Help Haiti After Devastating Earthquake.

UPDATE: It's been brought to my attention that The Red Cross might not be trusted by some in communities of color. A website run by Haitian born rapper, Wyclef Jean is a great place to donate as he has strong and long-time links to the Haitian people. I tried donating to his website instead of Red Cross but it was down at the time. Here is his website: Click here. There are some Buddhist organizations too that are mentioned in the comment section. Feel free to add information as you know it. Or any other organizations that you know are reputable. Thanks. Let's do what we can for these brothers and sisters of ours.

As many of you know, Haiti (which is the 4th poorest country in the world) suffered a major, deadly earthquake yesterday (Tuesday). It was a 7.0 eartquake on a scale of 10 being the worst. It is the worst earthquake in Haiti in more than 200 years. Thousands upon thousands have already died. They need our help fellow Buddhists. We are known for our compassion and so now is the time to practice that first-hand. I would like to be there to work on the ground but they said it is chaos on the ground and that the on-ground help should be left up to the established organizations who have experience doing this kind of thing.

So, the best thing we can do who live outside Haiti is to donate to a reputable organization such as The Red Cross. If you donate to Red Cross, select the button on this page that is for, "International Relief Fund" which will go directly to Haiti. Another good place to donate is UNICEF, which is a United Nationals organization. Haiti has been especially hit hard because they don't have the money to build buildings that can withstand earthquakes. So, buildings like police stations and hospitals have been hard-hit if not flattened. Even the National Palace collapsed, which is the where the president lives!! That's like the White House, here in America being flattened!!According to the latest, a prison was leveled and prisoners have escaped. Schools have collapsed and people are out in the streets.

Also, given the poor living conditions there is a real risk of disease killing even more Haitians in the aftermath of this horrible disaster. Please, if you do metta practice send it toward these wonderful people who are facing unimaginable tragedy. May relief (both material and spiritual) come quickly to the good people of Haiti. I'm going to light a candle to burn all day in solidarity with the Haitians and hope that international aid arrives as quickly as possible. These are the moments where our development of compassion is put to the test. Please, give what you can. I could only afford $10 but every little bit helps. If we are sincere Buddhists, we can't let this people suffer alone. We, those how have been give much must help -- it is our karma to do so for to those who have been given much, much is required.

P.S. - Does anyone know of a Buddhist organization that helps people during international disasters such as many Christian churches do?

~Peace to the Haitians~

Is the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh a Radical? Hardly.

As most of you know I have been following the crisis within the community of monastics following the teachings of the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh in Vietnam. The Western news organization, "The Guardian" quoted some of his followers in that Southeast Asian country. These monastics made the statement that their tradition is radical. "The Guardian" though didn't seem to investigate why or what made them say their tradition was "radical." It then assumed that this must mean that Thich Nhat Hanh is a radical. However, they missed the context by a mile. I'd expect the Vietnamese Communist government to say such but not a Western news outlet who should know better. It's lazy journalism.

Here's the context: The Zen tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh might be radical in Vietnam where the iron-fisted government maintains strict control over the actions of religious organizations. However,it's not radical in free societies like the U.S. and France where Nhat Hanh is most established. So calling their beliefs "radical" must be taken in the context of what radical means in a dictatorial country like Vietnam.

The full quote from the monastics was, "The followers, who describe their monastery as the 'most radical and fastest growing' in Vietnam, say the authorities regard Nhat Hanh as a threat to their tight control over religious observance.

James: They clearly missed that important distinction even though it was lying right in front of them in their own quote!! Perhaps the distinction was implied but that's still misleading and confusing to those who aren't aware of Thich Nhat Hanh or his order. The way it reads makes it appear as if Nhat Hanh is some warrior monk, which couldn't be further from the truth. Thich Nhat Hanh is a peaceful, loving, kind, compassionate, non-violent devotee to the Buddhadharma. That hardly makes him a "radical" in the eyes of most people around the world. I hope, "The Guardian" realizes their mistake and corrects it in the future because the idea of a skinny, 82 year old Zen Buddhist monk being a radical except in the eyes of the paranoid Vietnamese government is laughable. When I think of radical I think of those anarchists who protest G-20 meetings and other international summits/conferences.

Can you picture Thich Nhat Hanh manning the barricades, wearing a gas mask and throwing Molotov Cocktails at police and military personnel? So when a Western news agency labels Thay a "radical" they are making a factual mistake. However, what's worse is that they are creating undo suspicion of a man many consider to be one of the most positive, beneficial and serene beings to walk the Earth today. In fact the world would be an even better place with many more "radicals" like him.

~Peace to all beings~