A Buddhist monk only has poetry as he reflects on needless bloodshed in his home village at the hands of the military.
We received the following submission from a trusted local source, who has asked for anonymity.
Yesterday, 70 houses in a village located just north of my home town were burned to ash by the junta's forces. We saw photos of houses in flames and the bodies of a 13-year old boy named Maung Pyae Phyo Oo and a 67-year old woman named Daw San Kyi who were killed by random artillery fire from the military. One Buddhist monk, named Ashin Dhamma-V?ra, was a native of this village. I have translated a poem he wrote after this horrific event:
"Today, my mother's house in my village was burned!
I'm a monk, so what can I do, except to go on alms-round to feed my parents?
Just knew it: the neighbors called and told me.
My parents told them not to tell their son,
"Let him serve the S?san? in peace!"
Oh! Parents!
*When I called, the uneducated but honest,
A woman of Anyar (Upper Myanmar),
Whose only learning came at a monastery,
Answered calm, unshaken.
(Is she just trying to act calm in front of her monk son?)
She said,
"Everything is impermanent!"
"I only miss the stone-carved Buddha Statue,
And the money saved for my funeral,
So my two sons will not have trouble
Donating to 30 monks."
"I will die as a monk's mother."
Oh, Mom!
"I could not bring anything with me. No time, my son."
Just in the clothes on her body.
Oh, my mother, who has been through kidney surgery!
How did she run? She would have been tired!
I could only give her a short discourse:
"Mom, Lord Buddha said,
People cry when they suffer from disease,
When they lose their loved ones,
When they lose their wealth.
But, these losses don't take one to hell.
People don't cry. When people lose morality,
When they lose their true beliefs,
These two losses take one to hell!"
Mom said, "S?dhu. S?dhu. S?dhu. My son!"
She said, "Don't worry about us, my son!
We can survive and make a life.
You just stay in the S?san?, please.
Just work for the S?san?, please!"
I promised, "Yes, mom, yes!"
So does our Anyar love the Enlightened One's S?san?!
We value it this much!
???????? ?????????????????????????????
?????????????? ????????????????????????????????????
??????????????????????
?????????????????????????? ???????????
??????????????????????????????????????
????????????????????????????
???????? ???????????????????????
????????????????????????????????????
?????....... ???????? ?????????
?????????????????????????????????????
??????????????????????????
?????????????????????
???????????????????????????????
(?????????????????????? ?????????????
?????????????????????????)
???????????????????? ?????????????
??? ???????????
??????????????????????????????????????
???????? ??????(?)?????
???????????????????????????????
??????????? ????????(??)???????
????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????
??????????????????????????????????????????
?????....... ???????? ?????????
????????????????????????
??????????????????????????????????????
????(??)?????????????????????
?????????????????????????????????????
????????????????????? ?????????????????
??????????????????????????????????????????
??? ???????????????????
?????????????????????
????????????????????
??????????????? ?????????????????????
?????? ?????????
????????????????????????????????????????
???????????????????????????
???????????????????????????????
?????? ?????????????
????????????????? ??????????????
???? ???? ?????? ???????
?????? ??????????????????
???????? ??????????????????
?????????? ??????????????
????????????????????????????????????
???? ??? ?????
?????????????????? ????????????????????
???????????????? ??????????????????????
???????????
?????????????(???????)