This is one reason the monks in the Sangha involved in the recent protest movement have been wary of falling back into the tradition of accepting any settlement by the military short of the fulfillment of the demand that the military improve their respect for Buddhist leaders and monks at a status more commensurate to the level they have been continuing to maintain in a land increasingly sharply controlled by the military—who abuse and injure the citizens where the many Burmese monks live and perform their duties.
Here is short recent historical overview of (a) monk involvement in southeast Asian education and training and (b) the roles advanced monk leaders, i.e. those already trained and involved in regular administrative & leadership activities in Southeast Asia, have played in recent centuries:
According to one writer, “The primary obligation of most novices and younger monks is to equip themselves for future religious assignments. This is only natural. If we do not expect young people studying in schools, colleges, and universities to shoulder heavy social responsibilities, it would be unfair to expect monk students to accomplish much when they are not yet well-equipped.”“Moreover, even while engaged in educational pursuits, the tasks and responsibilities these novices and young monks have to undertake are much more onerous than those of their lay counterparts. Not only do they study religious subjects, in which they specialize, they also have to study suitable secular subjects to supplement their religious knowledge in view of the duties they are expected to perform later on. In addition to this daunting challenge, they also have to work hard for "the welfare of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world." Because of their religious status, people always have high expectations and look up to them to fulfill those expectations. This is by no means an easy role and it often puts a considerable pressure on young monks.” Meanwhile, “Monks who are not burdened with educational careers do take an active part in religious and social concerns, especially if they are senior members of the Sangha. In fact, their responsibilities increase with age and seniority. At an age when most laymen would retire to enjoy their leisure, these elderly monks have to meet the increased expectations and demands that people have of them. Often they work hard until their last breath or until they become completely invalid, so great is their spirit of self-sacrifice and dedication. One of the reasons why this is not widely known to the public is because these selfless monks would rather keep to the tradition of silent service, quietly working for the benefit of others, than working to gain personal benefits and fame. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the social contributions made by the Sangha are, indeed, of inestimable value.” MULTI-ETHNIC AND MULTI-RELIGIOUS BURMAAlthough Buddhist monks fulfill a great number of leadership- and social service- related activities in Burma, many Americans don’t yet understand that the country of Burma is also a melting pot of faiths and tribes. There are Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Hindus, and Muslims who make up the existence of peoples in this poor manipulated country, known both as Burma (as know by the great Opposition) and Myanmar (as called by the country’s very few supporters). For example, the Karen tribesmen and women , whom I have visited in refugees in Thailand or met in other county’s during their exiles, reflect a great number of religious faiths. There are certainly many other such tribes with animistic and Christian faiths—as well as Buddhist traditions inside and outside (exile) the geographic borders of Burma. However, these varying different peoples—regardless of tribe or religion--are all bonded together by a great opposition to the ongoing military regime. [Burmese minority Christian tribe’s and other refugee centers are even to be found in India, which borders Burma to the north.]In short, for decades both in and outside the country of Burma, peoples have been asking for regime change. This is a country that has been having leaders who have enforced slavery and long-term unpaid work-gangs among its citizens for many years.Sadly, despite the fact that over a 20-year period there has been almost universal condemnation, neither the primary neighbors in the region (including China, India, and Thailand, which are often among the more robust economies in world ) nor the world’s last so-called superpower (the USA) have waged full economic or political war on the Burmese military regime, which has shot, imprisoned, & executed so many unarmed people in recent and previous stand-offs since the 1980s. SOLIDARITY: WE ARE ALL BURMESE MONKS!In October 2007 I traveled for a short time in Southeast Asia. One morning in the hill country of northern Vietnam I came upon a barber cutting hair in a street-side stall in the town of Saban. In my hand, I carried a TIME magazine dated the very week after the crackdown in Burma. The cover page was entitled “Praying for Burma” with the added notes under the titlestating: “Monks lead protests against a brutal regime that replies with an iron first”. On the cover was the picture was of 4 or 5 shaven headed Burmese monks of various ages, each dress in red & with hands clasped in prayer. I pointed to the cover and told the barber, “I want a haircut and shave like these guys.”The barber, who spoke next-to-no English, nodded and said, “Ahh, American Buddhist.”“No”, I said to myself, “I’m not Buddhist monk—but I am in solidarity with them and the cause they stand for.”In short, I had chosen to shave my head in solidarity with those persecuted peoples of Burma.Over the following weeks, I have been able to tell and retell this story several times in Southeast Asia and again in the Middle East, where I live and work.Now, some of readers of this blog, will immediately recall that this is not the first time I have shaved my head in order to make a political statement; however, this was the first time I did so specifically to make a comment of solidarity with a persecuted people—not victims of random violence, etc. SYMBOLS THAT UNITE ARE LACKING IN THIS WORLDThrough (1) lack of control of dominant media and (2) without powerful financial capital supporting the art of political spin, the opposition movements around the world have been at a disadvantage over recent decadesI mean: “At a disadvantage in terms of lacking ‘image control’.”For example, if the cause of the people who want to impeach Bush and Cheney is often painted by those with the most powerful control of imagination as an impossible or dangerous task, we, in the opposition are disadvantaged.Likewise, if a government, like China, Thailand or India claims that it has no or little control of what goes on in Burma-Myanmar, they are controlling what we believe or imagine to be “The Possible”.Similarly, if the U.S. government says it (a) has the will and power to stop terrorism and fear by Americans (b) if only we Americans are willing to cough up a trillion-plus dollars along with the futures of our children and (c) at the loss of our global integrity developed over the past two centuries, we will do just we are led to believe is necessary(d) as long as our imaging of reality has been properly impregnated or fixed by (e) the way the government presents its case and makes claims of inevitability. For example, if the images of (1) the collapsing and burning of the World Trade Towers in New York City or (2) the image of Saddam Hussein juxtaposed on a photo of 9-11 events are provided and repeated ad nausea by media and/or president or vice president, Americans eventually soak up the propaganda.What if the opposition could successfully take over the nation’s ability to shape images of possibility and fact? What if the opposition could lead others to think that progress is inevitable, for example, in the war on poverty, in the war against hunger, and in the war against bad government?If an image could be sustained irrespective of what media moguls or political spin-doctors might set out to do in terms of contravening the intended message of a particular image, then the opposition has the greater potential to succeed in getting patterns of related messages heard and integrated within the public domain.On the one hand, what I am writing here is saying little more than stating, “We need to be creative to stop war! Or to stop injustice!”On the other hand, I want to explain that a single short-term image is not enough. What is needed is a sustained image in the public domain and public discourse which overrides the spin and manipulation in both the medium and long term in order to sustain a movement and to make progress.It is the very lack of such sustained control of alternative imagery by top-tear Democratic and Republican leaders today which has left 80%-plus of the American population unhappy with the status quo—i.e. continuing to permit the mucking around in Iraq with no end to war in sight (or NO breathing-room CHANCE being given in Washington, D.C. to the majority of Americans who now feel that the impeachment of the president and vice-president are necessary to provide justice for our children’s and grandchildren’s future America).Now, returning to the image of the shaven head , in the past Nazi-skin heads had abused the symbolism of a shaved head as did the persecution of Jews and other victims of internment and holocaust. However, in Asia the shaven head is a symbol of renewal and commitment. It also has the ability to be a symbol of solidarity with a movement of Buddhists in Burma or with the community of Tibetans and Tibetan monks.Imagine, if at the start of the Olympics in Beijing in 2008, a crowd of athletes and a million Olympic fans would shave their heads in solidarity with the occupied peoples of Tibet or in solidarity with the persecuted peoples of Burma—which China has hegemony over.Imagine if we could have government leaders shave their heads every time they meet with Chinese leaders—not just when talking about human rights—but on any occasion.Imagine the power of that imagery.Imagine if Bush and Cheney would shave their heads (not only to apologize and mourn for all their bad decisions and bad actions of the past decade) but in order to sustain and emphasize to China over the coming years that this need to reform Burma and to reach a peaceful and equitable future in Tibet are essential to long-term concepts about stability and democracy that Americans (and others around the globe) should be holding onto so dearly.It does sound kind of funny, but try to imagine what the Chinese, Thai, Indian, and Burmese leaders would perceive if such a movement developed—and repeated itself in international gathering after international gathering—i.e. all these world leaders humbling themselves and shaving their heads in solidarity with the monks of Burma!OK, even if you can’t really imagine this shaven headed-hoard changing the world, maybe you can smile and commit yourself and your future to some more sustainable ideal than the one we are being served up currently as the status quo.Finally, let us unite on these ideals and push forward like an army of trendsetters and image makers for peace and justice—not people left out of the party because we don’t wear the best clothes or have the shiniest jewels.p.s. Yes, I do hear a chorus of “Alice’s Restaurant” in the corner of my mind ( within my shaven head) as I type this up. If you don’t want to shave your head in solidarity, please consider going on-line& speak out or write a check and supporting the Burmese and charitable organizations that can help them, today.In the meantime, put pressure on Congress to tell companies from China, Thailand, and India investing in and trading in/with Burma to back out or that a boycott will followNOTES
Bhaumik, Suber, “Burma Minority ‘fleeing to India’”, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7058007.stm
Exclusive: Monks vs. Police in Burma, http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1665607,00.html
The Sangha, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/9280/getting5.htm
Xia, Chris, “Monks Unbowed in Opposition”, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7071018.stm
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