it's bingo heaven in Shwe Dagon (r)

[policy.office@xxxxxxxxx]

The Squandering of language

>     I agree with Susu and others that Roger Bunn has a 
rather peculiar >slant on Burmese Buddhism. 


Not Burmese buddhism m'dear felows, because in reality there is 
no such thing as a national buddhism, only nationalism

And I'm not sure there isn't a certain >ethnocentric arrogance involved,


probably a little , but what the hell.. No one is perfect,. except Susu
that is


 too. It's true that SPDC has been
>sponsoring the renovation of the Shwe Dagon, spending a lot of money and
>getting a lot of donations from devout folk.


Really? Is that what the b'stards are doing?

 (see the recent article by >Aung Zaw in IRRAWADDY). 
Their motives certainly are not pure. But >politics has always 
been mixed up with religion. 


Not in England..  Anyway, not since the Kings troops cut up
my great great great g/father  that was.

Despite the junta's >occupation of the pagoda, 


Troops in a pagoda!!?? Whatever next? Clinton and an the
return of an intern?


it still is a place where Burmese people (and >foreigners, too) 

(oh no, not them)

can find peace and solace. A greater source of
>consolation, I would say, than kicking the junta out of the Sydney
>Olympics!

Goes to show the limited dimension within which they 
single brain cell doth operate?


>     Also, I think it's true that as terrible as the Ne Win and


>SLORC/SPDC regimes have been, they've not been as bad as Pol Pot in
>Cambodia and Mao in China, where a revolutionary regime tried to
>eradicate the country's culture and religion. Buddhism does provide a
>kind of normative framework for even the generals (which is NOT to say I
>support them).
>     So if Roger wants to support democracy i Burma, he's got to realize
>that being anti-religious is not going to get him anywhere!
>

No one is anti-religious around here Don Seekins...

No one at all... 

Om Ma Ne Pad Me Hum chaps

bye

and thanks, I respect you..

Rr