Subject: [CASonline] The Four Noble Truths --
 

 
 
 
 
Dearest Friends @ CAS,
 
We are glad to send you all, the collated teachings - via You Tube - of the precious Teaching on the fundamental tenet of Buddhism, the Four Noble Truth -- by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama --
 
This week's CASonline is thick with rich treasures ( we hope every week's like this !! ), arching from the precious teaching above, an inspiring nun who devoted her whole life to leprous beings, a "downed" cow who teaches with her "plight" and so on and on -- 
 
Limping from a lousy left knee after scaling a nice mountain in Malaysia, bb and 2 other beings @ CAS are back in steamy Singapore, gleeful to have enjoyed fabulous Kopi [ the Malaysian King -- they called him "The Agong" -- is said to have asked for coffee here to be brought back to his palace !! ], excellent toast with melted butter and "kaya" and definitely to have doused the mountain with thousands upon thousands of prayers to awesome Guru Padma and Holy Mother Tara --  
 
Rejoice too that the river flowing through the mountain now shimmers with blessings from the "King of Dharma" -- the Nechung Choegyal Dorje Drakden -- and that one secret spot near the summit lied buried within, the precious blessed Pill-Grain of this Great Protector --
 
May all beings within and without the mountain be free from all sufferings and attain the permanent bliss of Buddhahood soonest !!
 
"Namo Amituofo !!"
 
bb   @ CAS belinging to ( holy ) Thousand-Arm Chenrezig
 
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From Rinchen Gyalpo:
 
 
Dalai Lama - The Four Noble Truths Part 1/4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXmdKWVirUA

Dalai Lama - The Four Noble Truths Part 2/4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoMJ2B3v1iU

Dalai Lama - The Four Noble Truths Part 3/4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3t0uMdPT6g

Dalai Lama - The Four Noble Truths Part 4/4
 
 
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Germans Prefer Dalai Lama to Pope Benedict,
Says Study
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Deutsche Welle
July 14, 2007
 
Germans like the Dalai Lama more than they do their native-born Pope
Benedict XVI, according to a survey published on Saturday.
 
A study carried out for the news magazine Der Spiegel showed that 44 per
cent of those questioned saw the Tibetan spiritual and secular leader as a
role model, while only 42 per cent attributed the same qualities to the
pope.
 
The Dalai Lama enjoyed a particularly high popularity rating among the young
and better educated, according to the survey by the TNS research
organization.
 
Half of those questioned in these groups believed the Buddhist leader was
able "to provide advice on how to live," according to the study, which
showed that Germans found Buddhism a more sympathetic religion than
Christianity or Islam.
 
Asked what they thought was the "most peaceful religion," 43 per cent opted
for Buddhism, while 41 per cent chose Christianity. Only 1 per cent picked
Islam.
 
The Bavarian-born pope was criticized by German protestants this week for
endorsing a Vatican document reaffirming the primacy of the Catholic Church
and dismissing other Christian denominations as either "defective" or "not
proper churches."
 
The Tibetan spiritual leader, who was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1989
for his efforts to achieve a non-violent solution to the Tibetan problem, is
due to pay a 10-day visit to Germany starting July 19.
 
During his stay, he will deliver a series of lectures and philosophical
talks at the Hamburg tennis stadium and attend an international congress of
Buddhist monks and nuns.
 
- Article compiled based on wire reports(nda)
 
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Auspicious Message from a Friend @ CAS
 
I would like to express my sincere thanks to you and Brother BB and all the Beings at CAS for doing such a wonderful job in propogating the dharma and benefitting mundane Beings like me.  May you all be blessed with long life and good health.
 
Yours in the dharma
 
May All Sentient Beings Be Well and Happy
 
Amituofo
 
Aloka
 
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CAS's hidden Bodhisattva of the Month
 

Elderly nun reflects on life serving lepers, elderly

Sister Aramburu

YANGON ?a To keep her mind "fresh", 87-year-old Franciscan Sister Victoria Aramburu says it helps to think she is half her age.

The Spanish nun, now retired and wheelchair-bound, can no longer care for the elderly as she did before at the Church-run Home for the Aged in Yangon.

Now, that place is her home and she is largely on the receiving end of care, but she still keeps herself busy praying and chatting with the other seniors.

Before retiring in 1995, the Franciscan sister served the elderly and people afflicted with leprosy in Mandalay and Yangon for nearly half a century.

Sister Ardmburu was born in San Sebastian, Spain, on Apr 2, 1920, the youngest of 10 children. She became a Franciscan missionary nun in 1944.

Four years later, she came to Myanmar ?a then called Burma ?ajust after it became independent. Her first mission was the leprosy asylum at St. John's Church

in Mandalay, 580 kilometres north of Yangon. She remained there until 1955, when she was transferred to the leprosy asylum in Kyeemendine, Yangon.

In 1966, she was assigned to the Catholic-run Home for the Aged, where she worked until she retired. The UCA News interview with her there follows:

 

UCA NEWS: Why did you choose to come to Myanmar?
        I came here because of obedience, but I was very glad to do mission work in Myanmar.

My dream was to go to the lepers. What is evangelization? It means to give good example. Before I came here, I already knew about the Franciscan nuns caring for lepers. God brought me here. I had no difficulties.

How did you feel about serving them?

        It made me very happy to stay with the lepers, to dress and clean their wounds. I never used a mask and gloves. I'm not afraid. I liked them very much and I pitied them. The smell of some of their wounds was very bad, but I took care of them. I didn't receive any training. I learned from experience.

It was hard caring for the lepers, but they were smart. They could cut their own hair and shave. They could also be carpenters, electricians and plumbers. We never needed to call outside workers to do this work in our leprosarium.

The lepers had a normal life. They were young people. The condition of some improved, but they never got cured. In Mandalay, there were about 300 lepers ?a Buddhists, Catholics, Hindus and a few Muslims. They needed to sleep at the right time and to rest. They ate rice, beans, vegetables, chicken and pork.

I also learned the Myanmar language from the lepers. After listening to them talk, I found I could automatically speak it.

What was challenging about caring for the elderly?

        I used to help in the infirmary in the elderly people's centre and gave medicine to the sick. I also took care of the elderly men and bathed them.

At both the leprosarium and the elderly centre, I had to care only for men. When I was four months old, my father died and I never got to know him. In

memory of my father, I cared for these men. I loved them like my father. Old people are like children.

    At Christmas time,  the nuns would always give shirts and longyi (sarongs) as presents, but they would sell them to buy cigarettes and other things.

When the bell rings for prayers, some old Catholics are lazy and do not come to the church. God calls, but Buddhists and other Christians come. I do not force them. Sometimes the Catholics don't listen to the nuns. It is very hard.

Once I confronted a stubborn old Chinese man who had dirty things in his room. When I removed all those things, he was so angry and tried to beat me. I had to be very careful with that kind of old person.

They area little absent­minded. They want freedom. They want to eat as they wish. When they get what they wish for, they are satisfied.

How do families treat their elderly in Myanmar?

        Families treat their elderly very well. Some bring the elderly to the centre because they must go to work and nobody can care for them. Others are very poor and bring their elderly to the centre. The nuns care for them very well.

Why did you become a nun?

    It was my dream to go to the missions. I had the idea of looking after these people. I pondered at length over iny vocation. When I told my Mother, she opposed it, but by then, I had already contacted the novitiate.

 

What was the hardest part of your missionary journey?

        When I left my fancily. I was sent. to Myanmar for good. My mother never knew I left Spain. Only my sister knew. I sacrificed my life only for God. At that time, our congregation was very strict and we did not have a chance to go home for family visits. When I got a letter saying my mother had died, I cried and cried.

What can you say about growing old?

        I am 87, but I act like I am 40. It is better to live like this. It keeps my mind fresh. I am not afraid of old age.

  I pray every day - a morning prayers, Mass, adoration and evening prayers. God gives me good health, so I am still active. When some needy people come, talk with them. When the elderly people are sick, I go and see them.

Do you have any special memories?

        When I was to leave the Mandalay asylum, the lepers were very sad and gave me many presents such as slippers and clothes. Some cried. The lepers were very good in teaching me the Myanmar language. They had a lot of energy. They knew I loved them and they felt very happy. I cared for them from my heart.

 
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From Lizzie: 

If U Know U Are Eating Badly Abused Animals with Bruises, Wounds, & Broken Bodies Left to Die In Their Own Urine or Shit, Would U Still Eat Them for your Lunch or Dinner ?

Downed Cow: This Story Will Change Your Life

downed cow
The truck carrying this cow was unloaded at Walton Stockyards in Kentucky one September morning. After the other animals were removed from the truck, she was left behind, unable to move. Stockyard workers used customary electric prods in her ear to try to get her out of the truck, then they beat her and kicked her in the face, ribs, and back, but she still didn't move. They tied a rope around her neck, tied the other end to a post in the ground, and drove the truck away. The cow was dragged along the floor of the truck and fell to the ground, breaking both her hind legs and her pelvis in the process. She remained this way until 7:30 that evening.

For the first three hours, she lay in the hot sun crying out. Periodically, when she urinated or defecated, she used her front legs to drag herself along the gravel roadway to a clean spot. She also tried to crawl to a shaded area, but she was unable to move far enough. Altogether, she only managed to crawl between 13 and 14 yards. The stockyard employees wouldn't allow her any drinking water; the only water she received was given to her by Jessie Pierce, a local animal rights activist. After she was contacted by a woman who witnessed the incident, Jessie arrived at noon. Stockyard workers did not cooperate to help her, so she called the Kenton County police. A police officer arrived but was instructed by his superiors to do nothing; he left at 1 p.m.  The stockyard operator informed Jessie that he had permission from the insurance company to kill the cow but wouldn't do it until Jessie left. Although doubtful that he would keep his word, Jessie left at 3. She returned at 4:30 and found the stockyard deserted. Three dogs were attacking the cow, who was still alive. She had suffered a number of bite wounds, and her drinking water had been removed. Jessie contacted the state police. Four officers arrived at 5:30. State trooper Jan Wuchner wanted to shoot the cow but was told that a veterinarian should kill her. The facility's two veterinarians would not euthanize her; they claimed that in order to preserve the value of the meat, the cow could not be destroyed. A butcher eventually arrived at 7:30 and shot the cow. Her body was purchased for $307.50.

When the stockyard operator was questioned by a reporter from The Kentucky Post, he stated, "We didn't do a damned thing to it,?and referred to the attention given to the cow by humane workers and police as bullcrap.?He laughed throughout the interview, saying that there was nothing wrong with the way that the cow was treated. 

This is not an isolated case. It is so common that animals in this condition are known in the meat industry as downers.According to the meat industry's own statistics, each year, millions of chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows arrive at the slaughterhouse either dead or too sick or injured to walk. The animals become severely crippled or ill after a lifetime of abuse in factory farms and a very difficult journey to the slaughterhouse, during which they are shipped through all weather extremes without any food or water. Factory farms don't provide individualized medical care or humane euthanasia to sick animals: It's cheaper to let the animals suffer and eventually die. The suffering caused by the meat, egg, and dairy industries?cost-cutting measures is enormous. The egg industry, for example, confines between five and 11 birds to small wire
battery cages, despite the fact that the extreme crowding causes some of the birds to get sick and die. Egg-industry expert Bernard Rollin sums up the simple, cold-hearted reasoning of egg factory-farm operators by saying that chickens are cheap, cages are expensive.
 
downed pig
Unable to move or stand after suffering for her whole life in a factory farm, this pig was left to die.

After PETA brought much-needed attention to this issue, the Kenton County Police Department adopted a policy requiring that euthanasia be performed on all downed animals immediately, whether they are on the farm, in transit, or at the slaughterhouse. Many other law enforcement agencies don't have such policies, and downed animals continue to suffer everywhere. It is up to the public to demand change in how the meat, egg, and dairy industries treat animals, and it is up to consumers to refuse to purchase the products of this miserable industry. Otherwise, many more animals will continue to suffer the same agonizing fate of this nameless cow.
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

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