cold wind blew around my ankles and up my legs. Whew! It was worth every inch of the effort because the Dharmakaya Stupa is a magnificent, remarkable structure: 108 feet high, prayer room on the ground floor and two floors of rooms for higher level practice. You see it up on the mountainside as you are walking that half-mile through the woods from the parking area. It is a perfect spot for meditation and aspirations to end suffering.

Naomi and her husband have their own connection with that Great Stupa. It is what happens to people that enter the field of merit that a Stupa creates. They connect, their hearts are affected by the power of the Stupa. Today, they enjoyed the Amitabha and Chenrezig practice at the Amitabha Stupa. Afterwards we took a little time to talk stupas and kids deciding that it would be great if the Dharma centers in the southwest could organize a weekend workshop to share ideas about Dharma programs for kids. There are several beautiful Stupa sites where this could take place if anything augers as a result of our chatting.

If you have a Stupa nearby where you live, you may want to go hang out there. You never know whom you will meet!

And yes, if you have been following this blog, Wiggleworm was there for the practice but this week there was also another dog and he seemed to be more focused on canine things than the chanting. He really is a dog afterall!

By this effort may all sentient beings be free of suffering!