Rosa Parks Buddhist?

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DNS
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Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by DNS »

Today the U.S. Postal Service honored Rosa Parks with a commemorative stamp. She was a great hero of mine and to the civil rights movement. I heard Douglas Brinkley on MSNBC today say that she was always devoted to nonviolence and in her later years she became a Buddhist. I did not know that and tried googling it but couldn't find anything.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/post ... p-18399445" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Douglas Brinkley is a professor of history at Rice University and is pretty smart so I am sure it is true, but does anyone know the source or have a link to where she became a Buddhist?
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Ben
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by Ben »

That's pretty amazing, David.
I first learned about Rosa Parks by the Neville Brothers song of the same name.
What a hero!

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

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LonesomeYogurt
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by LonesomeYogurt »

She did indeed have a big interest in Nchiren Buddhism, as have many African-American figures throughout our history. However, I'm not sure if she ever formally converted.
Gain and loss, status and disgrace,
censure and praise, pleasure and pain:
these conditions among human beings are inconstant,
impermanent, subject to change.

Knowing this, the wise person, mindful,
ponders these changing conditions.
Desirable things don’t charm the mind,
undesirable ones bring no resistance.

His welcoming and rebelling are scattered,
gone to their end,
do not exist.
- Lokavipatti Sutta

Stuff I write about things.
daverupa
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by daverupa »

http://www.meetup.com/Introduction-meet ... d/24423462" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rosa Parks speaking at a 1998 event at Soka Gakkai International. She seems to have been something of an adjunct personality sought out by Engaged Buddhists in later years.
  • "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

    "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
shaunc
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by shaunc »

Great courage.
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mikenz66
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by mikenz66 »

If you visit the Ford Museum, near Detroit, you can sit in Rosa's actual bus seat yourself...

http://dearborn.patch.com/articles/henr ... h-birthday" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:anjali:
Mike
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Virgo
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by Virgo »

daverupa wrote: http://www.meetup.com/Introduction-meet ... d/24423462" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rosa Parks speaking at a 1998 event at Soka Gakkai International. She seems to have been something of an adjunct personality sought out by Engaged Buddhists in later years.
"Of cos everyone here...". Man I miss living in the South.

Kevin
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tiltbillings
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by tiltbillings »

I seriously doubt that Rosa Parks was an SGI member. Had she been, SGI and its leader Daisaku Ikeda would be trumpeting it about to no end. http://www.sgiquarterly.org/global2002Jly-1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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yawares
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by yawares »

Ben wrote:That's pretty amazing, David.
I first learned about Rosa Parks by the Neville Brothers song of the same name.
What a hero!

Dear Ben/Members,

Oh I know this Neville guy....he's a famous singer..his songs is a big hit!!

I don't know much : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5qmDAyGEW4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

*******
:heart: Love the song :heart:
yawares :jumping:
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yawares
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by yawares »

Dear David/Members....Do you know NAT KING COLE ????

When I was young, my mom took me to see the movie..Nat King Cole appeared in the war drama 'China Gate' with Gene Barry and Angie Dickinson...he sang the song CHINA GATE so beautifully:

[China Gate : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otsznlqKm1k" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Born on March 17, 1919, in Montgomery, Alabama, Nat King Cole was an American musician who first came to prominence as a jazz pianist. He owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres. In 1956, Cole became the first African-American performer to host a variety television series, and for many white families,

Pop Vocalist
By the 1950s, Nat King Cole emerged as a popular solo performer. He scored numerous hits, with such songs as "Nature Boy," "Mona Lisa," "Too Young, " and "Unforgettable." In the studio, Cole got to work with some of the country's top talent, including Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, and famous arrangers such as Nelson Riddle. He also met and befriended other stars of the era, including popular crooner Frank Sinatra.

Mona Lisa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxEmnxiUz8w" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rambling Rose: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVPPe-xjVds" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As an African American performer, Cole struggled to find his place in the civil rights movement. He had encountered racism firsthand, especially while touring in the South. In 1956, Cole had been attacked by white supremacists during a mixed race performance in Alabama. He was rebuked by other African Americans, however, for his less-than-supportive comments about racial integration made after the show. Cole basically took the stance that he was an entertainer, not an activist.

******
yawares :heart:
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yawares
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by yawares »

Dear Members...I'm sure you all know the beautiful/talented Whitney Houston, 1 of the greatest entertainers in USA/the world.

I'll always love you : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz1EmEZmvxk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How will I know : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3-hY-hlhBg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Greatest love of all : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYzlVDlE72w" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have nothing : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RSwsN3D ... =endscreen" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Star Spangled Banner : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupsPg5H6aE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dance with somebody : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3giaIzONA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

********
Houston drowned in a hotel bathtub on Feb. 11, 2012, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Authorities said her death was complicated by cocaine use and heart disease.

In a Grammy special aired Saturday, producers for last year's awards recalled last minute changes to scripts and calling in Jennifer Hudson to honor Houston at the show. Host LL Cool J was the one to suggest opening the show with a prayer for Houston.

Madame Tussauds unveiled four different wax figures of the late singer at four stages in her career. The statues will go on display in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York and Washington, D.C.

*********
yawares :heart: the songs...mucho :jumping:
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yawares
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by yawares »

Dear Members,

I really like the movie 'To Sir With Love' starring Sidney Poitier.

To sir With Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlhlSSI4Xb8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Presidential Medal of Freedom
Image

*************
Sidney Poitier
[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

Sir Sidney Poitier, born February 20, 1927) is an American-born Bahamian actor, film director, author, and diplomat.

In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field. The significance of this achievement was later bolstered in 1967 when he starred in three successful films: To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night; and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, making him the top box-office star of that year. In all three films, issues revolve around the race of the characters Poitier portrays.[4] In 1999, the American Film Institute named Poitier among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time, ranking 22nd on the list of 25.

Poitier has directed a number of popular movies, such as A Piece of the Action, Uptown Saturday Night, Let's Do It Again (with friend Bill Cosby) and Stir Crazy (starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder). In 2002, thirty-eight years after receiving the Best Actor Award, Poitier was chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Honorary Award, designated "To Sidney Poitier in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being." Since 1997, he has been the Bahamian ambassador to Japan. On August 12, 2009, Sidney Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America's highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama.

Born in Miami while his parents were visiting, Sidney Poitier grew up on Cat Island in The Bahamas, and later moved to Miami, where his Bahamian parents, Evelyn (née Outten) and Reginald James Poitier, traveled to sell tomatoes and other produce from their farm on Cat Island. His birth was two months premature and he was not expected to survive, but his parents remained three months in Miami to nurse him to health. Because of his birth in the U.S., he automatically gained U.S. citizenship. Poitier was raised in a Roman Catholic family.He grew up with his family on Cat Island, Bahamas , then a British colony. At age 10, he moved to Nassau with his family. At the age of 15 he was sent to Miami to live with his brother. At the age of 17, he moved to New York City and held a string of jobs as a dishwasher. A Jewish waiter sat with him every night for several weeks helping him learn to read the newspaper. He then decided to join the United States Army after which he worked as a dishwasher until a successful audition landed him a spot with the American Negro Theater.

********
yawares/tidathep :heart:
alan
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by alan »

There is no reason to think she was a Buddhist. However, it does raise the question:
Why are we not propagating Buddhism effectively?
The opportunity is there. Isn't it our job to do it?
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DNS
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by DNS »

alan wrote:There is no reason to think she was a Buddhist.
I admit I would like to see more evidence, but I have no reason to think Professor Brinkley is not telling the truth. As far as I know, Professor Brinkley is not a Buddhist, so has no ulterior motive to claim she was Buddhist in her later years.
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yawares
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Re: Rosa Parks Buddhist?

Post by yawares »

Dear Members,

Guion Bluford
[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]


Image

Dr. Guion Stewart “Guy” Bluford, Jr. (born November 22, 1942), is an engineer, NASA astronaut, and the first African American in space. Before becoming an astronaut, Bluford was a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He participated in four Space Shuttle flights between 1983 and 1992. In 1983, as a member of the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger on the mission STS-8, Bluford became the first African American in space as well as the second person of African ancestry in space, after Cuban cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez.

Awards and decorations

USAF Command Pilot Astronaut Wings (1983);
Defense Superior Service Medal (1984);
Legion of Merit (1993);
three Defense Meritorious Service Medals (1986, 1992 and 1993);
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal (1978);
Ten Air Force Air Medals (1967);
Air Force Commendation Medal (1972);
Three Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards (1967, 1970 and 1972);
National Intelligence Medal of Achievement (1993);
National Defense Service Medal (1965);
Vietnam Service Medal (1967);
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm (1967);
Vietnam Campaign Medal (1967);
NASA Distinguished Service Medal (1994);
NASA Exceptional Service Medal (1992);
Four NASA Group Achievement Awards (1980, 1981, 1989, and 2003);
NASA Space Flight Medals (1983, 1985, 1991 and 1992);
German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Aviation Badge from the Federal Republic of West Germany (1969);
Leadership Award of Phi Delta Kappa (1962);
Jeremy Nicholson Negro Achievement Award (1969);
T-38 Instructor Pilot of the Month (1970);
Air Training Command Outstanding Flight Safety Award (1970);
Air Force Institute of Technology's Mervin E. Gross Award (1974);
Who's Who Among Black Americans (1975 to 1977);
National Society of Black Engineers Distinguished National Scientist Award (1979);
Pennsylvania State University Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award (1983), the Alumni Fellows Award (1986);
Ebony Black Achievement Award (1983);
NAACP Image Award (1983);
City of Philadelphia's Philadelphia Bowl (1983);
Who's Who in America (1983 to present);
Pennsylvania Distinguished Service Medal (1984);
New York City Urban League's Whitney Young Memorial Award;
1991 Black Engineer of the Year Award;
Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) Komarov Diploma (1993);
International Space Hall of Fame inductee (1997);
U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame inductee (2010);
Air Force Institute of Technology Distinguished Alumni Award (2002);
University of Houston-Clear Lake Distinguished Alumni Award (2003);
The Pennsylvania Society Gold Medal (2011).

He also received honorary doctorate degrees from Florida A&M University, Texas Southern University, Virginia State University, Morgan State University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Tuskegee Institute, Bowie State College, Thomas Jefferson University, Chicago State University, Georgian Court University, Drexel University, Kent State University, Central State University and the University of the Sciences.

***********
Amazing achievements !!!
yawares :twothumbsup:
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