International Bloggers For Burma Day - Oct 4, 2007

Rallies In San Francisco - Wed Oct 3, 11am, Fri Oct 5th 2pm, Sat Oct 6th, 12noon

Wednesday Oct 3rd, the Myanmar Student Club of City College of San Francisco is hosting prayer services for those who have died and suffered in Myanmar (Burma). Everyone is welcomed to attend. There will be people delivering speeches. If you would like to deliver a speech, please contact: samuelchewtiger@yahoo.com to sign up. You should provide your full name and school (or) organization that you are presenting. The service starts at 11:00 a.m. at Ram Plaza and finishes at 2:00 p.m. The silent praying starts at 12:00 noon.

Friday October 5th, 2pm-6pm, Peace March organized by individuals living in San Francisco. March starts at the Chinese Embassy in San Francisco at 2pm. 1450 Laguna Street at Geary Street (In Japantown). Walk goes to UN Plaza at Market & Hyde in San Francisco.

Saturday October 6th, 12noon. Saturday, October 6, at the Civic Center Plaza, San Francisco (in front of City Hall), organized by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.

Please wear red or maroon, and bring a meditation cushion and/or
blanket to sit on if you'd like. This will be a mostly silent vigil,
but we will chant the Metta Sutta. Speakers include Rev. Hozan Alan
Senauke of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. Saturday, October 6, has been declared a Day of International Action for Burma.

Street Scenes: Oct 1st Rally At Justin Herman Plaza & Market Street

Shambhala's Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche & Pema Chodron Make Announcement

The Sakyong, Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche has asked President [of Shambhala] Richard Reoch to write on his behalf to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressing his concern at the threats of violence and attacks on unarmed Buddhist monks and civilians in Burma (Myanmar) who are peacefully demonstrating in their country.

News from that country indicates that the monastics have come under attack, leading to serious injuries and possible fatalities.

The Sakyong would like members of the Shambhala community know that in his view it would be appropriate for prayers and practices to be offered in a spirit of encouraging a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Burma (Myanmar).

It would also be appropriate for individuals to join in vigils, meditations, petitions or other non-violent manifestations aimed at generating international protection for the sangha in Burma (Myanmar). He requests that this be done in a spirit, not of taking sides, but of acting in line with the impartial aspiration for peace.

Jack Kornfield Issues Email About Burma To Spirit Rock Email List

Last night around 10:30pm I received an email from Jack Kornfield of Spirit Rock (www.spiritrock.org) which had been sent out to the Spirit Rock emailing list.

I don't know how many people are on the email list but I suspect that it's probably one of the largest lists in the bay area for people interested in meditation and/or general Buddhist study.



The email was:

Friday Sept 28, 2007
10:36pm PT

Dear [name],

Much of our meditation practice here at Spirit Rock has its roots in Theravada Buddhist practices learned by our teachers from their teachers in the monasteries of Burma and Thailand.

As students there, we were the constant recipients of tremendous generosity and warm-heartedness, and we will always be deeply indebted to not only those in the monasteries, but also the lay people in those countries.

So it is with great sadness and concern that we witness the current struggles going on in Burma, especially as it relates to those who have been demonstrating peacefully only to be met with violence and arrests.

Many students at Spirit Rock have asked how best to support the monks, nuns and lay people of Burma at this time.

One important way is to educate others about Burma and the situation there. Another way is to join the peaceful demonstrations that are happening in San Francisco or in your own community and show your solidarity with the monks and the people of Burma.

To get information on vigils happening both in the Bay Area and elsewhere, please visit the Buddhist Peace Fellowship website and look under Action Alerts.

A number of Spirit Rock teachers are involved with these peaceful demonstrations of solidarity, including me.

The next San Francisco event will be on Monday, October 1 at 12 noon at Justin Herman Plaza, which is located at the foot of Market St. downtown (near Embarcadero BART station). Please wear red to show your support.

Another way to help is by making a donation to the Burmese fund of your choice. All of the dana collected at our next Monday night class will go to the Foundation for the People of Burma website - an organization with close ties to Spirit Rock that has been actively involved in bringing aid to the people of Burma since 1999.

Out of respect and gratitude for the people of Burma and with metta,

Jack Kornfield

Local Monastics Join The SF Peace Rally

I saw at least 10 of our local monastics at the protest (monks and nuns) in black and brown robes.

Woman wears a "fighting peacock" headband and holds a sign in Chinese outside the Chinese embassy. See my earlier post for comments about the symbol of the fighting peacock.

A man holds a sign of pictures from the Internet of monks and civilians who have been injured or killed in Burma.

Jack Kornfield Attends Peace Protest

Jack Kornfield, former Buddhist monk, author, and one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West, was at the protest.

Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma. He is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Center (www.spiritrock.org) and has taught meditation internationally since 1974. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology and has written numerous books.

Painting As Peaceful Protest

The Buddhist Peace Fellowship attended. (http://www.bpf.org/) and a lady was making a nice painting of the eyes of a Buddha.

Protesters On The Sidewalk & The Media

The protest was peaceful. San Francisco police asked the demonstrators to remain on the sidewalk. They allowed a few photographers to get in front of the group to film and take pictures but then there were so many at one point that they had to ask everyone to get back up on the sidewalk. Cars and trucks drove by and gave a honk of support.

"Myanmar: Gold Medal In Brutality"

Man holds a sign that says "Myanmar: Gold Medal In Brutality" as two senior citizens who attended the protests walk by.

Fighting Peacock Flag

Three men at the peace protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in San Francisco, CA, USA. Based on Flag websites I've seen, they are holding a flag and wearing the t-shirt of what appears to be the "Fighting Peacock" flag. The yellow fighting peacock is a symbol for the Burmese students who demonstrate against the military regime. The fighting peacock without the star, was the flag of the student union until 1962, when the military banned the institution.

I suspect that the flag may be related to The Free Burma Coalition (FBC) is an umbrella group of campuses and organizations around the world working for freedom and democracy in Burma who states that it's mission is to build a grassroots movement inspired by and modeled after the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.
9/28/2007

San Francisco Peace Protest In Support Of Burma

A peace protest is happening in San Francisco today in about an hour (at 12 noon San Francisco time).

I will be covering it live from my iPhone and posting pictures and info from it here for the Internet community.

If you're in Burma right now you probably just lost your Internet connection this morning. I am greatful that I still have one.

Here are the details of the San Francisco peace protest. Please come out on your lunch break if you can! (I know you're sitting in your cube thinking "What Can I Do?")

12 noon
The Chinese Consulate, 1450 Laguna Street at Geary in San Francisco
(near Japantown). Please wear red (in solidarity with the maroon-robed monks), make signs, prepare to do both sitting and walking meditation.

Other protests in cities around the US are listed here:

http://www.bpf.org/html/whats_now/2007/burmaevents.html