Vol.14 No.1 Jan.-Apr. 2541 (1998)
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SEEDS OF PEACE Vol.14 No.1 Jan.-Apr. 2541 (1998) Special Issue On 'Alternatives to Consumerism' And Remembering Gandhi On His 50Th Death Anniversary SEEDS OF c 0 N T E N T Publisher 4 Editorial Notes Sulak Sivaraksa COUNTRY REPORTS Editor 5 BANGLADESH: Non-violence Training for Buddhist Women Br. Jarlath D'Souza Zarina Mulla 5 BURMA: Buddhist Women in Burma Martin Petrich 8 CAMBODIA: Toward an Environmental Ethic in SE Asia 9 INDIA: A Gandhian Seminar Towards Global Unity Br. Jarlath D'Souza Cover 9 INDONESIA: Seminar on Love in Action Yabin Pali verses by the Venerable P.O.Box 19 10 MALAYSIA: "Operation Lalang"- 10 Years Later Mahadthai P Somdech Maha 11 THAILAND: Buddhist Monks and Teachers Behind Most Child Assaults Bangkok 10 Ghosananda Tel./Fax [66 OUR ACTIVITIES E-mail: ineb Lay-out 12 Alternatives to Consumerism Gathering 1997 Pavel Gmuzdek Song Sayam. , Ltd. 18 Declaration on Alternatives to Consumerism: Draft The goals Tel. 662-225-9533-5 19 Declaration on Alternatives to Consumerism: Comments Jane Rasbaslz I. Promote 20 Sao Paulo Message of the Alliance for a Responsible and United World among Bu Published by 21 Creative Street Theatre James Andean Buddhist se 24 A Workshop: Self Reliance at the Grassroots Lillian Willoughby Buddhist gro /NEB 26 Natural Childhood Hans van Willensvaard 2. Facilitate Ph & Fax [66-2]433-7169 30 Yadana Pipeline Walks and Tree Ordination Todd Ansted many proble E-mail: [email protected] 33 Dharma Walks: Expressing Solidarity .,.,j,h Indigenous Peoples Zarina Mulla societies, and & 36 Letter to the Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai ATC Forest Walks Participants 3. Articulate TICD Buddhismre~ Ph. & Fax:662-437 9450 ARTICLES 38 Applying Gandhi for Alternatives to Consumerism Sulak Sivaraksa Distributed by 41 Heavenly Abodes and Human Development Aung San Suu Kyi Suksit Siam 44 The Story of Pho: The Monk Who Ordained Trees Matt Weiner ll3-Jl5 FuangnakhornRd. Bangkok 10200 BOOKS 47 Ecological Responsibility: A Dialogue with Buddhism Chris Walker Fax [66-2]222-5188 Commission 48 Recommended Readings 124 Soi War Baht 100 per issue Bangkok I LETTERS Tel/Fax: 66-2- 50 Letter from ATC Secretariat Payment info USA: Bank of America Shattuck-Vine Branch Step by Step A!C No: 05570-15663 A peaceful heart makes a peaceful person, Thailand: First Bangkok City A peaceful person makes a peaceful family, Bank Public Company Ltd., A peaceful family makes a peaceful community, Sao-Ching-Cha Branch, A peaceful community makes a peaceful country, A peaceful country makes a peaceful world, Bangkok term of m A!C No. 007-2-08966-6 Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda -upport anc! need help. PEACE Is published thrice annually in January, May and September, in order to promote the aims and objectives of the Thai Inter-Religious Commission for Development (TICD) and the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB). Suggested minimum donation US$ 20 per annum, postage included. Personal cheques from UK and USA are accepted. Letter from H. H. the Dalai Lama to H. H. I NEB the Sangharaja ofThailand on the occasion of the P.O.Box 19 latter's 84111 birthday. Mahadthai Post Office Bangkok 10206 Tel./Fax [662-]433-7169 E-mail: [email protected] The Dalai Lama The goals of INEB are to : I. Promote understanding and co-operation December 1, 1997 among Buddhist countries, different Buddhist sects, and socially conscious Your Holiness, Buddhist groups. 2. Facilitate and carry out solutions to the many problems facing our communities, I am extremely happy to send this letter through Yen. societies, and world. Doboom Tulku, Director, Tibet House, New Delhi. 3. Articulate the perspective of Engaged Buddhism regarding these problems and train I would like to felicitate you on the special occasion of Buddhist activists accordingly. your 84'h birthday anniversary. As in the past, I pray for your 4. Serve as a clearing house of information long life, good health and success in your wonderful Dharma on existing Engaged Buddhist groups. 5. Cooperate with activists from other work. spiritual traditions. I would also like to take this opportunity to express our Thai Inter-Religious profound gratitude for your generous gift of a thousand Buddha Commission for Development images for the Tashi Dhargye Monastery. This gift is a symbol 124 Soi Wat Thongnopakhun of the cordial and brotherly attitude Your Holiness has for Bangkok 10600 the Tibetan Buddhists. It has always been my sincere hope that TeVFax: 66-2-437-9450 there will be more contacts and better understanding between the The objectives of TICD are to: Thai and the Tibetan Buddhists. I. Coordinate work among individuals, groups of individuals and various agencies With prayers and good wishes dealing with religions and development in the course of working together. Yours sincerely, 2. Share experience in and knowledge of religions and development as well as explor ing ways and means of working together. (H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama) 3. Offer training and secure resources in terms of man-power and materials to support and enhance the agencies that need help. VOL.l4 No.I J EDITOQIAL NOTE~ The industrialist was horrified to find the fisherman lying beside his boat, smoking his pipe. -Why aren't you fishing? said the industrialist. -Because I have caught enough fish for the day. violen -Why don't you catch some more? chan1 -What would I do with them? (CHT -Earn more money. Then you could have a motor fixed to med your boat and go into deeper waters and catch more fish. of no That would bring you money to buy nylon nets, so more tramm fish, more money. Soon you would have enough to buy two and boats even a fleet ofboats. Then you could be rich like me. tnbal -What would I do then? 30 p' -Then you could sit back and enjoy life. The -What do you think I'm doing now? dhist t semn~ agrun This pithy story says it all, doesn't it? Not only does nent er this fisher know how to enjoy life, he respects the fish, is erent in tune with his wants, seems self-reliant and could easily purpo~ teach many people in the rich and poor nations alike, a select thing or two about mindful consumption. trainer day cl Spirituality and consumerism was the focus of the Alternatives to Consumerism(ATC) Seminar strong held at Buddhamonthon Park, 8-12 December 1997. This issue is devoted to the Seminar and various level : related activities before and after. This issue is also devoted to the champion of simplicity, Mahatma Gandhi, as we remember his 50'hdeath anniversary. Lack of space precludes the printing of some inspiring speeches and articles connected to the two themes. These include: Spiritual Education from a Buddhist Perspective by Pracha Hutanuwatr, Rethinking Education on the Verge of Globalization by Pipob Udomittipong and A Gandhian Perspective on Alternatives to Consumerism by Gedong Bagoes Oka. These will be published at a later date through our occasional papers. Worth mention is also the Alternative Politics in Asia Seminar at Wongsanit Ashram, 1-5 December. Participants from Southeast and South Asia discussed the problems, vision and strategy of politics in Asia. The topic of spirituality and consumerism couldn't be more relevant now in a country like Thailand, as the vile aftereffects of excessive consumerism become apparent. The economic situation tru is grim. But, in the words of one ATC participant, Vicki Robin, author of Your Money or Your Life. Lis and e· a manual on voluntary simplicity, "this could be a really wonderful opportunity for the people of peacef< Thailand to reconsider adopting the great god of materialism". I sincerely hope Vicki's words come kitchen true. of a ne lay-pee Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful1998! Ye\\dC alreaJ: brea -:.: who c Yen. U Tham revere at Th located 4 SBEDS OF PEACB - 5ANGLADE0H: Non-violence Trainin8 for Buddhist Women The November 4-6, 1997 Non participants, and also proposals BPF&-, and conducted by Br. violence training held in Khagra to hold similar base training for Jarlath D'Souza, CSC, in col chari in the Chittagong Hill Tracts other tribal groups in other tribal laboration with Sangeeta Barua, (CHT), Bangladesh, can be ter centres of the CHT. Ratna Prova Chakma, Paul med an unique one in the annals Twenty-six participants Charwa Tigga, and Yen. Suma of non-violence training. It was a were Chakma tribal women, 3 nalankar Mahathero. In the role training exclusively for women, were from the Marma tribe, and play, events were taken from the and attended almost entirely by there was one Muslim woman non-violent actions of Mahatma tribal women. All but one of the from Chittagong. More than one Gandhi, Martin Luther King, 30 participants were Buddhists. session was devoted to tribal Yen. Somdech Maha Ghosa The training took place in a Bud culture and the tribal response to nanda of Cambodia, ete. At the dhist temple complex in a rural violence, keeping the situation ending, gratitude was expressed setting. The training was cast of the CHT in focus. The training for the support of Shelley An against the backdrop of the immi focused on causes of violence, dersen of the Women Peacemak nent ending of the state of bellig especially violence to women; ers' prog~<tmme of IFOR, Ne erent violence in the CHT. The history and relevance of non-vio therlands, and to Chittagong purpose of the training was to lence and the role of Buddhism; Regional Office ofCaritas Bang select and prepare non-violence techniques for trainers; and ladesh. trainers for the future; on the last methods of social analysis.