In the movie ‘(Avatar): The Last Airbender’,
one of the baddies shouts to his henchmen who capture him,
‘Do not kill the avatar! He will only be reborn!’
‘Avatar’ is originally a Hindu term,
which refers to a god who re-manifests to help mankind.
Nowadays, it’s also used to mean a form that anyone takes over.
The line shouted above reminded me
of how the real Panchen Lama is supposedly kidnapped but still alive.
Because he will only be reborn and thus escape if killed?
But can true compassion and wisdom
ever be held hostage forever?
No – because it is boundless, ‘unshacklable’.
(Both ‘avatars’ above are/were political prisoners.)
This post reminds me of the recent letters I read from Buddhist Channel.
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=22,9582,0,0,1,0
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=22,9581,0,0,1,0
I hope the authorities will do the right thing by not corrupting the Buddhadharma. With metta.