...nwood...

Eileen Spillane and Ajahn Amaro Photo by Ed Ritger

DharmaWheels.org sums up the Buddhist Bicycle Pilgrimage in this way: "2 Days...137 miles of cycling...60,000 breaths." This is much more appropriate, and poetic than the tag line that occurred to me during the ride, which had something to do with mindfulness of one of the more southern extremes of the body.

[G2:1905 class=g2image_float_left]Projects:
StoneCircles.org is in the process of purchasing a large number of “flip video” cameras which are very discrete, AA battery operated, tape-less cameras whose data can be uploaded directly to a computer and then sent by satellite phone out to the world. The cameras are only about $100 apiece and we need your help to purchase them and the more expensive transmission equipment needed to get the video out of the country...Making sure that the world can witness what is going on within Burma is one of the only means we have of keeping the activities of the government under check and bring power back into the hands of the Burmese people...Click on the “donate now” button and then be sure to check “yes” where it asks if this donation is designated for Burmese video equipment.

Petitions:

• Contact Elected Officials
• http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/uscampaignforburma/pe...
• http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/tf.php?cl_tf_sign=1

Links:

• http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/whatyoucando/getstarted.html
• http://www.badasf.org/
• The Buddhist Peace Fellowship's Burma Action Page: http://bpf.org/html/whats_now/2007/burmaevents.html
• San Francisco Insight Meditation Community
  http://sfinsight.org/burma.html

Read on for past events:

[G2:1907 class=g2image_float_left] (Image from: http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/index.html) The 2008 Beijing Olympics does seem to be mentioned more frequently in the last few days. I was pleased to wake up to this story on NPR's Morning Edition:

China Urged to Use Clout in Myanmar

For the latest: Try this Google News Search

This is a great article on the cultural, political and spiritual ramifications of the political action by Burmese Monks this past week:

What Makes a Monk Mad

More opportunities for political action in San Francisco:

Monday, October 1, noon, Justin Herman Plaza: walking meditation and
walk to United Nations Plaza.
This will be a nonviolent public walk in solidarity with the Burma

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YouTube: BBC: Troops Fire on Burmese Monks (1:44)

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When: Friday (Sept 28) at 12 noon

Where: the Chinese Consulate, 1450 Laguna Street at Geary in San Francisco (near Japantown)

Try to wear red (in solidarity with the maroon-robed monks), make signs, prepare to do both sitting and walking meditation.

See message below from the organizers, Rebecca Solnit and Marisa Handler, for more details.

Please forward this message widely!

Maia Duerr
Buddhist Peace Fellowship

Begin forwarded message:

This would be a good time to send wishes for safety and peace and justice in Burma (Myanmar). 3,000 were killed in a similar peaceful protest in 1988.

BANGKOK, Sept. 25 -- ...There were also concerns that the government might use provocateurs to stir violence and justify a crackdown, as it did in 1988. The Burma Campaign UK said its sources had reported the junta ordering large numbers of maroon monastic robes and telling soldiers to shave their heads, possibly to infiltrate the monks...

New York Times: Burmese Monks Protest, Defying Junta’s Warning