In a public address on September 19, Aung San Suu Kyi addressed the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, saying she is "deeply concerned" about those caught in the conflict, but Myanmar’s government needs time to investigate "what the real problems are" in Rakhine state. With hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing their homes in Myanmar, more than 200 Buddhist teachers and community [...]
About Hozan Alan Senauke
Eight Buddhist Views on the Practice of Politics
Politics and Buddhism might seem antithetical, but in truth Buddhist practice is inherently political. From the July 2004 Lion's Roar, Here are eight views on how to move society along the path to freedom from political suffering. A Buddhist Brawl By Richard Reoch Not so long ago a brawl broke out in a Buddhist shrine room. A close friend of mine was involved. The retreat [...]
Ambedkar’s Vision for India’s Dalits
The Buddhist revival in India ignited by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar more than fifty years ago has brought millions of the country’s most impoverished and marginalized people to the Buddhist path. There is much we can learn from them, says Alan Senauke. With justice on our side, I do not see how we can lose our battle. The battle to me is a matter of joy… For ours is a battle not for [...]
Buddhists Go to the White House
The streets of Washington DC were lined with blossoms and greenery, the prospect of promise. One hundred thirty Buddhist teachers, monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen, academics, and organizers met on Thursday May 14 for the first “White House—U.S. Buddhist Leadership Conference,” the subject at hand being “Voices in the Square—Action in the World.” While I am ambivalent about a [...]
The Fire This Time: A look at the religious violence in Burma
Buddhadharma recently asked Hozan Alan Senauke, Soto Zen priest and longtime peace activist, to offer some insight on the current conflict between Buddhist and Muslim ethnic groups in Burma. Below is his response — an excellent explanation not only of the conflict itself but of how we, as Western Buddhists, might try to make a difference. Hatred is never appeased by hatred in [...]
Good Day Sunshine: A commentary on Aung San Suu Kyi’s win
A commentary by Hozan Alan Senauke, celebrating Aung San Suu Kyi's win in the Burmese parliament. The good news from Burma kept coming in yesterday, after regional by-elections there in 45 districts. It was not an April Fools joke. According to the Mizzima news service, Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy looks to have won 44 of the 45 contested seats in the [...]
Burma: A Change is Gonna Come… but Slowly
An article by Hozan Alan Senauke, who interviews monks in Burma about upcoming political and cultural change in their country. Maggin monastery, in Yangon’s eastern Thingangyun Township, was a refuge for hundreds of dissident Burmese monks during 2007’s “Saffron Revolution.” The Saffron Revolution began with local demonstrations against arbitrary and immediate price [...]
Burma’s Opening Door
Hozen Alan Senauke reports on the news coming out of Burma, and hopes for the country's reopening. The news from Burma this week is encouraging. The doors of freedom continue to open. On January 12, the government of Myanmar and ethnic rebels of the Karen National Union signed a cease-fire and peace agreement that lays the groundwork for the end of a sixty-year insurgency and [...]
Clinton and Suu Kyi: Passion for Burma
Hozan Alan Senauke reports on the recent meeting between Burma’s Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. As a member of a movement that has been engaged in a long struggle to effect change through nonviolent means, I have learned to value above all other attributes in colleagues and supporters disinterested, active commitment. Such commitment is [...]
Burma: New Hope Runs Deep
Hozan Alan Senauke reports on the changing tide of Burma, and looks towards a peaceful future for the country. At the Asia-Pacific summit in Indonesia last week, U.S. President Barack Obama said he had spoken with iconic Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who supports increased engagement with Burma/Myanmar. Seeing "flickers of progress" in a country mired in a [...]