Burma & The Weeping Buddha

Known variously as The Humble Buddha, The Praying Buddha, The Sleeping Buddha, and The Weeping Buddha, this carving resides on the coffee table in my living room. He has been there for as long as I have lived in this house. Before that, he resided in the “meditation sanctuary” of the apartment in which I lived.

At times when I have mediated in his presence he has been humble and compassionate; at other times he has prayed with me; we have even slumbered in each other’s presence. But now when I sit with him, he weeps—and he has much for which to weep.

In the land of Myanmar, once known (and by many still known) as Burma, monks who are called by his name are being brutalized and killed. Their monasteries are surrounded by soldiers and armored war vehicles. The people of the land are being slain and crushed. And the Buddha weeps.

Blood soaked sandals are seen on a street following a shooting by soldiers during a protest in downtown Rangoon, Burma on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007. (The Mandalay Gazette)

Perhaps you have heard the story; perhaps you have not. Either way, I invite you to read the words of Hanna Ingber Win, wife of a native Burmese who now lives in Los Angeles: Praying For Better Burma. She tells of the people's desire and hope for liberty, of the peaceful protests, of the arrests of leaders, of the oppression, as the military junta stomps out opposition and attempts to destroy the people's longing for freedom. And the Buddha weeps.

As I was searching for the latest developments of the current plight of the Burmese people, I came across these words, attributed to an anonymous Burmese:

He weeps for our country! Courage is waning. Fear prevails. Intolerance grows. Innocent children die in the womb. There is no shame. Our country dies.

And the Buddha weeps. And many of us around the world also weep, and pray, and act.

Amnesty International on Burma: Join the Protest