Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Buddhists prefer dialogues to sealing off of Buddha Bar

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Buddhists prefer dialogues to sealing off of Buddha Bar

The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Fri, 03/06/2009 10:49 AM

Buddhist organizations deemed the sealing off Thursday of the Buddha Bar in Menteng, Central Jakarta, by Buddhist students as an expression of disappointment, and “not a Buddhist act”.

Alim Sudio, secretary-general of the Indonesian Pandita Sabha Buddha Dharma Foundation, said sealing off the bar was not the Buddhist way of seeking a solution.

“Our way is never to force anything. A dialogue is needed,” he said.

Buddha bless us: Indonesian Buddhist students rally Thursday outside the Buddha Bar restaurant in Central Jakarta. Around 200 students staged the rally in protest at the bar’s name, saying it defamed their religion, and urged the name to be dropped. (Reuters/Supri)

More than 100 people from the Buddhist Student Alliance sealed off the bar on Jl. Teuku Umar by draping a yellow line across the bar’s entrance in protest at the establishment’s use of the name Buddha.

The protesters said it was a holy name and should not be linked with an entertainment venue like a bar.

Alim said an open dialogue between representatives of Buddhist groups, the government and the bar’s owners had to be arranged.

“The Buddha Bar management also has to be given a chance to have a say,” said the Buddhist priest.

“Sealing off the bar was a move by our friends who wanted the Buddha positioned appropriately,” said Gatot Sukarno Adi, deputy secretary-general of Walubi, the Indonesian federation of Buddhist organizations.

He added the important thing was to arrange a dialogue where both parties did not lose anything.

“We have to find a good solution.”

A dialogue at the House of Representatives had been arranged by the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), but it was not a two-or three-party meeting, he said.

He added the controversy broke out because the government did not notify the Buddhist community before granting permits for the bar.

“The government should have informed us before issuing the permits, to ask whether it was acceptable for us,” Gatot said.

The management of the bar told beritajakarta.com they had secured approval from three different Buddhist groups.

The bar also came under the spotlight after critics raised concerns about the use of the heritage building where the bar is housed.

The city repurchased the old Dutch Immigration Office for Rp 28 billion and renovated it for Rp 6.1 billion in 2005. It promised to transform the building into a “unique venue” where all Jakarta residents could hold activities.

The administration said the bar had an art gallery that the public was welcome to visit, but critics countered that the bar’s clientele was limited to certain groups.

The franchisor of the Buddha Bar is the Paris-based George V Entertainment, which owns a global chain of hotels, spas, restaurants and boutiques. The group uses various names of the Buddha in its Buddha Bar, Siddharta Café, Little Buddha Cafe, and Buddhattitude Spa. (iwp)

Buddha Bar under spotlight for two issues