{"id":42661,"date":"2020-03-11T20:00:21","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T20:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/queme.org\/?p=42661"},"modified":"2021-01-06T10:58:19","modified_gmt":"2021-01-06T10:58:19","slug":"last-message-from-thich-quang-do-on-forb-democracy-and-human-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/last-message-from-thich-quang-do-on-forb-democracy-and-human-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"Last Message from Buddhist Patriarch Th\u00edch Qu\u1ea3ng \u0110\u1ed9 on religious freedom, democracy and human rights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><br>PARIS, 11th March 2020 (VCHR-IBIB): In remembrance of the Most Venerable <strong>Th\u00edch Qu\u1ea3ng \u0110\u1ed9,<\/strong> renowned dissident and Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) who died in Saigon last month, the <strong>Vietnam Committee on Human Rights<\/strong> (VCHR) and the <strong>International Buddhist Information Bureau<\/strong> (IBIB) wish to present this video with the UBCV Patriarch\u2019s last message to the international community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The UBCV\nPatriarch sent his message clandestinely from the Thanh Minh Zen Monastery in\nSaigon, where he was under house arrest, to the international conference on \u201c<strong>Freedom\nof Religion or Belief and Human Rights: Vietnamese and Tibetan Buddhism under\nthreat<\/strong>\u201d, organised by VCHR and the International Campaign for Tibet in\nWashington D.C. on 11th July 2018 at the US Commission on International\nReligious Freedom <em>(see report on the Conference below).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hVPsR18GGu4\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n&nbsp;<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In this\nmoving message, spoken in English, Th\u00edch Qu\u1ea3ng \u0110\u1ed9 expressed solidarity between\nVietnamese and Tibetan Buddhists suffering oppression under communist regimes, and\nstressed his life-long conviction that religious freedom, democracy and human\nrights are indivisible and interdependent: <strong><em>\u201cBuddhists in Vietnam and Tibet share so much.\nWe walk the same path of nonviolence and peace. We believe that compassion can\novercome hatred, and we strive to free the world from suffering, ignorance and\noppression. We also share the same punishment, torture and detention from\ngovernments that are determined to stifle our voice.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>\u201cReligious freedom is like a flower. It needs water, sunlight and good earth for its seeds to flourish and grow. Without them, it will die. Without freedom of expression, assembly, association \u2013 in brief, without democracy and human rights, religious freedom cannot be guaranteed. This is why we Buddhists keep speaking out for freedom, whatever the price\u201d.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was the last time Th\u00edch Qu\u1ea3ng \u0110\u1ed9 publicly addressed the international community. Two months later, in September 2018, he was expelled from the Thanh Minh Zen Monastery by its superior monk who said his presence caused <em>\u201cpolitical and economic problems.\u201d <\/em>\u00a0In October 2018, he travelled to his home village in northern Vietnam, but on arriving there found himself under a new form of house arrest. He managed to escape from the North and came back to the T\u1eeb Hi\u1ebfu Pagoda in Saigon, but he remained under close surveillance, deprived of all means of communication and isolated from his close followers until his death on 22 February 2020 at the age of 93 (his age according to the lunar calendar).<br><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\" class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Conference on<\/strong><br><strong>\u201cFreedom of Religion or Belief and Human Rights:<\/strong><br><strong>Vietnamese and Tibetan Buddhism under threat\u201d<br><em> <\/em><\/strong><em>Washington D.C. 11th July 2018<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"424\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39649\" srcset=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712a.jpg 424w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712a-150x212.jpg 150w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712a-212x300.jpg 212w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 424px) 100vw, 424px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><br>The Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) and the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) organized a Conference on \u201cFreedom of Religion or Belief and Human Rights: Vietnamese and Tibetan Buddhism under threat\u201d on July 11, 2018. It was \u00a0hosted by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and held at their offices in 732 North Capitol Street NW, Washington D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speakers included<strong> Dr. Tenzin Dorjee<\/strong>, USCIRF Chair, <strong>Congressman Alan Lowenthal, Congress-woman Zoe Lofgren, <\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Kristina Arriaga<\/strong>, USCIRF Vice-Chair, <strong>Arjia Rinpoche<\/strong>, former abbot of Kumbum Monastery in Tibet and head of Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center, Indiana, <strong>Vo Van Ai<\/strong>, President of VCHR, <strong>Matteo Mecacci,<\/strong> President of the International Campaign for Tibet, <strong>Robert Herman<\/strong>, Vice-President of Freedom House, <strong>Penelope Faulkner,<\/strong> VCHR Vice-President, <strong>Todd Stein<\/strong>, Senior Policy Advisor to Representative Chellie Pingree, and experts and human rights defenders from Europe, Asia and the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Conference featured two panel discussions on \u201cReligious Freedom and American Foreign Policy\u201d, and \u201cStrategies to Promote Freedom of Religion or Belief in Closed Societies: The Cases of Vietnamese and Tibetan Buddhists.\u201d Speakers explored the importance of a proactive freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) component in US foreign policy; transatlantic and international cooperation in advancing FoRB; violations of FoRB and trade considerations; initiatives to support prisoners of conscience; FoRB and democracy; the role of Buddhism in promoting a civic culture of human rights, dignity and diversity in Vietnamese and Tibetan communities, and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"373\" src=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712b.jpg\" alt=\"Panel No. 1, from right to left: USCIRF Chairman Dr Tenzin Dorjee, VCHR President V\u00f5 V\u0103n \u00c1i, VCHR Vice-President Penelope Faulkner (moderator), ICT President Matteo Mecacci and US Congressman Alan Lowenthal\" class=\"wp-image-39653\" srcset=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712b.jpg 600w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712b-150x93.jpg 150w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712b-300x187.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>Panel No. 1, from right to left: USCIRF Chairman Dr Tenzin Dorjee, VCHR President V\u00f5 V\u0103n \u00c1i, VCHR Vice-President Penelope Faulkner (moderator), ICT President Matteo Mecacci and US Congressman Alan Lowenthal<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"340\" src=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712c.jpg\" alt=\"Conference participants listen to the Message sent by UBCV Patriarch Thich Quang Do\" class=\"wp-image-39656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712c.jpg 600w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712c-150x85.jpg 150w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712c-300x170.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>Conference participants listen to the Message sent by UBCV Patriarch Thich Quang Do<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In a\nmesssage sent clandestinely from the Thanh Minh Zen Monastery in Saigon where\nhe is under effective house arrest, UBCV Patriarch said: <em>\u201cBuddhists in Vietnam and Tibet share so much. We walk the same path of\nnonviolence and peace. We believe that compassion can overcome hatred, and we\nstrive to free the world from suffering, ignorance and oppression. We also\nshare the same punishment, torture and detention from governments that are\ndetermined to stifle our voice.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Religious freedom is like a flower. It needs\nwater, sunlight and good earth for its seeds to flourish and grow. Without\nthem, it will die. Without freedom of expression, assembly, association \u2013 in\nbrief, without democracy and human rights, religious freedom cannot be\nguaranteed. This is why we Buddhists keep speaking out for freedom, whatever\nthe price.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>In Vietnam and Tibet today, the suppression of\nspiritual values by the communist regimes has led to a rise in crime and\nviolence. Buddhism could contribute so much to addressing these problems and\npromoting a more caring, tolerant society if only it was free. I wish I was a\nbird, so I could fly to Washington to be with you today. But I am under house\narrest in my pagoda in Saigon. I am isolated, but I am not alone. For I have\nyour solidarity to support and comfort me\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712d.jpg\" alt=\"Congressman Alan Lowenthal and USCIRF Vice-Chair Kristina Arriaga\" class=\"wp-image-39659\" srcset=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712d.jpg 600w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712d-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712d-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>Congressman Alan Lowenthal and USCIRF Vice-Chair Kristina Arriaga<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In his\nOpening remarks, VCHR President Vo Van Ai&nbsp;\nnoted that: <em>\u201cthis is the first\ntime Buddhism in Tibet and Vietnam are examined together \u2013 the positive\ncontributions of Buddhism, the common policies used to stifle it by the\ncommunist regimes, and the real dangers we face if Buddhism is suppressed, not\nonly for our countries, but for the security of the Asia-Pacific region as a\nwhole.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Vietnamese and Tibetan Buddhism have\ndifferences, but there is one thing of which we are all sure \u2013 that Buddhism is\nhighly relevant in our modern world. In this year\u2019s message for Vesak Day,\nwhich is now recognized internationally by the United Nations, UN\nSecretary-general Antonio Guterres wrote: <strong>\u201cThe\nBuddhist world view teaches us to see ourselves as a part of this world and not\nas its masters. And Buddhism\u2019s emphasis on non-violence stands as a powerful\ncall for peace. From peace, to climate change, to human rights, we see how much\nthe teachings of the Buddha are so relevant in the work of the United Nations\ntoday. Now more than ever, Buddhist communities and all of us must give every\nday meaning to the Buddha\u2019s message of tolerance, empathy and humanism.&nbsp; We must resist those who seek to twist a call\nfor love into a cry for hate\u201d.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cIt is true that, over 2,500 years before the\nParis Agreement on Climate Change \u2013 which certain countries believe is\nnot necessary \u2013 Buddha\u2019s teachings included the protection of the environment\nand the right to life, not just of humans but also animals and plants.&nbsp; As early as the 3rd Century, Buddhist\nmonarchs such as King Asoka set up Edicts exhorting the people to plant trees\nand respect life; and early Vietnamse Buddhist Sutras such as the \u201cSix Ways of\nLiberation\u201d (L\u1ee5c \u0110\u1ed9 T\u1eadp Kinh) taught the principles of liberating the\nindividual, the community and the nation through nonviolent engagement, with\nsuch modern concepts as universal education, social equality and ecological\nrights.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cMost of all, Buddhism is a philosophy of peace.\nAll Buddhists practice the Five Moral Precepts (Ng\u0169 gi\u1edbi) which is the Buddhist\ncode of ethics, and the \u201cSix Harmonies\u201d (L\u1ee5c h\u00f2a), six principles for\nmaintaining harmony within a group, based on understanding and mutual respect.\nIn fact, these principles form the very basis of democracy \u2013 the respect of\ndiversity and pluralism in all its forms. By developing this spirit of mutual\nrespect, I believe we can create a climate of understanding and tolerance that\nis vital for our world today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712e.jpg\" alt=\"VCHR Pesident Vo Van Ai makes Opening Remarks\" class=\"wp-image-39662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712e.jpg 600w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712e-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/2018-0712e-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>VCHR Pesident Vo Van Ai makes Opening Remarks<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cIndeed,\nin this era of global terrorism and conflict, a peaceful philosophy such as\nBuddhism can play a vital role. In Asia, Buddhism is deeply rooted in countries\nsuch as India, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma,\nMongolia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Tibet. It therefore has immense potential to\nhelp maintain stability in the region, and become a driving force for\ndemocracy, social justice and human rights.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cThis is why Buddhism in Vietnam and Tibet is under threat today, for our governments see it as a challenge. But if the Communists think they can suppress Buddhism by force, they are wrong. Buddhist teachings are based on two elements \u2013 Compassion and Wisdom. We are gentle people, but we resist. For we see reality as it is, and we will not bow down to tyranny. I firmly believe that one day, we shall overcome !\u201d<\/em><br><br><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PARIS, 11th March 2020 (VCHR-IBIB): In remembrance of the Most Venerable Th\u00edch Qu\u1ea3ng \u0110\u1ed9, renowned dissident and Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) who died in Saigon last month, the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) and the International Buddhist Information Bureau (IBIB) wish to present this video with the UBCV Patriarch\u2019s &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":434,"featured_media":42662,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[368,97,137,113,98,1400,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-forb","category-ibib","category-latest-posts","category-news","category-press-release","category-thich-quang-do","category-vchr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/434"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42661"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42661\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}