Metta Sutra

The following is lifted from a webpage that links to irrawaddy.org, which is a website about happenings in Burma (now called 'Myanmar'. The people of this country still refer to it as 'Burma' and themselves as 'Burmese'; the name of the country and the capitol and other ancient names were changed by the ruling junta, but I will continue to refer to is as 'Burma'.). There are photos on the website of the riots, be warned, they are disturbing...
Update: More blood has been shed, as predicted...more monks have been killed and injured...a Japanese photographer was killed...the U.S. has frozen assets of the upper echelons of the junta... c.g. 9-28-07
Gunfire resounded through the air on Wednesday as Buddhist monks chanted the “Metta Sutra” (the Buddha’s words on living kindness). Soldiers and riot police beat many monks who bravely resisted by sitting down in front of security forces.
Monks in Rangoon on Thursday said five fellow monks were shot dead or beaten to death by security forces on Wednesday. The tragedy, unfortunately, is only beginning: more blood will flow on the road to democracy in the coming days.
The bloodshed has unfolded despite calls for restraint by the international community. The UN secretary-general repeatedly called on the regime to seize this opportunity to restore democracy and national reconciliation with all parties in the country, but to no avail.
The United Nation Security Council will meet on Thursday. But what can the council do? Just this year, a critical resolution on Burma proposed by the US and Britain was vetoed by China and Russia, two strong supporters of the junta.
For a long-term perspective, we can turn to the writing of Aung San Suu Kyi, the people’s beloved democracy leader, who has always acknowledged the enduring strength of the Burmese people, while also calling for help from all people who support democracy and human rights.
“It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights,” Suu Kyi wrote in “Freedom from Fear.” “There has to be a united determination to persevere in the struggle, to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths, to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear.”
“The quest for democracy in Burma is the struggle of a people to live whole, meaningful lives as free and equal members of the world community. It is part of the unceasing human endeavor to prove that the spirit of man can transcend the flaws of his nature.”
The current military crackdown, despite the killings and beatings, can’t stop Buddhist monks who practice loving kindness and sacrifice for the well-being of the suffering people of Burma. As Suu Kyi said, this is a “revolution of the spirit”—it must transcend inhumanity.

gassho to those who struggle for freedom

Here is an article about the situation found on National Review Online: http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=MmQzOTljM2E2MjRjMzRiNDA2MTdlZWMzZDBmNzZjYmU=

whatever you may think about the geopolitics (of India vs. China and etc., etc.), this will give some insight into the history of the struggle, and what the people of Burma are facing and have been facing for years...

...and more, bad, news
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071001/ap_on_re_as/myanmar_dead___missing