The Practice of Prayer byThich Nhat Hanh - The Mindfulness Bell

Meditation & PTSD: Request for Information
The Veterans' Affairs Medical Center in Albany, NY, is
incorporating mindfulness-based meditation with the
therapy of Vietnam veterans who have post-traumatic stress
disorder. Veterans who have used meditation to transform
their relationship to traumatic events are encouraged to send
information about changes in the frequency and intensity of
meditation, and other therapy received. Write to: Stephen
Flynn, Department of Veterans' Affairs, Stratton Medical
Center, 113 Holland Ave., Albany, NY 12208.
Conference for Vietnam Ministers
The National Conference of Vietnam Ministers will meet
October 15-20, 1996in Attleboro, Massachusetts. For more
information, contact Rev. Philip Salois, (508) 222-7313.
Vietnam: Call to Action
by Stephen Denney
Since the last issue of The Mindfulness Bell, the situation
of the two most prominent imprisoned monks has not
changed significantly. Ven. Thich Quang Do, Sec.-Gen.of
the Unified Buddhist Church (UBC) of Vietnam, has been
moved to a prison camp near Hanoi.He wasrecently awarded
by Human Rights Watch (along with Hanoi intellectual Hoang
Minh Chinh) the Hellman-Hammet Award for Persecuted
Writers. Ven. Thich Huyen Quang, 77, Exec. Secretary of
the UBC, is still detained in a one-room hut in Quang Ngai
province, surrounded by Security Police. He has developed
a chronic lung disorder as a result of heavy insecticide sprayingin
nearby fields and has asked authorities to return him
to his previous place of house arrest in Quang Ngai.
In the last issue, we also discussed the perilous situation
of two prisoners of conscience in Vietnam, Ven. Thich Hai
Tang of Linh Mu Pagoda in Hue, and Professor Doan Viet
Hoat, former vice rector of the Buddhist Van Hanh University.
We are happy to report that the situation of Thich Hai
Tang has improved somewhat. Unfortunately, the same
cannot be said for Professor Hoat. Over the years, I have
had the opportunity to meet many Vietnamese refugees and
have learned of the suffering they have endured during the
war, in prison camps afterwards, fleeing on thehigh seasin
leaky boats, or the pain of separation from their loved ones
in Vietnam. But the ones who have suffered the most, it
seems, are those whose loved ones are still detained in
Vietnam. One such person isTran Thi Thuc, the wife of
Professor Hoat. Since leaving Vietnam two years ago, she
has traveled around the world, urging the release of her
husband and others detained for their beliefs in Vietnam.
Let us join Thuc in her efforts. The following sample letter,
that brings out the details of Professor Hoat's situation, may
be used verbatim or as a model for your own letter. It can be
faxed directly from the CML web site: WWW.parallax.org
37
His Excellency Vo Van Kiet
Chairman, Council of Ministers
1Hoang Hoa Tham Street
Hanoi, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
Fax: 84-4-845-5464
Your Excellency,
It is with deep concern that we bring to your attention
the suffering of Professor Doan Viet Hoat, former vice
rector of Van Hanh University. He is serving a 15-year
prison sentence for his nonviolent advocacy of a more
democratic system in Vietnam. He is detained at Thanh
Cam prison in a jungle area near the Lao border, 1,400
kilometers from his home.
We are especially worried about his frail health. He
suffers from a serious kidney disorder and has been urinating
blood. He has lost much weight and is extremely weak
from malnutrition. His family has sent him abundant
supplies of food, medicine, and money, but these do not
seem to have reached him. Instead, he is fed barely enough
rice to keep alive.
We are also worried about his isolation. His fellow
inmates are hardened criminals. Visits by his family
members have been extremely restricted. He has been
forbidden to read any publications.
With these sad facts in mind, we appeal to you to:
• Allow a team of medical doctors from an international
human rights organization to visit him.
• Allow Professor Hoat to receive all necessary supplies
sent to him by his family.
• Allow Professor Hoat to communicate with his family
by mail.
• Allow him visitation rights and allow family members
from overseas to return to Vietnam to visit him.
Most importantly, we urge you to consider his immediate
and unconditional release on humanitarian grounds and
in accordance with the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, to which Vietnam is a signatory. While we
understand that you may not share his political views, we
hope you agree that a man's life—and the lives of his loved
ones—should not be so deeply disrupted because he does
not share the political views of the government and works
nonviolently to change the society. Professor Hoat has spent
almost all of the last 20 years in prison. Please release him
and all other prisoners detained for the nonviolent expression
of their dissent.
Respectfully,
(Your signature)
Letters and/or faxescan also be sent to:
His Excellency Do Muoi
Secretary General
Hanoi, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
Fax: 84-4-825-9205