Aum Gung
Ganapathaye Namah
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma-sambuddhassa
Homage to The Blessed One, Accomplished and Fully Enlightened
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful
AIDS Awareness
A
Collection of Articles, Notes and References
Chapter 1
(Revised:
By
Praise the Buddha
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
- William Shakespeare
Copyright © 2002-2010 Praise
the Buddha
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8 "... Freely you received,
freely give”.
- Matthew 10:8 ::
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
6 For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people?
or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
- Esther 8:6
:: King James Version (KJV)
A No Sex Campaign
How to Fight
AIDS?
·
No
Sex
·
Be
Celibate
Contents
Color Code
Laws of a Celibate
For a normal layperson - man or woman living in society
For a “diseased” layperson - man or woman
Hepatitis C
Suffering
To ponder…
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Laws
of a Celibate
Namo tassa
bhagavato arahato samma-sambuddhassa
I undertake the precept to
refrain from destroying living creatures.
I undertake the precept to
refrain from taking that which is not given.
I undertake the precept to
refrain from sexual activity.
I undertake the precept to
refrain from incorrect speech.
I undertake the precept to
refrain from intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.
I undertake the precept to
refrain from eating at the forbidden time (i.e., after
I undertake the precept to
refrain from dancing, singing, music, going to see entertainments, wearing
garlands, using perfumes, and beautifying the body with cosmetics.
I undertake the precept to
refrain from lying on a high or luxurious sleeping place.
These training rules are observed by laypeople during periods of intensive
meditation practice and during uposatha (lunar observance) days. The
eight precepts are based on the Five Precepts, with the third precept
extended to prohibit all sexual activity and an additional three precepts that are especially
supportive to meditation practice.
(Reference: The Eight Precepts. attha-sila. (Revised:
For
a normal layperson - man or woman living in society
In
the days of HIV AIDS environment, it is better to combine spirituality with
day-to-day life, for a layperson. Though the above rules were normally used for
special purposes (meditation), in current modern scenario, where HIV AIDS is
rampant in social environment, daily practice of the above laws is a good
self-protective mechanism. A self-defense mechanism. A shield to protect oneself. Praise the Lord! Praise the
Buddha!
Recite
the vows daily in the morning. Practice the laws daily. It is immaterial how
long. Just get used to the laws. A time will come, where the surroundings modify and the
sincere trainee moves to higher levels of spirituality. The Lord will look after, take care and guide His little
child. Praise the Lord! Praise the
Buddha!
12
How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one
of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into
the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
13
And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that
sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
14
Even so it
is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
- Matthew 18:12-14
:: King James Version (KJV)
For
a “diseased” layperson - man or woman
The
same laws are also applicable to a “diseased” person - man or woman. A
“diseased” person can be a sufferer of any ailment, AIDS, Cancer, or whatever.
Such a person knows through first-hand experience what pain and suffering
really is.
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would
thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
- Revelation
3:15-16 :: King James Version (KJV)
As
you see from the above scripture, a normal society person is in “lukewarm”
condition, unless and until the person have had suffered pain, hardship and
suffering through diverse means. (“lukewarm” condition
is an idle state. Not serious about the laws, practice etc. You live just as
any person in society, indulging in pleasures of the senses like watching
movies, listening to songs, gossiping, excessive eating and drinking, frequent
movement here and there etc. In short, very hard to sit STILL.) Whereas in the
case of a diseased person, you are either hot or cold through pain and
suffering. The pain, suffering, hardship due to “disease” imposes or
force several restrictions on food, drink, movement here and there (could be
bed-ridden), gossiping (may be weak to talk excessively) etc.
In
KwaZulu, Dr Patrick McNeil, of the Port Shepstone hospital, said the health system was overwhelmed by the epidemic: 'Every second
patient has HIV. Some days you walk through the wards and all you see is
telltale gaunt faces.'
Patients
are resented by staff, he said, because 'they
have constant diarrhoea, they won't eat, they have
sores and hate being moved. We can
only make them comfortable and give them analgesics for the pain.'
(Reference: Liz McGregor. (
A
“diseased” person is forced by virtue of the disease to sit or lay down STILL. An “ideal” condition to get near the invisible Lord. If such
a person can get used to the above eight laws, immense spiritual benefits can be
achieved in a very short time, provided you are sincere in your daily practice
of the laws. To a bed-ridden person, the emphasis of the training laws is more
on mental plane compared to a normal society person who needs to train
verbally, bodily as well as mentally.
Be still, and know that I am God:
- Psalm 46:10 :: King James Version (KJV)
6 I
have said, Ye are
gods; and all of you are children of the
most High.
-
Psalm 82:6 :: King James Version (KJV)
Purification
of Moral Conduct
The first is sila-visuddhi, Purification of Moral Conduct. Meditators
have to observe at least five precepts, if not eight, so that they can attain
purification of sila. The third of the five precepts is abstention from
sexual misconduct, whereas the third of the eight precepts is abstention from
all kinds of sexual contact. If a meditator does not
abstain from sexual contact, his mind will be defiled by the hindrance of sense
desire kamacchanda nivarana). Only when
the mind is purified from all hindrances can meditators
realise mental and physical processes in their true
nature.
Of course it is better if meditators can
observe the eight precepts. If they
do not, they may have desires for taste, food, visible things, audible things, odours and tangible things - five kinds of sense desire (kammacchanda) in their mind. By
observing eight precepts, one can purify one's deeds and speech which is
purification of moral conduct (Citta-visuddhi). When moral
conduct is purified, the mind is also purified to some extent.
When
the mind becomes purified, it becomes calm, serene, tranquil and happy and can
concentrate on the object of meditation.
Then the meditator attains Purification of Mind, i.e.
Citta-visuddhi the second stage of purification.
When Venerable Uttiya,
one of the disciples of the Buddha was sick in bed, the
Buddha visited him and asked about
his health. Venerable Uttiya told the Buddha
about his sickness:
Venerable
sir, my sickness is not decreasing but increasing. I do not know whether I can or cannot live out today or
tomorrow. So I want to meditate to destroy all kinds of defilements through to
the fourth stage of enlightenment, arahantship,
before I die. Please give a short instruction
which will enable me to develop my meditation practice to attain Arahantship.
Then the Buddha
said:
Uttiya, you should cleanse the beginning. If the beginning is purified, then you will be all right,
i.e. able to attain Arahantship.
The Omniscient Buddha asked the question, "What is the beginning?"
He himself replied,
"Herein the beginning is purified moral conduct or sila and right view (Samma-ditthi). Right view means the acceptance of and belief in the Law of Cause and
Effect (action reaction) or the Law of Kamma."
The Omniscient Buddha continued:
Uttiya, you should cleanse your moral conduct and right view. Then, based on the purified moral conduct or Sila, you should develop the Four Foundations of
Mindfulness. Practising thus, you will attain the
cessation of suffering.
The Omniscient Buddha lays stress on
the purification of sila or moral conduct because it
is a basic requirement for progress in concentration as well as insight. When moral conduct is purified, the mind becomes calm,
serene and happy. If he cultivates mindfulness, then he can easily concentrate
on any object of the mental and physical processes. So purity of moral conduct is a pre-requirement for a meditator to make progress.
(Reference: Venerable Chanmyay Sayadaw U Janakabhivamsa. Vipassana Meditation: Lectures on Insight Meditation. Chapter Five. Seven Stages of Purification.)
This is the time of AIDS. You can’t trust
even your husband or wife. Their previous “affairs”, oral sex
bouts etc. Oral sex, or any form of sex transmits AIDS. If you refer
some of the articles on AIDS awareness, there are many chaste wives who are
AIDS patients in
In
In almost all cases, the wife gets the deadly
virus from her husband.
"There is an increase in
prevalence among the younger generation, where the married life is one year, eight
months, nine months. We have even couples married for just six months testing
positive. The age group is between 18 and 24," said Dr Savitha, Mother-to-child HIV Transmission Project.
With the increasing number of housewives testing HIV
positive, the myth that the disease is largely prevalent among the
high-risk groups like commercial sex workers, truck-drivers and homosexuals no
longer holds true. Expecting mothers are considered the best index for AIDS
checks on low risk populations.
(Reference: Sudhir, Uma. (
How come, in spite of being faithful to their
husbands? Infection from their husbands, in vast majority of
cases. The “other woman/women”. In short, wives
become silent sufferers. So five precepts doesn’t go with the
current environment. The battle field is different, today. You need
eight laws or higher. You just have to stop that sex habit, if you want to
protect yourself.
Also, try to avoid anything that deal with
blood, especially in a hospital environment. For example
operations, transfusions etc. Also avoid use of syringes etc to take out
blood.
Why Allopathy?
Cutting and opening - surgery, requires blood, in many cases.
Why not other forms of medicine, alternative medicine,
like Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Chinese
medicine, Traditional oily massage in “Kalari” etc where you avoid surgery. Yes, pain will be
prolonged. Takes time for cure, unlike the fast solution in Allopathy.
BUT it is a very good preventive measure from dealing with blood. You just
don’t know any outside blood is infected or not. In one AIDS article, blood
which twice underwent and passed the test, was actually infected!
Both
times, the blood sample had passed ELISA test.
(Reference: Yadav, Priya. (
Once infected, then it is a life of pain and
suffering. The count-down to death!
The only option is to guard yourself, by whatever means possible. No place for
negligence.
So have common-sense.
Main pathways for Aids HIV virus
transmission:
Is there any form of sex, with man as a
partner, where you don’t deal with semen or pre-semen?
Oral sex, anal sex, coital sex – all deal
with semen/pre-semen.
So NO sex, if you want to prevent AIDS.
They explain that the virus can also be transferred through
innocent everyday practices such as ear-piercing, shared razor
blades, tattooing or even borrowing a toothbrush.
(Reference: Muir, Jim. (
Hepatitis C
Why should HIV-infected persons be
concerned about coinfection with HCV?
About one quarter of HIV-infected persons
in the
Who is likely to have HIV-HCV coinfection?
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is transmitted
primarily by large or repeated direct percutaneous
(i.e., passage through the skin by puncture) exposures to contaminated blood.
Therefore, coinfection with HIV and HCV is common
(50%-90%) among HIV-infected injection drug users (IDUs).
Coinfection is also common among persons with
hemophilia who received clotting factor concentrates before concentrates were
effectively treated to inactivate both viruses (i.e., products made before
1987). The risk for acquiring infection through perinatal
or sexual exposures is much lower for HCV than for HIV. For persons infected
with HIV through sexual exposure (e.g., male-to-male sexual activity), coinfection with HCV is no more common than among similarly
aged adults in the general population (3%-5%).
How can coinfection
with HCV be prevented?
Persons living with HIV who are not already
coinfected with HCV can adopt measures to prevent
acquiring HCV. Such measures will also reduce the chance of transmitting their
HIV infection to others.
Not injecting or stopping
injection drug use would eliminate the chief route of HCV transmission; substance-abuse
treatment and relapse-prevention programs should be recommended. If patients
continue to inject, they should be counseled about safer injection
practices; that is, to use new, sterile syringes every time they inject drugs and never reuse or
share syringes, needles, water, or drug preparation equipment.
Toothbrushes, razors, and other personal
care items that might be contaminated with blood should not be shared. Although there
are no data from the
Although consistent data are lacking
regarding the extent to which sexual activity contributes to HCV transmission, persons having
multiple sex partners are at risk for other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
as well as for transmitting HIV to others. They should be counseled accordingly.
(Reference: CDC (August 2001) Frequently
Asked Questions and Answers About Coinfection
with HIV and Hepatitis C Virus.
Suffering
The hospital's paediatrician,
Dr Irina Andre, says her dreams are haunted by dying
babies. Some 100,000 are born with HIV every year, many because their mothers
refuse to be tested for HIV while pregnant because a positive diagnosis can
lead to family rejection. Seventy per cent die before the age of two.
'This means the mothers don't get the nevirapine which could have protected their babies,' she
said. 'They come from families affected by malnutrition. If you feed them
properly, they can fight off the virus for longer.
'The other 30 per cent are "slow progressors". At six or seven, they develop
continuous diarrhoea and their bodies begin to waste
away.
One child born with HIV lived to 13, but he was adopted by a white family who could give him good food,' said Andre.
And that is the other difficulty with
anti-retroviral drugs: they must be taken with food.
Nzimakhwe Nonjabulo, 22, lies curled up on a filthy mattress in one
of the poverty-stricken hillside villages where most black people live. Diarrhoea has reduced her
body to a skin-covered skeleton. In acute pain, she has the rasping cough of pneumonia,
one of the diseases that kills many Aids patients. Her mother has
given up her job to care for her; both of them live on an HIV sufferer's grant
of £45 a month. There is no food, no electricity, no
running water.
(Reference: Liz McGregor. (
To ponder…
AIDS threatens to destabilise, and eventually destroy, the viability of whole countries for three
interconnected reasons: the high rate of HIV infection among the military, often the
dominant power in unstable societies; the toll of AIDS on the most productive
workers in many societies, that is men and women in their 20s and 30s; and the collapse of
basic communal and social structures, epitomised by
the rapid growth of AIDS orphans. In many cases these orphans either eke out
miserable lives on the streets or become recruits for sex work and paramilitary
forces.
…
AIDS
has indubitably killed more people than international terrorism (the death toll
is estimated at 9000 people a day),…
…
What
is new is both the
instant transmission of news and information and the growing acceptance that national sovereignty cannot be relied upon to respond to
new forms of security threats, such
as terrorism and pandemic diseases.
(Reference:
Denis Altman. (
6 For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people?
or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
- Esther 8:6
:: King James Version (KJV)
Also refer Eve Conant.
(
…the army insists in not about training
super-soldiers for the future. “It is not our aim that our charges spend the rest of
their lives involved with the army,” says Reznik.
But it is important, he says, that they “become defenders of the Fatherland, instead
of filling the ranks of criminals.” For that reason, Reznik says
they are given special consideration for acceptance into military academies.
…
…the “son of the regiment” practice is a
small-scale solution that is already showing signs of success.
Analysis
of the above article:
Eve Conant.
(
It is
not our aim that our charges spend the rest of their lives involved with the
army
Cross-reference:
Senior generals in
French
Torture General "Put into Retirement". (June 2001)
“become defenders of
the Fatherland, instead of filling the ranks of criminals.”
Cross-reference:
Liz Clarke. (
Scientists, researchers and welfare
agencies warn that without "determined and dramatic" intervention,
the soaring Aids deaths, particularly of young mothers, will turn the city
streets into dangerous "no-go" areas.
…
"As more and more arrive in the city
centre, many of them angry and grieving over the loss of parents, they find
support in each other. If numbers increase dramatically, as predicted, they
will be forced to work in groups to survive, which will inevitably lead to
child gangs and violence."
…
The ASSA predicts that without change in behaviour or meaningful medical intervention, a further five
million could be expected to die by 2010. This would leave a conservative
estimate of more than two million orphans - enough to fill 40 sport stadiums.
…
…
"This is a national crisis and we must look at it as such. We have eight shelters
in
In
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“Thou belongest to That Which Is Undying, and not merely to time alone,” murmured the Sphinx, breaking its muteness at
last. “Thou
art eternal, and not merely of the vanishing flesh. The soul in man cannot be
killed, cannot die. It waits, shroud-wrapped,
in thy heart, as I waited, sand-wrapped, in thy world. Know thyself, O mortal! For there is One within thee, as in all men, that comes
and stands at the bar and bears witness that there IS a God!”
(Reference: Brunton, Paul. (1962) A Search in Secret
Amen