Thai Buddhists plead for peaceful transformation in Burma

Thai Buddhists plead for peaceful transformation in Burma
Prachatai
28 September 2007
News


A network of Buddhist monks, nuns and lay people has submitted a letter of petition to the Sangha Administrative Council of Thailand demanding that they show support for the cessation of the use of violent suppression against hundreds of thousands of Buddhists protesting against the military junta in Burma.



Here is the statement submitted to the Acting Supreme Patriarch at Wat Saket, Bangkok.



Committee of the Sangha Administrative Council of Thailand

Your Excellency,



With reference to the peaceful protests led by tens of thousands of Burmese Buddhists in Rangoon in recent weeks against the military junta, the international community, led by the United Nations, has demanded that the Burmese authorities refrain from using violence against the demonstrators; even so, violence has been inflicted on Buddhist monks and people, many of whom have lost their lives from the use of military force.



The Thai and Burmese Sangha have had a long history of prominence in the region for the propagation of Theravada Buddhism, as the celebration of the 25th Buddhist Millennium was organized in Rangoon. Thai Buddhist monks themselves have benefited from both academic and meditation training from the Sangha in Burma. Moreover, according to ancient Thai scriptures, senior Buddhist monks belonging to the Ramnaya Nikaya Sect in Burma made a significant contribution that made possible the declaration of independence of Ayutthaya by King Naresuan.



Even though direct intervention in politics by Buddhist monks, such as demonstrations, has to be done cautiously, their moral intervention to foster non-violence is much desired. In ancient times, the Buddha himself intervened directly in order to mediate major conflicts, and some interventions were fruitful and helped to alleviate bloodshed.



Buddhika is a network of hundreds of Buddhist monks, nuns and lay people who have attempted to apply Buddhist teachings to social and environmental causes over the past seven years. Together with various civil society organizations in Thailand, we deem that Thai Buddhists are obliged to intervene for peaceful transformation in Burma, a neighbouring country which shares with us long spiritual and historical roots.



As the supreme administrative body of the Thai Sangha, we would like to call on you to make your position and proper intervention vis-à-vis the current situation in Burma. We should make known to people the world over our desire to see the end of violent and deadly suppression against peace-loving Buddhist monks and lay people in Burma.



We look forward to your kind consideration.



Yours faithfully,



The Buddhika Network (http://budnet.info/)

27 September 2007



Translated by Pipob Udomittipong