Feeling For Burma , Inspired By Lord Of The Dance

A year ago, in September 2007, I was in a suicidal state as news of protesting people, led by monks on the streets was in headlines, knowing they would be brutally crush down by the junta, military government of Burma. Sure enough, despite the international pleading to spare thousands of lives, the junta went on to arrest, torture and kill as many as they could.

The world watched in horror as tortured bodies of monks floating in the rivers were reported. Burma, an official Buddhist country has become religiously most infamous among the human societies – a country where so-called Buddhists of the ruling junta kill their own countrymen and Buddhist Monks.

The reality hit and the horror and anger become guilt and shame, that we could not save our monks : the monks, who possess nothing; the monks, who only ate the food that people donate daily ; the monks, who taught us to live a peaceful life ; the monks, who went to the streets to tell the military government that the citizens of Burma are starving. And we failed to protect them.

One year on, the guilt and shame have become a foreboding, especially as we approach September again. Then, by pure chance, I came across with Lord of the Dance, a hymn composed by Sydney Carter. I am perfectly aware that it was meant to be for Jesus Christ but I was awed by the striking similarity of the way in which he died, to the fate of our Buddhist monks, especially the part

"They whipped and they stripped,
And they hung me on high,
And they left me there
On a Cross to die”.

Sydney Carter wrote..."I see Christ as the incarnation of the piper who is calling us. He dances that shape and pattern which is at the heart of our reality. By Christ I mean not only Jesus; in other times and places, other planets, there may be other Lords of the Dance. But Jesus is the one I know of first and best. I sing of the dancing pattern in the life and words of Jesus. (From Green Print for Song, Stainer & Bell (1974) )

It is therefore not necessary to compare Jesus directly with our own Buddhist monks but I feel strength and courage by reading this hymn. The last two verses are the most evocative:

“I danced on a Friday
When the sky turned black -
It's hard to dance
With the devil on your back.
They buried my body
And they thought I'd gone,
But I am the Dance, and I still go on”

“They cut me down
And I leapt up high;
I am the life
That'll never, never die;
I'll live in you
If you'll live in me -
I am the Lord
Of the Dance, said he!”

Yes, the devil is still on our backs but we must keep on dancing, however hard it is.

Suddenly I understand the way Sydney Carter coped with the death of Jesus.

Yes, Jesus was killed in a cruellest way but he would not be crying, weak and negative on that account. Instead, he was strong, positive and optimistic. He converted all his sadness and horror into tremendous courage and strength. By composing all the courageous lyrics into a most cheerful tune, he strongly challenged the evils and devils who killed Jesus.

Being brought up as a Buddhist, I tend to seek peace and calm, which means appearing timid and avoiding confrontation, and sometimes it seems to invite others to walk all over me. Worst of all I have developed a bad habit of focussing on the suffering and grief :

Monks suffer... monks suffer.... monks suffer....

We are sad .....we are said .... we are sad ....

We failed ....we failed ....... we failed....

Life is bad ..... life is bad ..... life is bad....

But the more timid, miserable, negative, and pessimistic the Burmese people are, the happier and more confident the evil junta becomes. For this reason alone, I refuse to dwell on my misery and suffering.

Yes, the monks and many citizens of Burma were brutally killed by the evil junta but I will not be crying and feeling sorry for them and myself for the rest of my life. Just like Sydney Carter, I will no longer be crying over our losses and failures but would march on and fight on. I would march on and fight on until Burma achieves freedom and democracy. In order to do this I will continue to attack the junta, SPDC military government of Burma in the best way that I can, so that there will be no peace for them.

On this first anniversary of the Golden Colour Revolution, I remember and give respect to all the monks and heroes who gave up their lives for others, for their humanity, dignity, and courage: we will all “live in them…” and they will all “…leap up high and .. never,never die!”

Goldie Shwe

To read and listen to the hymn 'Lord of the Dance' please visit http://www.stainer.co.uk/lotd.html