[Buddha-l] the Maitreya Project - once again...

[Piya Tan]

Dear Jessica,

I'm really glad to know of someone, that is, yourself, who is doing some
systematic study of how such mega-projects as the Maitreya project are
affecting others. Reminds me of how the Dhammakaya are affecting the poor
farmers in Thailand.

Some years back I was offered the job of the Maitreya project funds
coordinator for Singapore. I immediately turned it down. The reason is
simple: this is still the time of Shakyamuni, and secondly Maitreya is not
yet Buddha.

Thank you for your humanitarian concerns, we need more people like you for a
more truly compassionate Buddhism.

I have cc-ed this email to the Maitreya project Singapore representative.

A very happy new year.

With metta,

Piya Tan


On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 12:00 AM, Jessica Marie Falcone <jmf55 at cornell.edu>wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm a lurker, so feel free to ignore this post.  Suffice to say, I wish
> you all a happy new year. I've enjoyed reading along throughout 2008!
>
> For those who may not remember, I am a PhD student at Cornell finishing up
> my dissertation about the Maitreya Project.  As a practitioner of advocate
> anthropology, I have tried to help other FPMTers understand that their
> giant Maitreya statue should not be build at the expense of the
> livelihoods and farmlands of roughly 2000 Uttar Pradeshi village families.
>  My studied opinion after having spent a few years doing research on the
> topic is this: the farmers are definitely getting a very raw deal, and
> there is no excuse for the fact that they are being trampled in the
> process.  I have circulated an e-petition asking the Maitreya Project
> leadership to shift gears and commit to building their statue of
> loving-kindness with more responsibility and mindfulness about the
> side-effects their work is having on the poorest of the poor.  I believe
> that such a commitment would benefit both the Kushinagari farmers AND the
> Maitreya Project.
>
> I am planning to send the printout of the e-petition to the Maitreya
> Project very soon - at the beginning of Jan 2009.  I have 148 signatures,
> and hoped to have at least 200. It is possible to sign anonymously. I'm
> afraid that I'm not a very good activist, so I really haven't shared this
> link as actively as I should.  If you would like to do so, feel free to
> forward it on.  If you have any interest in either reading or signing the
> petition then please do check it out:
> http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/kushinagarsolidarity/index.html
>
> May your 2009 be wonderful!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Jess Falcone
> Cornell University
>
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