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Shana Tova, if anyone reads this in time. And also Eid Mubarak to Muslim readers.

And, for September 11, if anyone is in New York, there will be an interfaith/Buddhist memorial at Pier 40. Things will start at 6:30 pm, but people should gather at 6, especially if you want to write a message on a lantern. The organizer, a Japanese Buddhist priest, sends out wonderful news:

This weekend, I am arranging "Hibaku" Piano (the piano which was survived from atomic bombing of Hiroshima) Peace Concert at various places, so I hope that you can join the concert and enjoy yourself.

The schedule will include interfaith prayers and meditation for peace and a Buddhist ceremony. At 8pm lanterns will be set out into the Hudson River (modeled on the Japanese commemoration of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki). It's a beautiful ceremony.

I'll be in a meditation retreat, so I won't be there, but I'll talk to our teacher about some chanting. In Korean Buddhism, we chant Ji Jang Bosal for the dead. However, s/he (Boddhisattva's don't really have fixed gender, though Ji Jang Bosal is usually depicted in a male form) is known for the vow to save all being in the hell realms. That would include those who would do such awful things as 9/11 or the Florida preacher who plans to burn Korans. So I chant for them as well. I hope they hear my chanting and realize the truth.

Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal
Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal
Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal
Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal
Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal
Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal
Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal
Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal Ji Jang Bosal

And, for the victims of hatred and prejudice, I also chant:

Kwan Seum Bosal Kwan Seum Bosal Kwan Seum Bosal

Korean Buddhists chant for specific occasions, such as the death of a loved one, but also at New Years. At that time people chant Ji Jang Bosal for all those who have died in the past year but especially with a certain flavor of karma, such as those who died in war. There are many events on the calendar to remind us to strive to be better. And many ways to strive. But please remember, that is a moment-to-moment struggle within. It's dogma that blinds us when we look for that struggle outside ourselves.

Peace,
-Matt

On New York Immigrants

From WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show:

A groundbreaking study examines how well recent immigrants and their children are becoming part of society in metropolitan New York. Philip Kasinitz and John Mollenkopf are two of the co-authors of the new book Inheriting the City: The Children of Immigrants Come of Age.

I've known a few children of immigrants to New York myself.

Sean Bell verdict

This morning I heard the verdict in the case of police officers charged for the shooting death/racist murder of Sean Bell. Not guilty. The coverage below is quite good - listen if you're not familiar with the case. At first, I was surprised. I heard cars honking outside and hoped it was the city rising up against injustice. No, just New York.

But ultimately I find the verdict credible. The judge did call the police officers negligent, but felt that their negligence didn't rise to the standards of the criminal charges, even to the level of Reckless Endangerment. The verdict is credible to me because it is legal in this country to shoot a black man over 30 times. They even reloaded.

In other words, what I'd like to see is a discussion of how racism can be subtle and unconscious and still have dramatic, tragic consequences. Even in this time of heightened consciousness and arguably lessened (public) racism, racism still kills. All the time.

Antisemitism on New York Indymedia

blogged at Contested Terrain.

In one of the friendlier replies to me, a poster under the name “Zionazi Watch” wrote, “Here is a remedy to your problem, don’t post. Save yourself the aggravation and time. We won’t hold it against you.” ...The next “Zionazi Watch” post, which raised the level of hostility towards me, with the threat, “See you in the streets, or more likely in our scopes,” [which has now also been deleted, after I alerted them to the fact that they’re making death threats] tells me that my posts were erased because of my supposed “hatemongering” and “racism”.

Generally, it's bad form to make death threats against others while accusing them of "hatemongering."