[Buddha-l] Re: Article of possible interest

[Margaret Gouin]

W.F.Wong wrote:
 >At best I find these examples distasteful but certainly not an example of
>"believe in karma = do nothing about social injustice".
 >How things are is one thing. What you choose to do about it is another.

and then On Tue May 22 00:53:41 MDT 2007 Joy Vriens wrote:
I think the following quote (including the tone) speaks very clearly. His
belief dictates his world vision. If you think it doesn't, let me know and
we can have a discussion.
=======================
and according to Brian Victoria's article, a Thai (Theravadan) monk says
much the same:

I vividly recall a conversation with a senior Thai monk during the 2001
conference of the International Association of Buddhist Studies in
Bangkok. I asked the Venerable, “Why don’t Thai Buddhist
leaders speak out against the rampant sexual slavery imposed on children
in Bangkok and other Thai cities?” He replied, “You must
understand that these girls did something evil in their past lives,
perhaps committing adultery. That is why they ended up as prostitutes in
this life. Of course, there is hope for them in their future lives.”
Pasted from <http://japanfocus.org/products/details/2421>

Speaking of vegans, a (Theravadan) friend of mine affirms that Inuit are
born in the Arctic--where they have to eat meat because there is almost no
vegetation--because of bad karma.

...so can we just agree that a lot of Buddhists in a lot of traditions
believe something similar about karma? A lot of us don't agree. That's
good, because maybe over time we'll be able to overcome the rather
simplistic attitude towards karma that has built up over time in cultures
with a long tradition of Buddhism.

-- 
Margaret Gouin
PhD Candidate
Centre for Buddhist Studies
Department of Theology and Religious Studies
University of Bristol (UK)