Military forcing meditation retreats

The following reflection is from a meditator who has spent much time in Myanmar.

“Having just come back from a retreat with the Burmese community in the U.K. with an eminent Sayadaw from Myanmar, I thought about how we can help Myanmar, aside from donations that people are giving.

The people that I spoke to on the retreat all had family and friends in Myanmar and all said they would be too afraid to visit Myanmar now, for fear of being arrested. One man told me that they could be on the military’s wanted list and this was one reason why it wasn’t safe for them to visit. Some expressed stress both in the situation in Myanmar itself and the enormous amount of work they were doing to raise funds to send home. Others told me that people they had contact with, generally family members, were depressed and tired of it all. Although the electricity is cut for long hours at a time, the people are still expected to pay for it. One doctor told me that her brother who lives in Yangon with his family goes to work everyday and gets home by 5 pm and then they don’t go out again. He said everyday the police/military stop him, check his id and phone and often try and get money out of him. In addition he lives in fear of stray bullets every time he goes out.

The Sayadaw (not named to protect him), said that the local military came to his monastery and told him to start running retreats again, as they want to give the appearance that everything is ‘back to normal’. He has refused to do so and instead is teaching abroad. He said he could tell the military were not happy with his response but he is unafraid to speak out, even known the consequences that might come. He also told them that they must donate food to the displaced people, as they had caused them to be displaced. As it seems the military do have some respect for the Sangha, they did so.

I was told the situation is difficult because, because of wrong view (miccha ditti), the military leaders believe they are actually protecting Buddhism in Myanmar with their various policies. It is difficult to change this wrong view, but we must try.

The Buddha and teachers suggest Metta can be effective. It can certainly help those open to receiving it and maybe for those who are able to send it to the military aggressors… it may help to get through to those ‘less brainwashed’, who may question the military values. In any case it is worth sending Metta regularly to the suffering people in Myanmar. Some feel sad that Myanmar isn’t getting the international recognition of Ukraine… whilst they are very sympathetic to the Ukrainians of course and very anti-Putin ( who they see has having similar levels of cruelty to the military).

I understand that if large numbers of people regularly send Metta at the same time, it can be a bigger ‘force’.

So as a suggestion, I thought if people, who are able to, got into the habit of say spending 10 minutes everyday or when possible at 4 pm U.K. time = 5 pm Central European time = 8 am California time = 9.30 pm Myanmar time ..and then perhaps a minute or more whenever they remember throughout the day.

Of course the times won’t suit everyone and whatever we do ..nothing is wasted ..and it helps us too.

May peace come very soon to Myanmar.

Metta…”