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China vs. Tibet: A Good Article?
My friend knows nothing about the situation with China and Tibet. I was trying to find a good, simple but informative article to give to him to explain what China is doing to Tibet, then realized someone here might have a good link quicker than I can find one.
Does anyone have a good link to an article explaining what is happening there so I can send it to him?
Thanks.
PS: It must be somewhat simple though, not a lengthy essay, or he won't bother reading it.
Does anyone have a good link to an article explaining what is happening there so I can send it to him?
Thanks.
PS: It must be somewhat simple though, not a lengthy essay, or he won't bother reading it.
0
Comments
Shocking doesn't cover it.....
I KNOW his next question will be "Why would buddhists be shooting guns, I thought they believe in non-violence? Referring to the sentence "We fired some shots in the direction of the Chinese army". I'm not sure how to answer that question, but I know he will ask.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/gettingmessage.html
A 30-min video in all called 'Liberating The Serfs'.
The Majjhima Nikaya, or "Middle-length Discourses" of the Buddha, is the second of the five nikayas (collections) of the Sutta Pitaka.
However, I would point out that the action isn't necessary the deal-breaker.
It's the mental attitude, and whether Virtue is intact.
Just as a parent striking their own child in order to chastise them, does not hold hatred, animosity or resentment in their heart for their own offspring, (let's not discuss child cruelty issues here, please) so a person engaged in self-defence should avoid any hostile, aggressive or hateful feelings towards their attacker.
The intention is not to harm them.
it is to protect yourself.
And we're talking about China Vs Tibet, so let's leave America, Japan and any other conflict out of it.
Thanks.
"Thus it is wrong to kill, no matter what the circumstances. However, the Buddha recognizes that there is a difference between killing out of rage or jealousy and killing in self-defence. The first is completely wrong while the second can be what he called ‘mixed’ (vītimissa),i.e. a mixture of different degrees of wrong and right (M.I,318)."
http://buddhisma2z.com/content.php?id=82
(The whole site is interesting).
But the fact is and the fact remains, any action should be conducted Mindfully. And as the Buddha speaks many times on killing being wrong, and that the only thing one should kill being Anger, I think killing anger but just knocking somebody out mindfully, is acceptable.
The Shaolin Monks seem to have no qualms about their skills, and I personally know of some people who have been 'slapped up de head' by a Lama or Guru for being ludicrously dense....
The Buddha does state the case, in the Maha-parinibbana sutta, that Protecting and Guarding is a worthwhile enterprise....I would imagine 'Protecting and Guarding' would not be an entirely passive activity....
"What have you heard, Ananda: do the Vajjis duly protect and guard the arahats, so that those who have not come to the realm yet might do so, and those who have already come might live there in peace?"
"I have heard, Lord, that they do."
"So long, Ananda, as this is the case, the growth of the Vajjis is to be expected, not their decline."
From here:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html
And there's the warrior monk tradition that continues in the Tibetan monasteries. I'm not familiar with the Shaolin Monks. I also know someone who was hit hard over the head by a lama, for not bowing down low enough to him. It wasn't a skillful practice; the student was upset by it, and felt there's no room for physical violence in buddhism. Teachers would do well to rememmber that it's not uncommon for students to have a history of childhood abuse, so teachers' actions can have unintended and lasting effects. another good argument to avoid violence.
I came across this "blog" in my research and it's extremely interesting....
http://sdhammika.blogspot.com/2010/03/kamma-and-dhamma-of-killing-bed-bugs.html
"74. Should any bhikkhu, angered and displeased, give a blow to (another) bhikkhu, it is to be confessed.
The factors for the full offense here are three.
* 1) Object: another bhikkhu.
* 2) Effort: One gives him a blow
* 3) Intention: out of anger.
Non-offenses. According to the Vibhaṅga, there is no offence for a bhikkhu who, trapped in a difficult situation, gives a blow "desiring freedom." The Commentary's discussion of this point shows that it includes what we at present would call self-defense; and the K/Commentary's analysis of the factors of the offense here shows that even if anger or displeasure arises in one's mind in cases like this, there is no penalty.
Summary: Giving a blow to another bhikkhu when impelled by anger — except in self-defense — is a pācittiya offense.
And another important point to the above is that that is the rule for monks. How much more leeway might lay people have? Not to kill of course, but certainly protect for self-defence."
I much prefer Dharma to all this politics.
Oh....it appears that laurajean and I got two threads confused. Pretty please can we talk about the schism between schools (sorry, wrong thread...??)
No guarantees, I've seen less than that go down the drain...
Talk about schisms by all means, in another thread....
Just don't create any. Currently, no.
Put a thread reference, but transfer cannot be done.....
Besides, transferring posts 'en masse' causes great confusion. People find it difficult to recollect original locations. Reference is fine. Transference, less so...
You can find Dharma everywhere however there is a mandate for renunciation to be applied so we can focus our practise on Dharma there are alot of people who think Tibet is A Dharma issue but even the Dalai lama trys ( and sometimes unsucessfully ) makes a distinction between what is political issue and what is a Dharma issue, As with anything it depends upon how you turn your mind to it of course If you continually search for awnsers to mundane affairs you find its a never ending road to Samsara !
And it's not true that 95% of the Tibetan population was in serfdom, The nomads weren't serfs. Being nomadic, they were independent. Though they probably got taxed in some fashion. Sadly, though, the serfdom and other forms of exploitation did happen.