僧人是否应该发起缅甸的示威游行？

[wooiaun]

别断章取义，读完整篇文章，然后继续讨论。

请赐教！

[博文]

袈裟革命下的無畏施


对了！这是布施！

世事没有绝对！应该站出来时就要挺身而出。
当然，我们都希望结局是和平的解决。

冰冻三尺非一日之寒，我们看到的并非全部，很难三言两语说该或不该，需要不需要。果报成熟时就要学会面对。

难道我们要否决僧人的行动是不对，不该吗？阻止他们？

今天的行动毕竟经过煎熬才作出决定的。


各宗教不都常在祈祷世界和平吗？让我们一起祈祷吧！
不要再引发文字上的口角了！

没错的。

观自在菩萨，行深般若波罗蜜多时。
单此一句，已经意涵万千，我是无明者，智仁尚缺。

[老黄]

[转贴]《独立新闻在线》
http://www.merdekareview.com/news.php?n=5120

缅甸僧侣杀身成仁当仁不让
法师：政治是社会关怀一环

■日期／Oct 10, 2007 ■时间／02:13:38 pm
■新闻／家国风云 ■作者／本刊陈慧思

【本刊陈慧思撰述】缅甸僧侣牵手上街反抗军政府的独裁统治，引发佛教僧侣是否应该走上街头的讨论。马来西亚般若学舍负责人妙赞法师引证佛经的典故指出，佛教关怀众生，政治也是社会关怀的一部份；在众生受难时，佛教徒应无惧杀身成仁，伸张正义、捍卫社会、保国卫民。

妙赞法师以佛教经典引证，佛陀曾为捍卫正义，抵抗暴力。她指出，2500年前佛陀的家族遭琉璃王举兵歼灭时，佛陀孤身坐在兵队路经之处静坐抗议，其心导致同是佛教徒的琉璃王子二度让道，第三次举兵时绕过佛陀静坐之处，才终于灭了释伽族。

妙赞法师（右图）笑说：“佛陀恐怕是第一个静坐抗议的人权工作者。”

此外，她也表示，释伽族与他族为水源起争执时，佛陀也曾介入调停，最终成功和平化解纷争。她说：“从佛陀本身对政治、国家大事的关心，乃至参与进而采取行动看出，2500年前佛教并不忌讳政治，佛教也没有离开过对人民的关心、对人民安全、众生生命苦难的担待。”

她进而说：“2500年前佛陀已经以身示范了，今天如果还认为佛教徒不应该去关心、去承担对众生、对国家苦难的一份心，应已违背了佛陀的教诲。”

妙赞法师昨日是在隆雪华堂民权委员会、马来西亚人民之声（Suara Rakyat Malaysia）、动力青年和国际特赦组织马来西亚支部联合主办的“僧侣上街，马来西亚民主路在何方”讲座会上发表上述看法。

昨晚的讲座会是联办团体举办的“团结支援缅甸人民”系列活动之一，吸引约70人与会。讲座会另两名主讲人是马来西亚人民之声执行主任叶瑞生和双语评论人唐南发，主持人是隆雪华堂民权委员会委员廖国华。

妙赞指出，除了佛陀的时代，佛教也曾在各个时代走入政局、散播慈悲。其中，印度的阿育王得佛教高僧感悟，从一名暴君变为一名仁王；1937年中国卢沟桥“七七事变”时，佛教高僧太虚大师曾呼吁全国佛教徒共同保卫国土，投入抗日战争。

佛教的发展史记载了许多佛陀和高僧以佛法感化众生、化干戈为玉帛的记载，足以说明佛教并非“事不关己，己不关心”的宗教。妙赞表示：“很多人认为社会关怀只是慈善、救济，其实不然，政治跟我们的生活是息息相关的。很多人认为佛教徒在面对这个政治敏感的课题时，态度应该是躲闪的，或是回避的，那我是不认同的。我觉得佛教，在面对不管政治、经济乃至同性恋的问题、社会的发展乃至社会的关怀面里头，佛教有很明确的立场，而且态度是很坚定的。”

她进而指出，佛教认为，战争与和平源于人类的心智，其“出离”概念只是劝勉世人莫执著，而非与社会隔绝。

妙赞相信，缅甸僧侣必然是本着一颗慈悲心、不忍众生苦的心，才不畏荷枪实弹，手无寸铁走到街头。她说：“这一刻是南传佛教的雨安居，他们这时密集修行，是可以开悟、可以成就的，可是这个时候成千上万出家僧侣上到街头来，那我觉得，他一定是抱着慈悯之心，甚至杀身成仁的心理。”

她说：“有人说佛教徒不能参与政治，但是有的事情是怎么样呢？舍我其谁呀？在缅甸这样一个国家，如果僧侣不站出来，还有谁会站出来？还有谁会号召群众。”

妙赞欣慰看到缅甸僧侣愿意为苍生的苦难杀身成仁，她说：“佛教对众生的关怀，我们不能够用嘴巴讲、心里想，我们应该用行动来表现，让真正佛家的慈悲、怜悯、智慧等精神在世间被大家所看到，也能感动所有人类内在的那分真、善、美。”

妙赞一席话博得公众热烈的掌声，但是在听众交流时间，也有听众站起反驳妙赞的言论。其中有人提出，僧侣是否可以以暴制暴，向开枪军人抛掷石头？妙赞回称，佛法不赞成以暴制暴，但是在群众运动中有参与者情绪高昂，非领导人所能掌控的事情，因此，她问：“你是看到僧侣，还是个人行动？”

一名学生较后站起反问，僧侣可否以武力进行自卫式反驳？妙赞引述佛典回应，佛教徒反击恶势力必需有三大前提。她说：“一个仁慈国要发起战争，必须以正义为旗。《大萨庶尼乾子授记经》提到，开战时先要有三个慈悲心，即失正义方伤害了许多生命；不与失正义方直接对撼，反之先用智慧解决；拳脚方便乃为对付恶魁，而非滥杀无辜。”

她表示，佛教相信一件事情的发生是功业所成，乃由行为造成的结果，但是功业并非无法改变的，外面的“缘”可以帮助受业者减轻痛苦。

《独立新闻在线》记者林宏祥提问，妙赞认为佛教应关怀众生，那为何马来西亚的佛教团体，在马来西亚的民主运动中缺席？妙赞回道：“政治不是用来谈的，是用来行动的。”

她认为，佛教认为社会问题源自于人性问题，因此，不谈政治并非冷淡，反之许多佛教工作者投入人性工作，从人性关怀角度关心政治。

动力青年召集人蔡依霖具体提问，佛教团体在一夜之间收集130个佛教团体的联署签名之后，会作出什么后续动作声援缅甸民主运动？

妙赞目前没有参与马佛总和马佛青，无法具体回答上述问题，但她相信，佛教团体必有后续支援行动。在场的马来西亚佛教青年总会咨询委员黄俊达站起指出，佛教徒目前每晚都有到缅甸大使馆前进行烛光请愿，且每周五都有进行“向世界说哈罗”活动；佛教团体予人不关心政局的印象，只因不善宣传。

[clscnt]

[转贴]《独立新闻在线》
http://www.merdekareview.com/news.php?n=5120

缅甸僧侣杀身成仁当仁不让
法师：政治是社会关怀一环

■日期／Oct 10, 2007 ■时间／02:13:38 pm
■新闻／家国风云 ■作者／本刊陈慧思

【本刊陈慧思撰述】缅甸僧侣牵手上街反抗军政府的独裁统治，引发佛教僧侣是否应该走上街头的讨论。马来西亚般若学舍负责人妙赞法师引证佛经的典故指出，佛教关怀众生，政治也是社会关怀的一部份；在众生受难时，佛教徒应无惧杀身成仁，伸张正义、捍卫社会、保国卫民。

妙赞法师（右图）笑说：“佛陀恐怕是第一个静坐抗议的人权工作者。”

她说：“从佛陀本身对政治、国家大事的关心，乃至参与进而采取行动看出，2500年前佛教并不忌讳政治，佛教也没有离开过对人民的关心、对人民安全、众生生命苦难的担待。”

她进而说：“2500年前佛陀已经以身示范了，今天如果还认为佛教徒不应该去关心、去承担对众生、对国家苦难的一份心，应已违背了佛陀的教诲。”

妙赞指出，"""除了佛陀的时代"""，佛教也曾在各个时代走入政局、散播慈悲。

哈哈，我无话可说。

[clscnt]

缅示威领袖认策划起义

来源: 光华日报 2007/10/28
原址: http://www.kwongwah.com.my/news/2007/10/28/60.html


（泰缅边界28日美联社电）缅甸佛教僧侣从资深活跃份子手中接过棒子带头发动最近的起义。这些活跃份子当年曾秘密组织起来并计划对抗军人执政团。

一名逃往泰国的年轻僧侣科维达说：“我们必须站起来带领抗议活动。”他曾以青年学生参加1988年的民运起义。“88一代”组织今夏决定，现在已经到了重新考虑其国家军政府的时候。

持续了几个星期后，于上个月杪被军政府血腥镇压的起义，最初被描绘成抗议政府提高燃油价格。事实上，抗议领袖说，游行示威是由长期活跃的群体策动，因为他们担心军政府的所谓“民主之路”进程将巩固军方的权力多几代。曾坐牢8年的一名1988年示威活动领袖摩坦说：“军队准备长时间治理国家，透过我们的子子孙孙。我们知道我们必须采取行动。

另外，联合国安理会周四首次发表声明说，对缅军政府武力镇压民众的和平示威“深表遗憾”，并呼吁军政府和反对派之间举行一项“真正的对话”，强调“早日释放所有政治犯和其余扣留犯的重要性。”

[老黄]

以下这番言论的论调怎么那么熟悉？
原来在这里看过。

[转贴]《独立新闻在线》
http://www.merdekareview.com/news.php?n=5239

首相抨公正行传达负面讯息
指称事情还未到需游行地步


■日期／Oct 30, 2007 ■时间／12:36:04 am
■新闻／家国风云 ■作者／本刊曾薛霏、陈慧思

【本刊曾薛霏、陈慧思撰述】首相阿都拉巴达威昨晚首度开腔谈论律师公会的“公正行”；他表示，马来西亚律师公会最近在布城的游行，予人“一种问题已到了棘手地步”的印象，虽然事实并非如此。

阿都拉说：“我相信事情还没有到此地步，我们还可以坐下来谈。”

前副首相兼人民公正党实权领袖安华依布拉欣（Anwar Ibrahim）9月19日公开“资深律师游说晋升法官”短片，律师公会在9月26日发起“公正之行”，主动走上街头向阿都拉呈交两份备忘录。此前，阿都拉不曾公开评论律师公会的“公正之行”。

今晚阿都拉首度开腔谈论此事，要律师公会作为一个国内外广受尊重的团体，确认其举动的后果。

他指出，律师公会的游行传达了负面的讯息给国内外的投资者，并且破坏了工业领域和我国政府致力吸引外国投资者的努力。

阿都拉是在第14届法律研讨会晚宴中，发表主题演讲时提出上述说法。阿都拉巴达威原定今早为第14届法律研讨会发表主题演讲，但是他因身在登嘉楼为东海岸经济特区主持开幕，临时取消与会，因而改在昨晚于吉隆坡万丽酒店（Renaissance Hotel）设宴款待研讨会参与者。

劝莫为特定社群服务

阿都拉表示，当律师公会站稳立场时，该立场必须符合国家最佳的利益，且而非只为任何内部压力或组织中的特定成员服务。

他说：“例如，当律师公会不认同一些法庭判决，或推广马来西亚是个世俗国家的观点时，律师公会必须小心不只是代表特定社群的看法，在这件事情上的任何错误计算将导致国内不同社群之间更深的不和。这将导致律师公会面对造成更大伤害的指责。”

他进一步阐述道：“这个国家的未来依赖已经维护了许多年的政治稳定和社会和平，通过过度和没有基础的指责所营造的负面印象，在这个日益竞争的全球环境中，可以把我们抛到其他国家的后头。”

昨晚阿都拉偕首相夫人珍阿都拉一同出席这个由他作东的晚宴，与会者尚有律师公会主席安碧嘉、房屋及地方政府部长黄家定、首相署部长纳兹里、前律师公会主席杨映波。

曾领导“公正之行”的安碧嘉昨晚致词时向坐在台下的阿都拉表示，律师公会与他有许多共同的愿景和理想，该公会希望在司法课题上，成为阿都拉的“眼睛和耳朵”。

她说：“当你向贪污宣战，律师公会与你同在；当你开启民主空间，吁公民社会做你的眼睛和耳朵，律师公会与你同在；当你说要公正至关重要，律师公会与你同在；当你说贪污有违法治，导致外资却步，律师公会与你同在。”

她说：“你要的，就是我们要的，首相先生，最近我们发言的声量比平时大，这是因为我们有真诚的关心。”

她也告诉阿都拉，律师公会相信改变必然出现，且将在现下出现，因此该公会直接向他提出诉求。她指出，律师公会是为了捍卫国家的利益发言，有时说的话并非每个人都爱听。

阿都拉在演讲中回应，律师公会一直扮演一贯的角色，站稳自己的立场和维护各项以公共利益为主的措施，值得注意的是，该立场看起来让人感觉律师公会与政府的立场是分歧的。

他说：“换句话说，我们总是认为彼此在任何课题上都是站在不同立场的。这只是一个感觉，事实上我们站在同一边，只是方式和风格各异。”

尽管如此，他表示：“我的政府认真看待律师公会所提出的意见。诚如律师公会一样，我们也相信司法制度的独立，同样的，捍卫联邦宪法的最高地位也是我们共有的目标。”

[yuyawei]

Up to date news and information on Myanmar Saffron Revolution,if you are interested, please visit http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php ... _situation for further reading.

[老黄]

Up to date news and information on Myanmar Saffron Revolution,if you are interested, please visit http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php ... _situation for further reading.

Monks rising: Background of the Situation in Burma
--Answers to some of the fundamental issues leading to the "saffron revolution".
By Simon Montlake, CSM, September 27, 2007 edition

Bangkok, Thailand - Burma's military rulers are trying to choke off an escalating protest movement led by Buddhist monks that has gripped the country since last week. Tens of thousands of clergy and lay people have marched in cities and towns across Burma (Myanmar) in the largest antigovernment demonstrations in nearly two decades.

After an initial standoff, authorities have denounced the monks, arrested political activists, and imposed a nighttime curfew and a ban on public gatherings in the two biggest cities, Rangoon (Yangon) and Mandalay. Police fired shots and tear gas to disperse crowds Wednesday in Rangoon, killing two monks and a civilian, according to the Reuters news agency. But thousands still continued to march. Armed security forces are stationed around the city, according to news agencies. The US and other foreign governments have urged authorities not to resort to violence against demonstrators.

Isolated by its rulers and excluded from the economic prosperity of its neighbors, Burma is among the poorest countries in Asia. Parts of its northern and eastern frontiers are controlled by ethnic-based armies, some of whom have signed ceasefires with the military. Fighting in these areas, which has ebbed and flowed since the 1940s, has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, including many refugees in Thailand.

What prompted the monks to march?

The sudden withdrawal of fuel-price subsidies in August led to student-led protests in Rangoon that were quickly suppressed. Earlier this month, security forces violently broke up a peaceful protest by monks in the northern monastery town of Pakokku. When monks demanded an apology for the rough treatment and didn't get one, they declared a boycott on receiving alms from junta members – a form of excommunication.

An underground network of clergy condemned the regime and asked the public to support their protests. Revered and respected as a moral authority, the monks have become formidable opponents. "This is a movement that has been created by young monks ... they believe it's their obligation to speak out against an unjust government," says David Mathieson, a researcher for Human Rights Watch.

Initial protests involved columns of monks chanting prayers at temples, but quickly swelled into gatherings where some speakers called for political and economic reforms. Prominent entertainers and opposition politicians joined the gatherings this week. As many as 100,000 people lined the streets of Rangoon, the former capital, in recent days. Lay people linked arms around the marching clergy.

What historical role have the Buddhist clergy played?

During British colonial rule, monks supported proindependence movements, while also opposing inroads made by Christian missionaries in Burma. Nearly 90 percent of the current population of 53 million are followers of Theravada Buddhism, the same school as in neighboring Thailand and Laos. Burmese monks wear red robes, in contrast to the saffron robes worn by sects in Thailand.

In 1988, monks supported a popular uprising in Burma that forced a change of junta and a promise of democratic reform. In 1990, after the opposition won elections that authorities refused to honor, monks announced a boycott on receiving alms from the military.

Security forces responded by crushing protests, closing temples, and arresting hundreds of monks. During the 1990s, senior clergy were put under strict supervision as the regime made a show of donating to monasteries and erecting temples.

Who is Aung San Suu Kyi and why is she important?

Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of Aung San, a nationalist hero who was assassinated by a rival in 1947, one year before Burma gained its independence. In 1988, during a visit from the UK, where she lived with her husband, Michael Aris, an Oxford professor, she emerged as a political opposition leader. The following year she was placed under house arrest, where she has remained, on and off, for 12 of the last 18 years. In 1991, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

On Sept. 22, hundreds of monks passed a security cordon and chanted prayers outside her house in Rangoon. Ms. Suu Kyi came to the gate and spoke briefly in her first public appearance since her most recent arrest in May 2003. The visit was highly symbolic, as it linked the current unrest to the suppressed democracy movement. Monks in Rangoon have since begun calling for her release and the freeing of all political prisoners.

Who runs Burma?

Since 1962, the military has ruled Burma in various guises. Until 1988, dictator Ne Win promoted a socialist economy. When mismanagement led to a popular revolt, Ne Win stepped down, and a new military council was formed. It renamed the country Myanmar, switched to a market economy, then refused to hand over power after it lost the 1990 election to Suu Kyi's party.

The current junta is led by Army General Than Shwe, a hard-liner who has shown little interest in political reform. The generals say Burma must remain united under strong leadership, or risk losing territory to armed separatist groups. During the 1990s, an expanded Army seized the upper hand against some ethnic rebel groups, and signed several ceasefire deals.

Since 2003, after an international outcry over a crackdown on Suu Kyi's party, the regime has pursued what it calls a road map to democracy. Last month it finished drafting the guiding principles of a long-delayed constitution that should pave the way for elections. Opposition groups say the charter would entrench military rule and does little to satisfy ethnic groups who favor greater autonomy.

Who are Burma's international friends and foes?

Burma emerged from self-imposed isolation in the 1990s to join the Association of Southeast Asia Nations. It has also cultivated ties with China and, more recently, India, signing deals to exploit oil, gas, and natural resources in return for economic and diplomatic support. China has sold weaponry and provided aid to Burma to help it overcome Western sanctions imposed since the 1988 crackdown.

Observers say Beijing holds great sway in Burma and may be pushing the generals to make changes in order to maintain stability on its borders. "I think China has more weight than the UN, which is toothless and has no clue about what goes on in Burma," says Aung Zaw, an exiled activist in Thailand.

The US is a staunch critic of Burma, and has been joined by European governments, particularly former colonial power Britain. US sanctions were tightened in 2003 after a violent crackdown on Suu Kyi's supporters. President Bush unveiled further restrictions on Tuesday. Some ASEAN countries have begun criticizing Burma in public, breaking with a long-held policy of noninterference in domestic affairs.

What's likely to happen next?

Protesters are determined to press on, despite the threat of a violent suppression by authorities. Some analysts believe that the regime will try to avoid a repeat of previous bloodshed while the world is watching. But that is unlikely to sway the generals if their backs are against the wall.

Some Army officers might want to buy off protesters by offering policies to ease economic hardship. But so far the leadership has mostly ignored such advice, says Thant Myint-U, a former UN diplomat and author of "The River of Lost Footsteps: Histories of Burma."

"The road map and the constitution are already a concession, in their minds," he says.

If the past is any guide, unrest may wax and wane for some months, as it did in 1988, but the regime is unlikely to collapse, say analysts. Nor do protesters expect it to, at least not overnight. For now, their hopes of momentous change appear to be outweighing caution at possible reprisals. A wild card in the volatile mix is ethnic separatists, who, sensing weakness in their military opponents, may revive their fight to wrest control of territory.

[老黄]

珍贵的历史镜头（转贴）：



Monks marched through the streets of Rangoon on Sept. 18, the first day the clerics began refusing the military's alms. - Reuters

[yuyawei]

Follow this website for more on the self sacrifice of Buddhist monks http://www.quangduc.com/BoTatQuangDuc/i ... hpage.html , cause of the action of this paticular Monk in 1963 is quite similar to what is going on in the year 2007. No doubt self-immolation is not encouraged, but shows the desperation of the plight of the Buddhist Monks still going on.