Poem: The Quick Story of the World

A man’s death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind;
And therefore never send to know
For whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee. -John Donne

Third world’s dying while
Second world’s crawling while
First world’s gunning
And running.

Force leads to profit,
Profit leads to wealth,
Wealth leads to greed,
Greed leads to corruption,
Corruption runs the world.

First world’s gunning
Third world’s running
Nowhere to hide
Second world’s in limbo.

It is a story well known by those who wallow:
Inconsideration, ignorance, misunderstanding
Perhaps?
NO.
It is the intention of the crat with his
Rat-a-tat-tat spoke scratchin at the back
Of those who wallow in their ghettos
Forced by those who care little of humanity
But would rather see a profit increase one
Half a percent stuck in place cause
There is no place for the other half,
Quarter, whole, they don’t care, they
Can change it all but they let them
Live in des pair; they push arms and
Take leg’s, rape minds, and pillage the
Most precious resource of them all,
Hope, dignity, promise, potential
Perhaps?
NO.
They went the way of the WTO and
Legalized the selling of people for profit
Because tis easier to own one’s workers
Rather than treat them like an equal
A brother, a friend, an acquaintance
A human.
There is no room for humanity in the
Marbled walls of the world’s headquarters
Because, after all, they must know what is
Best, after all, they do have all the money.
So because of this false sense of authority
[authority being perceived dominance over
Another human that is in every sense of the
Word equal to him or her or it. Bullocks]
They exploit the resources, people and
LIVES of those who were just unlucky enough
To be born outside of the “industrialized” world.
They care less about the fellowship of man
And more of their all mighty god
The all mighty Dollar.
The one that justifies murder hate, violence.
The one that fosters destruction, malice, ignorance.
The one that causes misery, pain, woe.
The one that we all praise.

And therefore
The world dies.
And do not send for me
For I already know:
The bell has tolled
It tolls for thee.


Enjoy the thought food
Power to the Peaceful!
-mike

Drawing: Humanize

Although this may be a simple doodle I thought up while I was being berated with conservative business theory in economics, I think its message is simple enough and powerful enough to stand on its own.

Power to the peaceful!
-mike

Reflection: Kagyu Thubten Choling Tibetan Monestary

Sunday, Jan 25:
Celebration of Chinese New Year 2009
5 Hrs.

After lengthily journeying on foot from Vassar through Poughkeepsie, to its train station that transported me to Newburgh, I began yet another embarkment, to revisit Kagyu Thubten Choling Tibetan Buddhist Monastery. The walk was beautiful, littered with trees, and the frigid air was fresh feeling in lungs. The birds sang near today. I discovered a fallen, elongated, brown peas in a pod, which primitively became my shaker instrument. Walked and walked and walked and walked. I was relating in my mind to Carlo Carretto trekking, suffering, revalate-ing, and being empowered by spirit across Earth Mother’s Golden sands. And as Food Not Bombs Keith McHenry would say, “What a trip!”
This is a season of my life which has been highly spiritual in nature. Recently, I had a dream about reuniting with a long-lost friend who I used to negatively, and regularly conflict with. The dream was flowery. My friends name is Armin, and we were brotherly in love with each other in the dream I had. I was shown the fruits of my refuge in Buddha and the feeling that I felt was warmth. Buddha in my heart more opened, right mind and intentions have seemingly been expanding, pollinating, and blossoming. By Chogyam Trungpa , I have just read, Shambalah: The Sacred Path of The Warrior. I am yet not one, but I feel as if I am becoming. My intentions of visiting Kagyu are to be among warriors embodying gentleness, authenticity, fearless love, and selflessness. Trungpa’s “crazy wisdom” taught me that “drala,” or invoke-able magic, fearless love, begins from cleansing and purifying one’s self inner-ly. I intend to cultivate internal drala at Kagyu for the benefit of other beings. Drala, in its nature, once unfolding internally will manifest externally. First in the home, then in the family, and the final realm, that is community, for a more enlightened society.
At last when I arrived at Kagyu, I was greeted by nuns, and monks, and long lost friends. I was told that today was a very special day for me to be there, for it was Chinese New Year, o-nine, celebration. They told me of how they were just talking about me yesterday in remembrance of our cave chambers meditation retreat one year ago. Their greetings and expressions revealed to me that I am welcomed and loved here. Before I could ask my question, “How can I help?,” They were already asking me, for out of grace, it was in need. How spiritually this had occurred. Not before long we found ourselves out in the snows gathering, loading, transporting, unloading, and axe splitting firewood. There was a fire ceremony underway. In interconnectedness, collectively we made two fire pit sites. We made mountains of stacked, axed wood and placed crumbled, old papers within cracks. Out of necessity, the others had to leave and I was asked to complete jamming in papers. I found peace in solitude. Also, I found a special book in the garbage called Dharma Practice. I opened, and message from inside it read “Go now for the welfare and happiness of the man, out of compassion for the world, for the good, happiness, and welfare of gods and humans.” I am blessed to be here.
Came three o’clock and it was time to begin the Six-Armed Chadrupa Practice. Many gathered in the colorfully, radiant shrine. I prostrated to Buddah, then sat on a meditation mat facing the leading monks, and Lama Norla Rinpoche
A nun kindly gave me a booklet to follow along chanting, as we began the Mahakala (protector) prayers. Mahakalas are performed to clear away obstacles from the last year, to liberate us form them in the New Year to come. This was my second time following along chanting in Tibetan. Chanting is quick in speed, and challenging. I discovered that by following this symbol “/,” as a guide, I can follow along a little better, getting lost less often.
The chanting practice completed with a blessing and an offering of New Year’s medicine from Lama Norla. While I was waiting to receive, my friend David (who reminds me of Snow Lion when he meditates) and I were asked to help with the oiling of the fire pits outside as soon as we were finished. Neither of us were prepared with the proper white clothes, but a kind elder man had an abundance of them, and generously shared with us, making well sure that all were welcomed and included. I watched and learned how to approach, greet, receive, and depart until our turn eventually neared at the end of the line. Over the years I have heard so many special things about Lama Norla, and I have seen him wave smiling from afar, but this was the first time truly meeting him, a warrior, and I was livened in gratitude. Approaching mindfully in my steps, I felt his comfort illuminating the shrine, and I was not anxious or nervous, as I had expected to be. A true revealer of how the fruits of practice effect others. I kneeled down before him and his smile widened as his face wrinkled. “How are you?” He said it so genuinely. “Well,” I said, “How are you?” And he mothering-ly took the white cloth draping it to rest atop my shoulders, held my head in his hands, bent us both down in a bow, touching his balded forhead gently to mine, placed medicine crumbles in my palm, and gestures my depart with motion and golden smile. Felt nirvana. Love, happiness, and peace radiating in all ten directions.
Feeling high as the sky, David and I slipped outside from the shrine, to oil bless fires. David is experienced as a blesser, so I observed silently and appreciated. The pits were ignited and The Sür, Evening Fire Offering Ceremony was now happening. “Sür” is an offering to the 4 guests: the Buddhas & Bodhisattvas; Protectors; sentient beings; and those with whom we have karmic debts. It averts obstacles and sickness and is dedicated to those who are dying, beings in the Bardo realm suffering, and to beings with whom to which we have karmic debts. Thubten, which means “teacher” in Tibetan, described this to me to be in the essence of a celebration party for the deities. And that indeed it was.
Everyone reunited outside the monastery kitchen to continue chanting and be handed to carry giant food arrangements, beers, wines, and sodas into to the burning fires. Wasteful? I had these thoughts. Hey, they are always eating mindful small portions here I replied. Food and drink are of great need and desire to many suffering, and here we were offering them up like crazy. This is entirely new to me. Accept or un-accept? I thought of the holistic nature of the day, and the way of life at Kagyu, and my mind-heart opened to see it as an act of love through non-attachment, and self-less sharing. Beverages poured onto snow, circling rocks, and smoldering coals. Immaculate uncooked linguine designs, mountain berries from Tibet, and oranges with tooth-pic umbrellas in them, all in to the fires. Deities, we are in love with you, thank you for your presensce.
The day concluded in socialization while snaking on goldfish crackers. Since the monks live in the way of ahimsa, or harmlessness, they joked about liking the eating of these artificial animals. There is a great sense of humor there that I love to be around. Especially Lekshi, who will ask me questions such as, “How is your life?” Then when I respond “Good” he will say “You’re not supposed to have a wife! I asked about you wife not your life!” Lekshi is an amazing throat singer as well as a wealth of wisdom. He taught me to metaphorically not go through life focusing only one of my hands, but to witness the larger picture. We talked about the mysticism of Thomas Merton this time. I learned of his enlightened qualities along with his spiritual transformation and eastern journey. I relate to Merton in my similar roots in the church, and current journey into mystical and eastern worlds. Interestingly, I learned that Merton was to give a monumental speech on socialism and religion, just shortly after the time of his death.

Prophets get stoned
In history see
Jesus taught we
To hate not, but love them enemies
Oppressors,
Murderers
Torturers
And Infectors
You true nature is goodness
But has been misguided
A world divided
Is only illusion
One-ness through union
Manifests liberation
Erase
The hate
With a giant’s eraser
Now before later
Awake up
To join hands
Together one people
Together one land

-anthony

8 Years Gone

We are eight years
Gone from the wreck.
It is odd to see all
That once was is
Now Gone.
The pain I had on
My face that day is
Hard to think of.
Why did they rule
The way they did?
Why did they
Force change on us?
It is not in my mind
Now, it is gone.
The hurt I, NAY we,
Felt then is now gone.
I still do not know how
All this came to be.
I find that I am still
A bit in shock.
But that ship is at
Sea, and I will not see it.
Why did the court
Rule that way in
Bush v Gore?

That was a poem I wrote in my grammar, style, and editing class during an exercise where we had to write a passage using only one syllable words.

Enjoy the thought food
Power to the peaceful!
-mike

Results of the first Praxivists meeting

This is a drawing that we made at our first Praxivists meeting. It is a collaborative drawing where each member added to this drawing and then passed it to the next person. We find that art can be a positive medium for those who are too shy to speak in public situations to share with the group. We feel that art is essential to fostering positive social change and it is quite therapeutic.

After our first meeting we are all very excited to begin our projects this semester. I am particularly excited for the beginnings of my project where I hope to turn the campus green here at Marist College into a make-shift refugee camp. In doing so I intend to raise awareness about refugee crises, poverty, AIDS, and the developing world. All the proceeds I plan to donate to Acres of Love, a South Africa based orphanage.

We are collectively excited at the prospect of creating a mural on a large sheet of paper which we will bring around campus to show students and raise consciousness on pertinent issues. We are looking forward to holding more truth seeking round tables, hosting more talks, and fighting for what is just.

Power to the peaceful!
-mike

Article: Prison Reform

This is an article that I wrote for Marist College's newspaper The Circle in December 2008.

One of the largest problems facing the United States that does not get enough attention is our broken criminal justice system. Over the last 35 years, the number of incarcerated persons has increased by nearly 700%. Half of the increase is from non-violent drug offenders whose incarceration has increased 402% since 1985.

Part of the problem is that the laws that are currently on the books were drafted twenty, even thirty years ago. In New York, drug laws were intended to be very harsh towards offenders under Governor Nelson Rockefeller in the mid 1970s. At the federal level, harsh mandatory sentencing and the three strike rule were established under the socially conservative policies of Ronald Reagan.

Whether these laws intended to or not, they have been tearing apart inner cities since their enactment. These drug laws are more stringent on drugs more common amongst the poor like marijuana and crack cocaine while more "expensive" drugs such as cocaine hold lighter offenses. What has resulted is a large influx of low level non-violent drug offenders who may have done nothing more than had drugs in their possession at a routine traffic stop.

A common misconception with the criminal justice system is that we can, "arrest and imprison our way our of a crime problem." Under that logic, why do we continue to imprison people at alarming rates while our crime rate has stabilized and is decreasing nearly annually? The answer is that incarceration is a business and the government is more interested in making money than rehabilitating alleged criminals.

The eerie fact is seen quite clearly in the recidivism rate, or the percentage of prisoners who return to prison upon release. Inmates who receive no rehabilitation have a recidivism rate hovering in the 70s while studies have clearly shown that the more counseling and education prisoners receive the lower and lower their recidivism rate drops.

The federal government made the situation worse when in 1994 they decided not to issue Pell grants to any prisoner; Pell grants that would have allowed them to pursue an advanced degree while incarcerated. While congress cuts more programs for prisoners and the prison population continues to grow I sit here and wonder why the government isn't doing anything positive while they continuously make the situation worse for prisoners.

My thought on congress: misconception and greed. Many believe that just because someone is incarcerated they are automatically a "bad guy" but often dismiss the grounds on which they were convicted and their offense. If I may mention it again as well, prison building is a business, a business that the government makes a lot of money off of, and they wouldn't want to see anything happen to their money.

So what can be done? With the new president elect hopefully this issue will be addressed, but I'm not getting my hopes up. This is one of those issues that has to be voiced by the people. I will continuously be advocating for prison reform in the hope for a more just and equal society. As Dr. King said: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."



This article was published just before I started a letter writing campaign to try and free political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. I would like to say that I mailed 74 letters to Governorn Rendell of Pennsylvania and I hope our efforts have made a difference. As I had said in the article we the people must fight to reverse these injustices and better our society.

Power to the Peaceful!
-mike

The beginning of our movement

In association with the Marist College Public Praxis project and the aptly named student collective "The Praxivists;" I open this blog up to spread awareness of important local, national, and global issues. I will keep this blog in coordination with the class I am taking with Professor Mar-Peter Raoul called Praxis II.

It is my intention to create a better society through awareness, positive action, and civil disobedience.