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
____________
From Rinchen Gyalpo:
Dalai Lama - The Four Noble Truths Part
1/4
http://www.youtube. Dalai Lama - The Four Noble Truths Part 2/4 http://www.youtube. Dalai Lama - The Four Noble Truths Part 3/4 http://www.youtube. Dalai Lama - The Four Noble Truths Part 4/4 ------------
Germans Prefer Dalai Lama to Pope Benedict,
Says Study
------------
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)
____________
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
____________
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. ____________
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 LifeThe 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-
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. |
|||
|