True nature - Ajahn Chah

Inside Auckland's fake-monk scam: beggars recruited in China

NZ Herald Lincoln Tan 

Lincoln Tan is the New Zealand Herald’s diversity, ethnic affairs and immigration senior reporter.5:00 AM Tuesday Jan 20, 2015

A policewoman removes one of the "monks" from the Auckland CBD. 

Photo / Dean Purcell

Fake charity "monks" who target pedestrians on New Zealand's busiest streets are recruited in China and sent here with the promise of making big money, says a woman who trained as a fake nun.

A Chinese syndicate is behind the scam, says the woman, who was recruited while living in China.

For a fee of 10,000 renminbi ($2065), she could become a Taoist nun, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) street doctor or a fortune teller. Recruits could make their fortunes on streets around the world, she said.

"We were told that if we wanted to go to Western countries, then becoming monks or nuns were the better options, because the West is still not so open to Chinese fortune telling or TCM," said the woman.

"The cash collected is shared with the syndicate leaders; the percentage split is done by negotiation."

Buddhism and freedom of speech

by Sanitsuda Ekachai, The Bangkok Post, 14 Jan 2015 Bangkok, Thailand -- How to be truthful in a hostile environment? How to say things that need to be said to avoid coercion and violence from low tolerance of criticism? What should we respect more in an open society where different cultural norms often compete and clash - freedom of expression or cultural sensitivity? The senseless Paris attacks and the ensuing "Je suis Charlie" phenomenon have brought these questions to the fore. Many feel torn between modern values that liberate their individual self and traditions that give them a precious sense of identity and group belonging. The dilemma is also real in Thailand. In a war to restore cultural and political identity and dignity, the Muslim insurgency in the deep South has claimed more than 6,000 lives in the past decade. Meanwhile, serious abuse of the lese majeste law and harsh political persecution have created a chilling climate of fear that silences constructive criticism, and ends up hurting the international standing of the revered institution. How to reconcile? How to protect what we deeply revere? How to react to what we see as a sacrilege without betraying our faiths? How to be truthful to ourselves? Since Thailand is predominantly a Buddhist country, let me try answer those questions from a Buddhist approach.

Charlie Hebdo Incident: Can Buddhist Right Speech Stop such Conflict?

by Aik Theng Chong, The Buddhist Channel, Jan 15, 2015 Singapore -- We can expect extreme actions and results to follow when peoples of two extreme view clashes as can be seen from the Charlie Hebdo incident. One wonders, can such incident be prevented from ever happening again? Can we blame the people who approved and enshrine all these Freedoms and Rights without any exceptions in their countries’ constitutions, charters and declarations? Or do we go, put all the blames on the religious groups that tolerate no nonsense when it comes to insults targeted at their faith and teachings? What happens to all those religious teaching on love and tolerance, where have they disappear to? Again, one also wonders, can their differences ever be reconcile and settled? Going by the latest news, certainly not if one and/or both sides continue to act and behave like stubborn mules refusing to give way a little to each other.

"Je suis la parole juste" (I am right speech)

by Kooi F Lim, The Buddhist Channel, Jan 13, 2015 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- Someone asked me a pretty straight question just a few days ago: Are you Charlie? Admittedly events in Paris have seen polarizing views across the globe. On one hand, those supporting Charlie Hebdo say they do it out of respect for "freedom of speech". Doesn't matter if Charlie prints horrendous materials, keeping speech "free" - whatever the cost - from nut-case who wants them shut, is paramount. On the other hand, those at the receiving end of such hate speech say such nonsense cannot be tolerated. If it means annihilation, so be it.

The Habit of Happiness

Suppose someone says something that angers you. Your old pathway wants to say something to punish him. But that makes us victims of our habit energy. Instead, you can breathe in and say, “Unhappiness is in me, suffering is in me, anger is in me, irritation is in me.” That is already helpful, recognizing your feelings and helping you not to respond right away. So you accept that anger and irritation in you, and smile to it. With mindfulness, you look at the other person and become aware of the suffering in him or in her. He may have spoken like that to try to get relief from his suffering. He may think that speaking out like that will help him suffer less, but in fact he will suffer more.

With just one or two seconds of looking and seeing the suf-fering in him, compassion is born. When compassion is born, you don’t suffer any more, and you may find something to say that will help him. With the practice, we can always open new neural pathways like that. When they become a habit, we call it the habit of happiness.

— Thich Nhat Hanh