Welcome! Be happy. You have reached The Real Janna Weiss.
Wisdom Heart promotes healthy minds based on science, secular ethics, generosity, kindness, compassion and universal responsibility so that we may all contribute to and help create a kind, peaceful, ethical and compassionate world together.
May all beings be happy.
"A strange disease that has become an epidemic." - Matthieu Ricard
When we have finally laid the altruism-egoism debate to rest, once and for all, we will all have great cause for rejoicing for the well-being of humanity and the planet. Scientific research clearly and unequivocally demonstrates that altruism leads to a deep and profound sense well-being. His Holiness the Dalai Lama tells us, "Everyone wants happiness. No one wants suffering." It is astounding that in the 21st century, we still have doubts about, even promulgate, what leads to human suffering. Unless and until we 'get it right,' we will continue to suffer. One very good mantra worth reciting, a good antidote for our present human condition, is: "Others before self."
Matthieu Ricard, a meditation adept, has been dubbed "the happiest man in the world." Matthieu Ricard's measure of happiness is shown 4.5 standard deviations off the bell curve for the rest of humanity, represented by 150 controls.
Prof. Richard Davidson and Matthieu Ricard
Here is the latest from Ven. Matthieu Ricard's blog, on Ayn Rand, a major contributor to human suffering.
Is This the Right Model for a Great Nation? by Matthieu Ricard Monday, October 29, 2012 Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan recommends the reading of Ayn
Rand’s writings to all his collaborators. Does the United States of
America truly want to have a leader whose ideal is to promote
selfishness in society? I am convinced that selfishness makes life
miserable not only for all those around us, but for ourselves as well.
Read the full article
Tibet is referred to by magical names such as Shangri-la and Shambhala, and is truly miraculous from our perspective, but not for the Tibetans. The Tibetans, who developed and established a science of mind in their culture, from the time Buddhism came to Tibet 1300 years ago, analyze and understand the causes and conditions for the different states of consciousness and phenomena. Phenomena do not exist independently. Therefore, every common phenomenon in Tibet that I will describe, has its own causes and conditions.
Tibetans are very practical. If certain causes and conditions cause suffering, these need to be analyzed and abandoned. If other causes and conditions bring happiness, these should be adopted and practiced. The conceptualization of happiness needs to change in a well thought out manner - what brings ostensible happiness does not bring lasting happiness. Within an instant, or several instants, momentary pleasures become sources of dissatisfaction and suffering. Altruism, generosity, patience, honesty, a life in accordance with moral values, bring lasting happiness and genuine inner peace of mind. Honestly looking inward, combined with applying logic, can bring release from mental suffering.
Common In Tibet
Thukdam, rainbow body, tulkus, tummo, srok-rlung (say: sok-loong), are common in Tibet. What are these?
Thukdam is a state which a spiritual teacher remains in for several days following death, when the mind has not yet disconnected from the body. In this profound meditative mental state, known as "the clear light" state, the body does not decay. A Tibetan lama remained in thukdam for 18 days and was examined by three teams of scientists, with the latest and most advanced neuroscientific equipment. When the consciousness detaches from the body, there are clearly recognizable signs, such as red moisture appearing in the nose and the head going limp. Thukdam is common in Tibet. When I was in Lhasa, a monk from Drepung Monastery remained in thukdam for 11 days.
The Tibetans believe that we Westerners bury too quickly. The consciousness of a person who has not trained his mind at all will disconnect immediately from the body. Rituals for the dead are very important in Tibet. During the 2008 massacre in Tibet the Chinese took bodies to incinerators outside the city to burn them... There are four kinds of "burial" in Tibet: earth, water, fire and sky burial. Here is a Tibetan sky burial:
A very beautiful, unique and interesting film about Tibetan funeral rituals, with a narrative by Leonard Cohen, is "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" (Part 1, 45 minutes).
The rainbow body is an actual biological phenomenon, observed by thousands of people in the course of the 1300 years since Buddhism arrived in Tibet. The rainbow body is a well-known and common phenomenon in Tibet. Sometimes, when a spiritual practitioner dies, in the days following his death, rainbows of light are emitted from his body. Over the course of about a week, the body gradually shrinks, until only hair and nails are left, and sometimes not even those.
A spiritual teacher told us about his teacher, who, before his death, asked his students to cover his body with an orange cloth and not to touch the body for a week. During the week, as the students recited prayers beside the body, they watched the body gradually shrink until it disappeared completely. The teacher was present at the event. Another teacher told us about an old woman who went off to a cave to meditate for several months. Every day her meal was brought to her. One day she asked not to bring her food for a week. After a week, she was found dead, with rainbows of light being emitted from her body. It is said that the rainbow body is especially common among ordinary spiritual practitioners, not famous spiritual teachers, but people that no one had noticed the depth of their spiritual practice until their death.
Sometimes, when a spiritual teacher dies, a full circular rainbow appears in the sky. I witnessed this phenomenon during the Lhasa massacre in March 2008.
The tulku tradition is a uniquely Tibetan tradition that was established several hundred years ago. This is the tradition of finding the reincarnation of the spiritual teacher about a year or two after his (or her) death. The tulku tradition has been documented in several films, including "The Unmistaken Child" by Nati Beretz and "My Reincarnation," about the spiritual teacher Namkai Norbu Rinpoche's son, who is half Italian. The phenomenon was described in the feature film, "The Little Buddha," about an America boy who was recognized as a tulku by Tibetan lamas. A Tibetan tulku can be born anywhere in the world, among any people or culture. The Karmapa was the first tulku in Tibet. Today, the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Orgyen Trinley Dorje is the 17th in the Karmapa lineage. The Dalai Lama is the 14th reincarnation in the lineage of the Dalai Lamas. The birth of a tulku is usually accompanied by signs, such as the parents' dreams, appearances of birds or animals before the birth and other special signs. Various methods exist for the correct recognition of tulkus. When spiritual teachers write their biographies, they often describe their previous reincarnations. Women can also be tulkus.
"The Unmistaken Child" by Nati Beretz (trailer):
"My Reincarnation" by Jennifer Fox (trailer):
"Little Buddha":
Tummo is an advanced meditative practice in which Tibetan monks and nuns raise their body temperature. In the snowy mountains of the Himalaya, monks and nuns hold tummo contests, in which a series of wet sheets are placed on the practitioner, and whoever dries the most sheets is the winner. Tummo has been studied at Dr. Benson's Harvard University laboratory:
Srok-rlung and rlung, trance states arising from intensive meditation are common in Tibet, especially in monasteries. Srok-rlung and rlung are always treated properly in Tibet and "no one stays that way." I have written more about rlung and srok-rlung in the last post, Trance and Mental Health.
The Tibetans, world experts on the mind, have been collaborating with neuroscientists for about 25 years. Mental illness is rare in Tibet. However, thukdam, rainbow body, tulkus, tummo and rlung are common in Tibet. There is much to learn from the Tibetans. One doesn't need to be Buddhist in order to benefit from the wisdom of the Tibetans. Tibetans respect all cultures, appreciate cultural diversity and recognize the value of the many religions of the world. Tibetans are generally patient, non-judgemental, accepting, and warm hearted people - of course not all. Bodhisattvas, spiritual practitioners with an altruistic and compassionate outlook, are common in Tibet. The only way to develop inner peace of mind is by practicing ethics as a foundation and basis. If one wants to learn from the Tibetans, one should approach with a sincere, egoless and nonjudgemental attitude.
Blessings for happiness and truthfulness :)
Published in Hebrew August 8, 2012 and a featured blog post on the home page of The Marker Café.
In honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 77th birthday, July 6, 2012 (published in Hebrew on July 6)
My
son and I lived in Lhasa for a year and half, from September 2007 to
the end of February 2009, except for two and a half months somewhere
in the middle, when all foreigners in China who didn't have tickets
to the Olympics were sent to wait outside China. Most of them crowded
into Hong Kong during that period. In March 2008, there were riots in
Lhasa. We only saw black smoke rising above the city for several
days, and heard booms of a monastery being shelled - a monastery
being shelled...
The
Tibetans mostly burned Chinese shops - the Chinese are mainly
interested in money and property; they tyrannize the Tibetans,
desecrate their temples and treat them with contempt. Of course, the
Chinese responded with a massacre, shooting every person, woman,
child in the area of the Jokhang Temple, the most sacred place to
Tibetan Buddhists in the world. Names of 219 dead were reported.
About 1000 are missing, some of them survived in the mountains, but
many bodies were taken to incinerators outside the city by the
Chinese.
And
the Tibetans? An endearing people full of joy. They love picnics in
nature, and sing and dance for days, whole extended families. Once I
wore a Tibetan skirt, a chuba, and walked part of the Lingkhor (a
sacred circumabulation route around Lhasa) together with everyone
else. I received so many warm comments, "Hi," "How are
you?" in English and Tibetan. I heard people talking about me,
"She speaks Tibetan (or: Chinese)," people smiled, made eye
contact, mainly women. That day I wrote, "It's so easy to make
the Tibetans happy;" it's enough just to put on a piece of
clothing... The Tibetans have suffered for over 60 years, genocide,
cruel oppression, unimaginable kinds of cultural oppression, for no
reason, only because of greed, and lack of understanding and
appreciation of the culture and the customs of this extraordinary
people.
In
the film “Seven Years in Tibet,” when Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt)
brags to the seamstress Pema Lhaki (Lhakpa Tsamchoe) about his
Olympic gold medal, she says, “This is another great difference
between our civilization and yours. You admire the man who pushes his
way to the top in any walk of life, while we admire the man who
abandons his ego.” About 1300 years ago, the Tibetans, a collection
of warring tribes scattered over the Himalaya, understood, as a
society, that they are killing each other, and that they need this
Dharma very much, this medicine for violence, that comes from the
thought to harm others, a thought that arises in an untrained mind.
Tibetan society as a whole, with all of its resources, devoted itself
to producing compassionate people.
Symbolic photograph - back gate of Tibet University during the curfew, March 2008. Would that our hearts would melt, and Tibet and all of us would know a different world, a peaceful world.
What do the Chinese have to say about Tibetan food? "I've never eaten their food. It's dirty." The Chinese traditionally eat with chopsticks, and look down on Tibetans who traditionally eat with their hands, like their Indian neighbors to the west and south.
Relief map of the Himalayan high plateau. The Tibetan area has distinct geographical boundaries, beginning from 3000 meters above sea level. The Tibetans are genetically adapted to the high plateau, whereas the Chinese tend to suffer from the high altitude. The typical Chinese attitude towards living in Tibet is reflected in the comments above.
Chinese lack of respect for Tibetans is prevalent in Lhasa.
Fortunately, many wonderful exceptions to this 'rule' can be found, both in China and abroad, such as the Chinese-Tibetan friendship societies (see end of post) and the work of the extraordinary Chinese historian Li Jianglin, whose book, "1959 Lhasa !" is banned in China:
Many Chinese Buddhists, both in and outside China, support Tibetan freedom.
Just as the Inuit people have many words for snow, because it is such an important part of their lives, so the Tibetans have many names for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Shown are four commonly used names for His Holiness. What is truly precious? Individuals who have conquered their ego, who have purified their mindstream, who have developed great compassion, are truly precious. Tibetan lamas languish in Chinese prisons for decades due to our ignorance about the preciousness of genuine spiritual teachers. Garchen Rinpoche spent 20 years in a Chinese prison:
Top right: The plaza in front of the Jokhang Temple.
The Dalai Lama has specifically requested Tibetans not to wear fur, in order to refrain from killing and to protect endangered species who have been massively hunted for fur and food by the Chinese. Therefore, wearing fur trimming is compulsory for Tibetan cadres.
At a Lhasa public school, Tibetan children have separate classes. Their classes are all conducted in Chinese, except for one 45 minute class per day in Tibetan. An ad for a Chinese language evening paper shows a Tibetan family reading Chinese.
Kyuk is the traditional cursive Tibetan script used by educated Tibetans in Lhasa. Workbooks for kyuk are no longer available in Lhasa. After friends scoured all the bookstores in Lhasa
looking for a kyuk workbook for me and couldn't find one, a friend gave me her own copy of this kyuk workbook. Ten letters in the Tibetan alphabet used for Sanskrit transliteration, shown on the right, are missing from workbooks Tibetan children now use to learn the alphabet.
Tulkus are Tibetan reincarnate lamas. The Panchen Lama is considered second to the Dalai Lama in Tibetan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama is the sun, the Panchen Lama the moon, the Gyalwa Karmapa Orgyen Trinley Dorje, the day star, of Tibet. The 10th Panchen Lama was poisoned. The 11th Panchen Lama was abducted with his parents at age 6, in 1995, following recognition of his reincarnation by the Dalai Lama, and his whereabouts are unknown. The Communist Chinese have issued a law to control the reincarnation of Tibetan tulkus, although the Communists don't believe in any religion or in reincarnation at all. (Close pop-up and scroll for English: Past Lives - Science & Documentation - 3 Films)
Tibetans in exile continue the Monlam Chenmo tradition, celebrated two weeks after Losar, the Tibetan New Year, in India.
A Chinese article in 2009 claims that the Monlam Chenmo Festival continues in Lhasa today. The photo accompanying the article shows a typical debating session held at monasteries on any day of the year, but not the Monlam Chenmo celebration, as stated in the deceptive article.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama's birthday is a major Tibetan holiday, and, traditionally, the only birthday celebrated by Tibetans. The custom is to throw tsampa into the air, as an offering to the gods. A Tibetan from Lhasa, fondly recalling celebrating His Holiness' birthday, said, "We would all be covered in white. It was a lot of fun."
Tibetans have a custom that when a family member has died, the family does not celebrate the next Losar, Tibetan New Year. As an act of solidarity with the many families and victims, Tibetans chose to collectively forego the Losar celebration of 2009. The Chinese coerced Tibetans to celebrate, issuing special holiday payments. Tibetans who were found not celebrating risked prison. In a 2009, a TV program from mainland China aired in Hong Kong, showed the Tibetan Losar festivities.
Only people who know Chinese are eligible for government jobs, so Tibetans are at a severe disadvantage. There is a also generally a huge wage differential between Chinese and Tibetans. Clockwise from top left: Playing a dice game called 'sho'; Playing billiards; Beggars lined up near the Jokhang temple during Losar; A boulevard lined with kiosks full of Chinese and Tibetan prostitutes. (Top right and lower left photos are screenshots from the film: Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion)
Called "The Wolf" because of its two "ears," the Public Security Bureau building oversees Lhasa. Tea houses, hotel rooms, classrooms, streets, phones, Internet, all have surveillance. Lower left: Rooftop guard under an umbrella and surveillance camera overlook the plaza in front of the Jokhang Temple. Lower right: Behind the Jokhang Temple ticket seller, hidden from the visitor's view, is a security guard.
The Chinese government employs fake Tibetan monks to disgrace and discredit Tibetan Buddhism. Real Tibetan Buddhist monks never beg. On the left, a "monk" stands guard in the Barkhor, the route around the Jokhang Temple.
Many methods are employed to restrict, moniter and filter Internet sites, searches and content (not only in China...)
During 'sensitive times,' all Internet service is simply cut off in Tibet, for days, even weeks, at at time. There is no Youtube in Tibet.
Traditionally built houses are frequently razed, the residents displaced, and replaced with new "Tibetan style" houses.
...so that Rinpoche won't go to prison again! Getting caught with a photo of His Holiness can send someone to prison for five years.
(Photos above were all taken from published sources.)
The Chinese quickly erased signs of unrest. Below: A jewelry shop on a central Lhasa street, before and after its speedy repair. Top: Damaged building on a side street that remained untouched a year after the riots.
All these empty places are usually packed with people. Clockwise from top left: Tea house near the Potala Palace; Plaza in front of the Jokhang Temple (compare other photo above); Sidewalk and street in front of the Potala, usually filled with pedestrians, traffic and prostrators; Entrance to Ramoche Temple, the second most important temple in Tibetan Buddhism; View from the back gate (title slide) of the university.
Tibetan tea house at Tibet University; all the tea houses were permanently closed the day after this photo was taken, shortly after the riots. A sidewalk once packed daily with tables of mahjong players. After many months of inactivity, one lone table returned.
Many multinational interests bind Tibet. Tibet holds the source waters for all of Asia, so the environmental health of the Tibetan plateau has global importance.
Prof. Robert Thurman, author of "Why the Dalai Lama Matters," envisions that Tibet will be declared a global environmental peace park:
Chinese Communist propaganda, on banners, posters, pasted in taxis, and on a giant screen set up in front of the Potala, after the riots. The center poster shows two sisters, one Tibetan, one Chinese, in idyllic harmony.
More posters in Lhasa. Political reeducation is ongoing in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. Students, monks, officials are all required to sign statements denouncing the Dalai Lama.
Chairman Mao was responsible for the deaths of around 40 million Chinese citizens, including around 1.2 million Tibetans. His busts, sculptures and pictures came down all over China decades ago. But in Tibet, his picture still hangs on the walls of offices and in homes, like a protective amulet, showing allegiance to the Chinese Communist party.
"One must require from each one the duty which each one can perform," the king went on. "Accepted authority rests first of all on reason."
Tibetan adults enjoy all the playground equipment.
This slide presentation was first shown at Haifa University East Asian Studies Department, March, 2009, and then on two other occasions in Israel. Nothing has changed since then. This presentation is as relevant now as then. The Tibetan problem has only worsened over the years.
62 Tibetans have self-immolated and are demanding human rights, freedom of religion, cultural and linguist freedom, the right to be Tibetan in Tibet, and an end to over 60 years of oppression and cultural genocide.
Contemplative neuroscience research, collaborative research between meditative adepts and neuroscientists, has been ongoing at research centers such as: University of Wisconsin www.investigatinghealthyminds.org, Stanford University ccare.stanford.edu, Mind and Life Institute www.mindandlife.org, and Emory University, Harvard, at universities in India and elsewhere, for over the past two decades. Left pre-frontal cortex brain activity is now known to be associated with feelings of happiness and well-being. A graph (below) showing results by Prof. Richard Davidson, at the University of Wisconsin, depicts left/right pre-frontal cortex activity for one meditation adept compared with 150 ordinary untrained people. The meditation adept lies 4.5 standard deviations outside the bell curve, for increased left pre-frontal cortical activity. This is an objective neurological measure of a subject's mental health status.
Prof. Davidson & Mattheiu Ricard (L to R) From "Habits of Happiness" by Matthieu Ricard, below:
Mind and Life introductory video on contemplative neuroscience:
Subtle Levels of Mind
Meditation adepts work with subtle levels of mind. What are subtle levels of mind? The grossest level of mind is our waking state. More subtle levels of mind are: the dream state, deep sleep, fainting, coma, and the subtlest level of mind is the mind at death. En route to 4.5 standard deviations from the bell curve, a yogi, a meditation adept, may experience trance states, alert mind states involving subtle levels of mind.
Trance in Tibet
Trance states are well-documented in cultures around the world and are a recognized part of human experience. Trance in Tibet is a state institution. For centuries, three state oracles have entered trance states in order to advise the Tibetan government. This tradition continues today. A 17 min video depicts the Nechung oracle, Kuten La, in a trance state, and, later in the video, Khandro La Tseringma, also a Tibetan state oracle, being interviewed. The next video shows Kuten La, not in trance, speaking with Congressman Dennis Kucinich.
Khandro La Tseringma (Tsering Chengma) in trance
The above photo depicts Khandro La Tseringma in a trance state. Hence, we can see two Tibetan state oracles in both waking or ordinary, and trance mental states.
Nechung oracle in trance
Nechung oracle, Kuten La
Khandro La Tseringma
Tibetan oracles:
Nechung oracle talking with Congressman Dennis Kucinich:
Tibetan Medicine:Srok-rlung and rlung
Unlike the formal state institutions above, meditation practitioners may experience other kinds of trance states, known in Tibetan as rlung (say: loong) and srok-rlung (say: sok-loong). Rlung means 'wind' and srok-rlung means 'life wind,' which is a disturbance of the energy of the body's central channel. Tibetan medical doctors, called amji (say: umjee, also written: amchi), learn to differentially diagnose the different mental states collectively referred to as 'wind.' Characteristic symptoms of srok-rlung include forced control of mentation (thoughts), urine, voice, saliva, posture, defecation, etc. Srok-rlung is common in Tibet, especially in monasteries, is always treated properly and 'no one stays that way.' It is very important to treat srok-rlung properly. Treatment is mainly by gentle social interaction and play.
When a monk develops srok-rlung, the other monks stop their meditation and study, and play sho, a traditional dice game, together with the afflicted monk, until he gradual reconnects with gross consciousness and ordinary reality. The monks will play with him daily, every other day, every third day, until the condition is gradually resolved. Tibetan medical doctors also treat rlung disorders with herbs, massage, nutrition, mantras and medicinal incenses. Lamas, Tibetan spiritual teachers, may also perform purifying rituals for a person diagnosed with srok-rlung. Mental illness is rare in Tibet.
Tibetan medicine prescribed for srok-rlung
Regarding Tibetan medicine, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, "Tibetan medicine is an integrated system of health care that has served the Tibetan people well for many centuries and which, I believe, can still provide much benefit to humanity at large. The difficulty we face in bringing this about is one of communication, for like other scientific systems, Tibetan medicine must be understood in its own terms, as well as in the context of objective investigation."
The Western Conundrum
Since trance is a part of human experience, many Westerners may also experience trance states. Some spiritual healers regularly go into and out of trance, such as psychic healer Dawn Clark. When trance states occur spontaneously, they are rarely, if ever, diagnosed as such in the West. Some trance states are self-limiting, while others may require short term acute medical attention. Such trance states are increasingly referred to as "spiritual emergence" and/or "spiritual emergencies." Western society, in general, tends to be intolerant of unordinary states of mind, and people reacting with panic and/or aggression around an individual in a trance state actually contribute to exacerbation, rather than alleviation, of the symptoms.
Psychiatric medications may be very rapid and effective for resolving trance states. 1-4 days of medication1 may be sufficient for a person to return to the ordinary gross waking state and to ordinary functioning. At that point, medication should probably best be discontinued. Individuals with srok-rlung are especially sensitive; excessive use of psychiatric medications, both dosage and duration, may lead to disturbances of the neurological and circulatory systems. When psychiatric treatment is not coercive, the person experiencing the trance state may have control and say over when to discontinue the treatment, based on his or her own experience and judgement.
This 45 minute film by Melissa Gunasena, "Evolving Minds: Psychosis and Spirituality," presents natural treatment of trance states, referred to here as 'psychosis,' mainly from a Western perspective. The film also presents the conflict that may arise for spiritual practitioners when dealing with Western psychiatry.
Maybe it's time for us to begin applying objective scientific measures and understanding of mental health from contemplative neuroscientific research to the 'mentally ill' and to all the rest of us. We may also consider consulting Tibetan medical doctors regarding compassionate and effective treatment of unusual mind states. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has already extended an invitation to consult Tibetan medical doctors for situations where Western medicine does not provide relief.
1Based on 7 spontaneous trance (acute transient
psychotic) episodes, of these: 2 resolved with 3 days of medication, 2 resolved with 4 days of medication, 2 resolved with a single dosage of medication and 1 resolved with 1 to 5 days of medication (not known precisely).
(A video appeared here by Tsem Tulku, who is not a reliable expert on Tibetan Buddhism. He is affiliated with the disreputable Dolgyal Shugden cult.
For more information on Shugden see http://www.dalailamaprotesters.info/ I apologize for the error.)
Lukoff,
D. From spiritual emergency to spiritual problem: the transpersonal
roots of the new DSM-IV category. Journal of Humanistic
Psychology 38:21-50.
1998. http://www.spiritualcompetency.com/jhpseart.html
My teachers: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Khensur Jhado Tulku Rinpoche, Khensur Denma Locho Rinpoche, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, Geshe Pema Dorjee, Khenpo Kelsang Nyima, Geshe Jampa Gyatso, Ani Rita Riniker, Gen Gyatso, Gen Damcho Gyaltsen, Geshe Lhakdor, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Ven. Sean Price, Ven. Antonio Satta, Ven. Sangye Khadro, Ven. Robina Courtin and more. Anyone not listed is not for lack of respect! Dr. Lobsang Dhondup, Cynthia Husted, Amji Orni Sachs, Geshe Pema Dorjee and other Tibetan doctors and monks.
Mother and son pilgrims in Lhasa, Tibet / Photo: Janna Weiss 2008
For Mother's Day How did the mother who raised you inspire you?
I dedicate this post to the mothers the brave victims who are fighting for the right to raise their children and for the right of all mothers to raise their children in a warm and loving home. Mother is the source of compassion. When we have healthy and peaceful mothers, we have healthy peaceful families. When we have healthy peaceful families we have healthy peaceful communities.
Lori Shemtov is a warm loving caring mother who has been denied the right to raise or even to see her two young children for the past 4 years. She is a courageous social activist, exposing social injustice in a neglected area of human rights activism. Lori Shemtov's blog (Hebrew)
His Holiness the Dalai Lama: "Everywhere we are talking about peaceful humanity, the peaceful world. This is not from prayer, not from technology, not from money, not from religion, but from mother. This is my fundamental belief. Mother, I consider, is our first teacher, teaches compassion. The first day after my birth, immediately I learned, I experienced mother's compassion, mother's affection. That is, I think, the most important part of building a healthy family, and that means a healthy humanity."
"Peace starts within each one of us.
When we have inner peace,
we can be at peace with those around us.
When our community is in a state of peace,
it can share that peace with neighboring communities."
This song won first place in the Greenforall contest for the song that most exemplified Dr. Martin Luther King's social justice values. --
Radio announcer: The United Nations declared that today the world's population reaches 7 billion people.
- Hi, seeya, wuzzup man? How're you doin' man?
- I'm chillin' for the most part, y'know.
- It's hard to see my mom and my family struggling.
- You know what I think about that bro'? It's like - there's mothers struggling all over the world. [missing] you know what I mean? [missing] One thing I think we need to do is...
- - - Minus the race color and creeds power to the people we strong enough so now we can live long enough to defeat you it's in our D.N.A, to get rid of this racist That poor shit i can cope with but i'm so sick of this hatred we strong as 7 billion come on lets keep it building My Asians keep creating My Russians keep the Steel in My Germans send them Euros by the plurals to the states My Egyptians send that Tea by the case I like the taste United Nations ain't doing what they supposed to Finding a strategic way to bring the nations closer Tell me whats a border? Why we dividing cultures? Why we collide with social order!! (why we collide with social order)
- - - Woman: We want to shed blood for lunch. Our forefathers shed blood for lunch! We're gonna do so...
- - -
Its a war going on outside nobody's safe from People fighting for they lives, only the fake run Its a war going on outside nobody's safe from People fighting for they lives, only the fake run!
(Chorus) Power to the People! This is not a White thing This is not a Black thing This here is a world thing Power to the People! This is not a Brown thing This is not a Red thing This is a world thing 7 Billion Strong, 7 Billion Strong 7 Billion Strong, 7 Billion Strong 7 Billion Strong, 7 Billion Strong
(Silent C) Slavery performed by governments politicians and Uncle Tims Pulling our strings like puppets in hope that we dont look up to them Until we Occupy public land and stand for something instead of falling for nothing Let 'em know we know something Tell 'em we're tired of suffering Victims to hells destruction The mystery's in the rubble Start digging to fix the puzzle Scream victory with the shovel Yeah, and tell all them muthufuckas that fucked us, FUCK YOU! Divided they will kill us United they will hear us And their worst fear is knowing that the fear is no longer with us So Power to The People People to The Power Power to The People People to The Power The bank still making profits Unemployment still ain't dropping Colleges holding you hostage You're bound to pay for that knowledge Everything's about a dollar Nothings free but the problems There's a price for the peace and that's a piece of the problem Why all we see is the violence! According to the census we made 7 Billion Well, how many of us 7 Billion gonna make 7 Million? and heres a better question for the livin' How many of us living, or just existing? Power to the people!
-- Christin's mother: Continue to make me proud, with that smile, and always care about people, and give people everything that you have in you give, because I taught you well, I taught you all that you need to do, and all that you need to make it in life, and as long as you use all of those things, Christin, you will make it real far. -- Honor the woman who raised you: post this video on your Facebook page and share how she's inspired you.
