Homophobia. -Islamo-phobia, -Buddha-phobia,-Nation-phobia ? [:(]
...you don't have to look too and so far to see similar to that
:racism continues long after the Civil Rights act and other -isms
continue to flare up
One such instance is the Islamophobia that has increased in much of the
Western world after successful Al-Queda attacks of 9/11, the 7/7 attacks
in London, the Madrid train bombing, and others. Muslims have also been
under attack in the Theravadin Buddhist world of Sri Lanka, Thailand,
and -more recently- Burma
In response to this, Joshua Eaton, with Danny Fisher recently created
"An Open Letter on Islamophobia from the Buddhist Community"
.http://buddhistletteronislamophobia.wordpress.com/
<http://buddhistletteronislamophobia.wordpress.com/>
"..In our own countries, we ask law enforcement agencies to stop
targeting Muslim communities with indiscriminate surveillance and
profiling. And we call on Americans to see their Muslims neighbors as
fellow citizens, bound together with them through the shared values of
democracy, equality, and freedom.
In the wider Buddhist community, we ask our fellow Buddhists to refrain
from using the Dharma to support nationalism, ethnic conflict, and
Islamophobia. We believe that these values are antithetical to the
Buddha's teachings on loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy,
and equanimity..."
On a bit `real-er' note, the Olympics produced good stories
related to Buddhism by describing air pistol winner Kim Jang-Mi of South
Korea as an avid meditator:
"In Buddhism it is said that athletic activities pull you into a
natural state of mindfulness. Sport becomes a form of meditation when
you engage it with your full attention."
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=89,11012,0,0,1,0
<http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=89,11012,0,0,1,0>
http://www.examiner.com/article/kim-jang-mi-says-buddhist-mindfulness-tr\
aining-won-her-an-olympic-gold.
<http://www.examiner.com/article/kim-jang-mi-says-buddhist-mindfulness-t\
raining-won-her-an-olympic-gold.>
Interestingly we wonder why another story seems also to gives rise to
mixed feelings:
a Tibetan woman winning an Olympic medal for China. ...
--- In [email protected], turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> Forwarded to FFL, for what I suspect will soon become apparent
reasons,
> is a short post I found on Facebook, originally from a forum that I
know
> nothing about called Wipe Out Homophobia.
>
> Two women became the first couple to have a Buddhist same-sex wedding
in
> Taiwan.
>
> Fish Huang and You Ya-ting , who have been together for seven years,
> exchanged vows and prayer beads instead of rings at a monastery in
> Taoyuan, northern Taiwan, accompanied by chants from nearly 300
> Buddhists.
>
>
[https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/409743_517664258\
\
> 259636_1626934322_n.jpg]
>
>
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/409743_5176642582\
\
> 59636_1626934322_n.jpg
>
<https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/409743_517664258\
\
> 259636_1626934322_n.jpg>
>
