New Beginnings

mbining Seattle’s Seeds of Compassion with a family road trip has to be one of the best idea’s my husband has thrown out in a long time. Armed with our Seattle City Pass, we drove a rental car (much better gas mileage) up to Portland first (Hey, Nik!) and then into Seattle around 8pm Thursday evening. Max and I got up early Friday morning and set off to see His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and other panelists for a discussion on the social and emotional education of children.  This truly amazing conference kicked off a 5 day family trip of fun, activity, chaos, and family unity (totally not kidding).

Later that day we were surprised to discover our valet parked car had been vandalized and my husband’s Garmin GPS unit stolen. Really, it wasn’t the end of the world, but the hotel’s detached and nonchalant response was a little disturbing. Needless to say, my sheltered little lambs freaked a bit and need some time to talk about what had happened and why someone would steal from us.  Frankly, listening to educators and the Dalai Lama speak for 90 minutes earlier in the day was good preparation for putting everything in perspective.

Can I just say how blessed I feel to be able to one, participate in such an event (I received tickets for the Business forum on Monday also…amazing!) and, two, share it with my son. Truly a gift. My chaotic and loud little monsters were well behaved (relatively) the entire trip and had just too much fun. And the real cake topper was the fantastic time we all had exploring Seattle and being as touristy as possible: Pike’s Market, Woodland Park Zoo, Space Needle (including ridiculously expensive, but tasty dinner), the aquarium, EMP/SFM, and the Pacific Science Center. Vary rarely does one get to take a trip that encompasses so many aspects of who I am: mother, wife, Buddhist, educator, business woman.

Seattle Trip - April 2008

This past weekend was truly a New Beginning for me. I took refuge with my new Sangha and my teachers Lama Yeshe and Lama Pema. Not only did I find my spiritual home, but I went from a student of Buddhism to a Buddhist student by going for refuge. And, though I’m not a Christian, my family donned their Easter duds and went to church for a lovely hour of fellowship. In this time of global war and hate mongering, it was a joy to spend some time sharing positive ideas and discussing the concept and reality of love in today’s world. I found it refreshing and inspiring.

I was able to get 3 tickets to see Obama on Saturday, but because of my Sangha commitments I gave them to my 10 year old son, my grandma and my mom. And although my family is strongly pro-Hillary, I think it was an amazing experience for Max to participate in.

So I start this work week refreshed and trying to ignore Mr. It’s Not My Fault and his overwhelming negativity in the office. And, for the record, you can call me Karma Yeshe Khandro or Dakini of Primordial Awareness!

I received the following email from the International Campaign for Tibet: 

Dear Friend,

I know you have been following the unprecedented events inside Tibet this week. If you are pressed for time, please jump to the end of this email for ways you can help.

There are now many reports of Tibetans being killed in the streets of Lhasa by security personnel. And many reports of Tibetans damaging Chinese stores. We now have photos of security vehicles overturned and in flames. And, a Tibetan in Lhasa told ICT staff that martial law has been imposed.

Reports of new developments are coming in every hour.

• Reports by doctors in Lhasa of dozens of wounded streaming into
  hospitals.
• Unconfirmed reports that soldiers are firing on Tibetans in the
  streets.
• Confirmed reports that the major monasteries around Lhasa have been
  sealed off.
• Three hundred monks from Drepung monastery and 100 nuns from Chutsang
  nunnery marched toward the center of Lhasa, stopped by armed
  police.  One was beaten to the ground.
• Unconfirmed reports of scores of Tibetans shot and killed including a
  16 year-old girl killed and taken away by Tibetans on Beijing Middle
  Road.
• Arrest of around 500 students from Tibet University, according to
  CNN.

 A Danish tourist just sent this email. . .

“Lhasa is in flames. There are tanks/armoured vehicles driving round in the streets - what’s going on is crazy . . . . it looks like a war zone. Almost all Chinese shops on the main street up to the Dalai Lama’s Winter Palace have been set on fire.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has issued a statement calling on the Chinese to show restraint and calling on Tibetans not to resort to violence.

This appears to be by far the largest uprising in Tibet since 1989, and if unconfirmed reports are true, there may be more Tibetan casualties in the streets of Lhasa than at any time since 1959.

We fear that as I write this, hundreds of Tibetans have been arrested and are being interrogated and tortured. We are still digesting the scope of this emergency and working the phones with governments, the media and others to bring pressure to bear on Beijing.

I want to let you know that the International Campaign for Tibet is currently working on many fronts to improve the situation in Tibet as only we can . . .

• Making preparations now to provide basic necessities for what is
  expected to be a large influx of new Tibetan refugees fleeing to
  Katmandu.
• Beefing up our on-the-ground field team inside Tibet to make sure that
  the facts of what is really happening are getting out, accurately and
  without bias, to world media as quickly as possible.
• Putting pressure on China to open Lhasa and other parts of Tibet to
  the media so the world can know what is really going on behind the
  veil of Chinese propaganda.
• Encouraging our friends in governments here in the U.S. and around the
  world to demand that the Chinese show restraint in their reaction to
  the protests.

As a friend of Tibet, I hope you can help us at this critical time with a generous donation so we will continue to have the resources we need to react quickly and effectively.

Please use the following link to make your contribution securely online:
http://support.savetibet.org/site/R?i=oE5GDu50ZwS8OKXOBU5qCA..

For additional ways to help out in Lhasa, consider the following:

1. Contact you member of Congress and ask that they call on China to
release all detainees, and allow international media access to Lhasa. To find your legislator, click here:
http://support.savetibet.org/site/R?i=0yOvZIL0sgCZHOjiXD2qSQ..

2. If you know any tourists in Lhasa, or others who may have direct
knowledge of what is happening in Tibet, please contact us immediately
at info@savetibet.org.

3. Events of support are happening around the U.S. and Canada. To join a rally at a Chinese consulate or embassy in your area, please
use the link below to review the list of local Tibet Support Groups holding demonstrations:
http://support.savetibet.org/site/R?i=TxNq1OOCO9TKgnWTvluhAw..

And please share this email with friends that you know would like to help. We need as many people with us now as possible:
http://support.savetibet.org/site/R?i=zKbK62D5qegUeF4myUbi1Q..

I also encourage you to visit our web site often,
http://support.savetibet.org/site/R?i=zNUTJCskadAtresyIc7oBw, to keep up to date on what is happening inside Tibet.

We need to act now –  I hope I can count on you.

With thanks for your support,

John Ackerly
President

International Campaign for Tibet
1825 Jefferson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20036

As the protests in Tibet turn violent, we should do our best as citizens of the world to understand what this all means. I’ve compiled some current links for you to review and come to your own conclusions. Later this weekend, I will also put together some information to provide you with the background for the unrest in Tibet.

• His Holiness the 14thd Dalai Lama’s Official Statement
• AFP
• CNN Article #1 - CNN Article #2 - CNN Video
• New York Times -Photos
• YouTube: Tibet Protest on Mt. Everest
• LA Times
• Newsvine/AP
• Bjork is not crazy
• Buddhist Monks in Burma:
  Burma, Buddhism and Power (Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippet

Monk Protests in Tibet Draw Chinese Security

Did you know that Martha Stewart contributed $4600 to Hillary Clinton’s campaign?

Did you know that Tim Russert has mentioned UFOs and smoking bans in presidential debates, but not once uttered the words “global warming” on his show or at a debate?

Did you know that there were over 188 veteran suicides last year? It’s being called a silent epidemic. How do we help our soldiers cope with what we are asking them to do? I highly recommend this article about a Marine back from Iraq and his struggle to get back to his life.

Did you know that most writer’s and editorial assistants in the entertainment industry are women? How is really paying for the strike?

Did you know that Pakistani militants have destroyed the second most important Buddhist sculptures in South Asia?

Did you know there’s a new movie about punk icon Joe Strummer? Did you know that Stummer was born in Turkey?

Have you seen the news?

After decades of brutal dictatorship, the people of Burma are rising. In the past few days, hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters, led by Buddhist monks (in the spirit of the rebel Buddha), have flooded the streets of Rangoon. But yesterday, the military started shooting monks and journalists.

This is a true emergency. Avaaz.org and MoveOn.org have launched a petition demanding Burmese generals negotiate rather than crush the demonstrators. They’re focused on getting United Nations Security Council members–particularly China’s Hu Jintao–to intervene. Thousands of people from all over the world are adding their names every hour — will you sign? Click here:

http://pol.moveon.org/burma/?r_by=11318-7049029-Ttmhrj&rc=paste

Pass it on! Thanks!!

In the Art of Happiness the Dalai Lama says the antidotes to hate and anger are tolerance and patience. Because I seem to be filled with various levels of hate and anger lately I’m going to make a concentrated effort to work on neutralizing these negative feelings by actively combating them with tolerance and patience. That coupled with the card I drew during my women’s group (”Don’t take it personally”) should give me plenty to mediate on for the next month or so.

Is it true what my son says? Am I turning into a hippie? Somebody shoot me when I start rubbing patchouli on myself…

Everyday, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.

-His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet

For more wisdom from the Dalai Lama, please see the Zaadz website. For more information on Buddhism and recovery visit Dharma Punx, Kevin Griffith, or Buddhist Recovery.

As with a lot of people in recovery, the keystone of my sobriety is my relationship with a higher power. I literally had to start from scratch “formulating” the idea of god, let alone trying to develop a relationship with it/him/her. Frankly, I was completely and totally spiritually bankrupt. On my journey I have read and learned heaps and heaps of good stuff while slowly coming to terms with what I believe in and what God’s will meant to me. One of the spiritual/philosophical practices that really appeals to me is that of Buddhism. There’s an amazing library of resources out there for alcoholics and addicts attracted to Buddhism. By far the most compelling and valuable book I’ve read to date is Kevin Griffin’s One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps. I just love how cleanly (and simply) he ties the two schools of thought together and makes them easy to understand and practice. The next book I plan to read along this same topic is Noah Levine’s Dharma Punx, which also looks pretty good. Someday, when I get some spare time, I’ll write up reviews on both of these and some of the others I’ve read.

Although, I have no interest in rewriting the 12 steps of AA (they’re working just fine for me the way they are, thank you very much), I did find an interesting interpretation of them on the website for the Lion’s Roar Dharma Center Recovery Group (see below).

The 12 Steps of Liberation

1. The truth of suffering. We experienced the truth of our addictions – our lives were unmanageable suffering.
2. The truth of the origin of suffering. We admit that we craved for and grasped onto addictions as our refuge.
3. The truth of the end of suffering. We came to see that complete cessation of craving and clinging at addictions is necessary.
4. The truth of the path. We made a decision to follow the way of liberation and to take refuge in our wakefulness, our truth, and our fellowship.
5. Right view. We made a searching and fearless review of our life. We are willing to acknowledge and proclaim our truth to ourselves, another human being and the community.
6. Right thought. We are mindful that we create the causes for suffering and liberation. Our goodness is indestructible.
7. Right speech. We purify, confess and ask for forgiveness straightforwardly and without judgment. We are willing to forgive others.
8. Right action. We make a list of all persons we harm and are willing and able to actively make amends to them all, unless to do so would be harmful.
9. Right livelihood. We simplify our lives, realizing we are all interconnected. We select a vocation that supports our recovery.
10. Right effort. We realize that continuing to follow this path, no matter what, is joyful effort.
11. Right mindfulness. Through prayer, meditation and action we will follow the path of kindness, being mindful moment by moment.
12. Right concentration. Open to the spirit of awakening as a result of these steps, we will carry this message to all people suffering with addictions.

If you’re interested in Buddhism and how it can help you in your recovery, you can also check out these sites:
http://www.buddhistrecovery.com/
http://www.dharmapunx.com/index.asp
http://www.kevingriffin.com
http://open-mind.org/News/SH/23.htm
http://www.geocities.com/bodhi_01au/index.html
http://www.viacorp.com/addiction.html
http://www.flatmajic.com/spirituality/Buddhism/buddhismandrecovery.htm