Meditate to fight crime

BY HORACE HINES, Jamaica Observer, December 31, 2017

Ugandan Buddhist monk insists that Jamaica's problems can be solved by teaching the science to reduce conflict

MONTEGO BAY, St James (Jamaica)
-- Buddhist monk, Bhante Buddharakkhita is advocating for the employment of “mindfulness meditation” to curb the sweeping violence in the nation which has accounted for 1,600 murders since the start of the year.


<< Buddhist monk, Bhante Buddharakkhita ... when you meditate it can change other people (Photo: Philp Lemonte)


“Now when you meditate it can change other people, so mindfulness meditation will reduce conflict and crime rate in Jamaica,” Buddharakkhita told the Jamaica Observer in an interview last week.

“When one person meditates and if the population of Jamaica is 2.5 million, that's one person less confused. If another person keeps on meditating that's two people less, three people, five people. That will take a long time. Let us take a look at this from a practical point of view. It might take 50 years, but 50 years that's already 50 people who are not going to get into problems, so that's the first thing.”

He expressed that if meditation is taught, especially in the inner-city communities of Jamaica, then the community members will learn how to conquer their internal enemies and make their “mind a good friend”, then it will become much easier “to go outside in the world and transform their friends, their relatives, strangers and all that.

“Without that, you can spend a lot of money on police, on army with guns to prevent crime, (but) it's not going to be very effective. What is effective is to start from inside and then we work outside,” he said.

The Ugandan native, who works in the United States of America, claimes that application of the technique has reaped success in Washington, DC, where the crime rate was brought down from 50 to 25 per cent. He is adamant that the result can be replicated in Jamaica.

“They brought 100 mediators to Washington DC and the crime rate reduced 50 per cent to 25 per cent ... this is a documentary movie. So I just feel that the Jamaicans in general don't know much about mindfulness meditation,” he said.

He further explained that perpetrators of violence in the aftermath of a general election in Kenya became peaceful after they were introduced to yoga.

“In Kenya there was a big violence after the election and those inner-city children were burning houses, so there was an American lady who came and started teaching these children yoga. Instead of using physical energy to burn houses, they used physical energy to exercise, to do yoga. And because yoga involves improving your health, the children who were doing yoga, they became calm and peaceful,” Buddharakkhita outlined.

“So yes, in the innercity if people are violent we need to create a programme for them and transform that energy from violence, to non-violence through doing physical movements which would involve mindfulness. It's not sitting here and closing your eyes and saying Jamaica is going to be peaceful. No, it involves mindfulness of movement.”

He argued that it is important to be mindful that meditation inspires peace of mind which over time, radiates outwardly to others.

In the meantime, the Buddhist monk, who was in Jamaica recently as a guest of the Burmese community, expressed that he was pleasantly surprised to come to the realisation that the Jamaica he has come to know is not as violent as he has read about.

“Jamaica is a beautiful country; I have been here for 10 days. So beautiful. But, before I came here I had to Google what's Jamaica and what I was seeing ... wow! When I came here I was so surprised. What I read before I came here is not what I see,” he stated with a smile.

Buddharakkhita, whose given name is Steven Kaboggoza, is appealing to Jamaicans to dispel the misconception that one cannot be a Buddhist and a Christian simultaneously.

“Being African and born in Africa and seeing African tradition and being born as a Christian, a Roman Catholic, I want to appeal to my fellow brothers and sisters in Jamaica that being a Christian cannot hinder you from practising meditation. So I appeal to the Jamaican people if they can find a way how they can seek how, to cultivate inner peace so that they can overcome suffering and stress and translate it to the society,” he stated.

Meanwhile, according to another Burmese, Dr Maung Aung, the members of that country's community in Jamaica, made up of mainly medical doctors, is around 150 strong.

“Approximately 150 Burmese live in Jamaica so all of them are followers. There are some persons from different countries like Sri Lanka and India and from Far East, they are also Buddhist followers,” informed Dr Aung.
We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot
NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.


Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team


Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv


TOP