BPF | Creating Peace with Buddhist Peace Fellowship

Dear President Bush, Secretaries Powell & Rumsfeld, Senators Feinstein &
Boxer, and members of California’s Congressional delegation:

Today we stand before San Francisco’s Phillip Burton Federal Building in sorrow and in hope. Our sorrow is for the dead, the wounded, the missing on all sides in this U.S.-led war with Iraq. Our hope and prayer is for peace and security. Peace and true security are built on actions of generosity, patience, mutual respect, and non-harming. The deepest teachings of all our religions carry these truths. Though we may have different practices and beliefs, we share the vision that all beings comprise one spirit, one humanity, that all seek peace and happiness.

Leaders from many faith traditions, including your own, have spoken clearly and publicly that this war is wrong. We understand that the earth itself is wounded, and that war will leave its mark on countless lives for years to come. Violence can never lead to peace. We pray that even in the midst of war you may realize these truths and turn back from further death and destruction.

As clergy and people of faith from Northern California, we are aware of the great responsibilities you bear for the wellbeing of Americans, and your concern for the people of Iraq. In our own churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples we are responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of our congregations and communities. Together, we can create a world free
from fear, poverty, disease, and war. This will never arise from self-centeredness, greed, national pride, empire, and intolerance. We believe that the consequences of this pre-emptive war in Iraq will spin the whole world into a downward spiral of fear and untruth.

Barely a week into this war, we can see the terrible results. It is not a video game. It is not a walk in the park. Real people—men, women, and children—are being killed. Boastful predictions of easy victory and welcoming Iraqis turn out to be a pipedream. What did you really expect?
So now the battle will be in earnest. Death and destruction will bury the sweet dream of peace and freedom.

Yet, it is never too late to awaken to the common spirit flowing in the blood of each of us. We know that this spirit is strong and unstoppable. It grows like grass coming up through cracks in the sidewalk. When we listen to this spirit, we oppose war and encourage diplomacy. We wholeheartedly welcome the return of our troops now and offer our enemies a generous peace and reconciliation. Such a course may seem naïve, but we know this to be ancient and universal wisdom.

The late Oscar Romero, activist Archbishop of El Salvador—assassinated in March 1980 as he celebrated mass in San Salvador—offered these words of truth. "Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent
repression. Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all. Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty."

Some of us here today are committed to an action of civil disobedience, blocking entrance to the Federal Building to express our opposition to the U.S. government’s policy of war. We do not undertake civil disobedience lightly. Because we feel that a pre-emptive war unsupported
by a great majority of nations is in violation of the spirit of international law, we knowingly violate the law of our own country. It may be a symbolic gesture, but this is how we choose to speak with our conscience and bodies. We do so with respect, in peace, and with reverence for life.