"Like a Fire Brigade of Monks"

Yesterday and today Vesak, or Wesak, is being observed in many parts of Asia. This is the celebration of the Buddha's birth, but for many there is little time for celebrating.

Yesterday I wrote about the work of Burmese monks to get aid to people whose lives were devastated by Cyclone Nargis. Here's more about how the aid is getting into Burma without being seized by the junta.

Brett Popplewell writes for the Toronto Star that the International Burmese Monks Organization is sending the money it raises to Buddhist monks in countries that border Burma (Myanmar).

From there, funds are carried into Burma by handpicked sympathetic civilians who deliver the money to the Burmese monasteries. ... Individual monks use the funds to gather relief supplies. ...

... "It's kind of like a fire brigade of monks," said Jeremy Ledbetter who is organizing a benefit concert at Toronto's Lula Lounge tomorrow night.

For bleaker views of the situation in Burma, see "This Is What Our Life Is" at Newsweek and "Cyclone victims' tales seep through" by Roland Buerk of the BBC.

The Associated Press reports that the great Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the most well-known shrine of Burma, was damaged in the cyclone but has been re-opened after some quick repairs.

Photo Credit: © Brownm39 | Dreamstime.com