ニュース Archive

An appeal for the victims of the Yushu Earthquake

We, the Non-denominational Coalition of Buddhist Priests and Laypersons Praying
for Peace in Tibet, would like to express our sincere condolences for the victims of earthquake in Yushu (Tibetan:kyigudo), China. In addition, we wish to do whatever possible to help save the lives of those still buried in debris and those who are sick or injured and facing difficult conditions.

At this time, we strongly request the Chinese Central Government to admit the visit of His Holiness The Dalai Lama to the earthquake stricken area. Please refer to the attached two letters. The first one is a letter that the disaster area victims sent to President Hu and Premier Wen. The second is a letter from His Holiness The Dalai Lama, who strongly wishes to visit the sufferers at the disaster stricken area. We Buddhists, having the same compassion that looks beyond nationality, race and gender, consider His Holiness's request quite natural and reasonable.

Permission for the visit depends on a decision by the Chinese Central Government. We also believe the wisdom of Chinese people all over the world because of China's great history, and the fact that the Chinese Government has emphasized the importance of harmony between the many nations and races within China. If the Chinese Government were to assent to this request, it will definitely mark a historic turning point and shed the light of change in a gloomy world pre-occupied with money and military power.

We are announcing this appeal not only to the Japanese Government, but also to the Chinese embassy in Japan, the Chinese Government, the Chinese people, and people throughout the world. We are convinced that it is our mission as Buddhists, as those in Tibet and Burma have selflessly demonstrated under great adversity, to address and try to correct issues of a moral and ethical nature.

Therefore we strongly request Buddhists in Japan, Asia, all over the world, as well as Tibetans and other religious peoples to help to work towards furthering the request of His Holiness The Dalai Lama to visit the disaster stricken area in Tibet.

"Change in the world depends on the heart of each person."

So, we would like to ask everyone to please help this 
project and sign the petition below.

Finally we would like to ask Prime Minister Hatoyama, whose political principles are riendship and love, to help protect lives and request of the leaders of the Chinese government that they allow His Holiness 
The Dalai Lama to visit the calamity stricken area in Tibet.

Chairman of the Super Sangha　22 April 2010
(AKA the Non-denominational Coalition of Buddhist Priests and Laypersons Praying for Peace in Tibet (Japan))

Please see the letter from Tibetans in the quake zone to President Hu and Premier Wen that requests a visit from the Dalai Lama (published on April 16th, 2010) as well as the statement by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the 17th of April, 2010 (below).

If you would like to sign the petition, please send your name, organization's name or sect, and nationality to info@supersamgha.jp ,  using  "Yushu Earthquake Appeal by Super Sangha" as the subject.

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Letter from Tibetans in quake zone to President Hu and Premier Wen requesting a visit by the Dalai Lama 

2010 April 16

Dear President Hu and Premier Wen,

Wish you both good health. During the initial hours of the natural disaster, we appreciate your government's immediate relief efforts through soldiers and all round support from different sections of the society and we, the victims of this calamity, thank you for the same.

But we are a deeply religious community having a strong faith in the teachings of Buddha. Since many generations, we have a deep faith in His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Today, as we are suffering from a great physical and mental anguish, we really need His Holiness to visit the quake affected area to pray for the departed souls and to provide solace to the broken hearts. Today, we request you, president Hu and premier Wen, to find the compassion in your hearts and fulfill this desire of us quake victims. We, the quake victims numbering more than 100,000, implore you from our hearts to temporarily set aside your government's political differences with the Dalai Lama and kindly consider our request.

With this invitation to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, we have no other objective apart from fulfilling our religious aspirations of praying for the departed souls and the survivors of the disaster.

Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Eager to Visit Earthquake Affected Area as I mentioned briefly soon after I heard the news, I was deeply saddened by the effects of the devastating earthquake in the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Tibetan:Kyigudo) of Qinghai Province which resulted in the tragic loss of many lives, a great number of injured and severe loss of property. Because of the physical distance between us, at present I am unable to comfort those directly affected, but I would like them to know I am praying for them.

I commend the monastic community, young people and many other individuals from nearby areas for their good neighborly support and assistance to the families of those who have lost everything. May your exemplary compassion continue to grow. This kind of voluntary work in the service of others really puts the bodhisattva aspiration into practice.

I also applaud the Chinese authorities for visiting the affected areas, especially Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who has not only personally offered comfort to the affected communities, but has also overseen the relief work. I am very appreciative too that the media have been free to report on the tragedy and its aftermath.

In 2008, when a similar earthquake struck Sichuan, Chinese central and local government leaders and auxiliary authorities took great pains to provide relief, allow free access to the media, as well as clearing the way for international relief agencies to provide assistance as required. I applauded these positive moves then and appeal for such ease of access on this occasion too.

The Tibetan community in exile would like to offer whatever support and assistance it can towards the relief work. We hope to be able to do this through the proper and appropriate channels as soon as possible.

When Sichuan was rocked by an earthquake two years ago, I wished to visit the affected areas to pray and comfort the people there, but I was unable to do so. However, when Taiwan was struck by a typhoon last year, I was able to visit the affected families and pray with them for those who had perished in that disaster. In providing some solace to the people concerned, I was happy to be able to do something useful.

This time the location of the earthquake, Kyigudo (Chinese: Yushu), lies in Qinghai Province, which happens to be where both the late Panchen Lama and I were born. To fulfill the wishes of many of the people there, I am eager to go there myself to offer them comfort.

In conclusion, I appeal to governments, international aid organizations and other agencies to extend whatever assistance they can to enable the families of those devastated by this tragedy to rebuild their lives. At the same time, I also call on the survivors of this catastrophe to recognize what has happened as the workings of karma and to transform this adversity into something positive, keeping their hopes up and meeting setbacks with courage as they struggle to restore what they have lost. Once again, I pray for those who have lost their lives as well as for the well being of those who have survived.

DALAI LAMA, 17 April 2010

http://www.tibet.net/en/index.php#

奈良・十輪院で追悼法要

奈良市の十輪院（橋本純信住職・当会幹事）では、３月１０日午前11時から、チベット民族蜂起５０周年に当たり追悼法要を行いました。

法要では橋本住職はじめ僧侶が読経し、追悼と平和を祈る表白文を読み上げました。

半世紀に渡る犠牲者の追悼と平和を祈る僧侶たちの読経が堂内に響き渡りました。
報道各社も取材に訪れ熱心に取材していました。

奈良方面にお住まいのチベット支援の皆様、ぜひ一度十輪院様にお参り下さい。

ダライ・ラマ１４世法王亡命５０年
－平和を願う人々のために－チベットを知り、祈ろう

日時　　　３月１０日（火）　１５時～

場所　　　南堀江　大阪大仏堂
　　　　　　大阪市西区南堀江1丁目7-3

　今年はチベット人のラサ蜂起から５０年の節目の年を迎えます。そして、ダライ・ラマ１４世法王をはじめとする数多くのチベット人のインドへの亡命...、あれから半世紀の時が流れました。その間にもチベットでは、チベット人・漢民族双方の数多くの尊い命が失われ、それは現在でも続いています。

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当会関東ブロックでは、去る平成２１年１月１０日に、当会幹事である井本勝幸氏を講師に迎えて講演会を開催した。（こちら）
テーマは「国際チベットサポート会議の報告・仏教経済学概論」。
チベット問題を始め、世界各地で止むことを知らない紛争の背景には、現状の経済システムがある。貨幣経済が隅々まで行き届く一方で、貧困層の固定化が進み、教育チャンスから排除される人々を生む。追い詰められた貧困層は、より低賃金、より悪環境へと追い詰められ、暴力やエイズの誘引など負の連鎖を招き続けている。こうした貧困層を拡大し続けることで成り立つ現在の世界経済のあり方とチベット問題は決して無縁ではない。むしろ、今日の経済のあり方、金融資本のあり方、市場経済のあり方の中に、チベット問題をはじめとする世界各地の紛争の根っこがあるのではないか。
『苦しみの因を問う』ことを基本的な姿勢に持つ仏教徒として、社会の仕組みが苦しみの多くを生み出しているのではないか、との気づきからこの苦の原因を探り、そのような苦しみを生み出すシステムからの脱却を目指すことは、大切なことではないだろうか。
そこで、あらためて「チベット問題の解決のためには、いったい何が必要なのか」という問題意識から、関東ブロックでは、問題解決に向けて経済システムのあり方を問い直す学びの場を設けた。
講師の井本師は、アジアに広がる仏教徒のネットワーク「四方僧伽」で、普く人々に幸福をもたらす経済のあり方を追及し活動している。
現在、井本氏たちの新たな取り組みにおける『仏陀銀行』とは何か。
その講演会に参加した、当会幹事の本多静芳師のリポートを以下に掲載する。

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当会の九州支部が協賛しているシンポジウムのお知らせです。チベット問題は「地球環境」という観点からとらえることも重要です。この人類の生存をかけた大きな問題を問い直す重要なシンポジウムが九州で開催されます。

【連続シンポジウム】
『自然と生きる環境生命文明』
第11回「地球のサバイバル」

期日　平成21年　1月24日（土）
時間　午後１時～５時
場所　蓮華院誕生寺　奥の院

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