Why We Must Support the Resistance...

 

Lion's Roar - Nine months ago, the Burmese military staged a coup in the predominately Buddhist country of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). The military continues to enact horrendous violence and human rights abuses against the citizens of Myanmar, and many of our fellow practitioners are suffering.

The attempted coup in Myanmar began on February 1, 2021 when the Tatmadaw military detained many of the country’s democratically elected officials. The country responded with a national strike as millions of healthcare workers, civil servants, teachers, truck drivers, and others refused to work. Railways and highways were shut down as part of the Civil Disobedience Movement, and the streets of major cities and small towns flooded with people.

We should see it as our karmic responsibility to support the people suffering in Myanmar.

The military junta responded to this Spring Revolution with extreme violence. State-sanctioned security forces opened fire on unarmed crowds. The military imposed citywide curfews, conducting midnight raids to arrest and disappear dissidents. Since February, the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners has documented over 1,200 deaths and over 9,300 arrests.

As violence intensified, participants in the Spring Revolution took to writing their blood type and personal information on their bodies should they be killed or injured in the streets. The military has also massacred rural villages and continues to use torture and sexual violence as part of their political repression.

Of the 57 million people living in Myanmar, nearly 90% identify as Buddhists. It is because of our interconnectedness with Myanmar that we must support its people in this time of need. Many secular mindfulness practices were shaped by Burmese traditions.

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