“Wise Words From A Warless Warrior”

Ruminant With A View

by Elizabeth Boleman-Herring

TEANECK, NJ—(Weekly Hubris)—5/24/10—Well in advance of spinal fusion surgery, I am sharing these words (mostly not my own) with you.

Every day, I receive three distinct sets of readings from beloved and reliable online “sources”: Former US Ambassador to Greece, Robert V. Keeley, sends me readings, from all across the media concerning the ongoing plight of the Palestinians; Mrs. Sterling “The Ingrid” Eisiminger combs the internet and passes on a perfect daily mix of beautiful and/or startling visual images, hare-brained, usually-amateur videos, and humor (really hysterical humor); and Tricycle: The Buddhist Review sends me “Tricycle’s Daily Dharma,” readings from spiritual sources—Buddhist and farther afield—which enrich my Yoga, Reiki and meditation practices, and my life in general.

I forward along, virtually, some or all of these daily gifts to others.

Tricycle has a strict policy of e-mail recipients’ not re-printing their mailings, and so I am hazarding their wrath in excerpting, for Weekly Hubris readers, some of the words of Donald Rothberg, characterized by Tricycle (and by himself, one presumes) as someone who: “writes on and teaches meditation, socially engaged Buddhism, and transpersonal studies. He directs an interfaith program on socially engaged spirituality at Saybrook graduate school in San Francisco, and has been a longtime organizer and educator with Buddhist Peace Fellowship. He is currently writing a book on the connection between individual and social transformation.”

Donald Rothberg’s “Daily Dharma” reading was entitled “Present Moment, Urgent Moment: How to navigate the labyrinth of contemporary politics and keep a cool head,” and it effected a subtle paradigm shift in the way I approach things.

A subtle shift along the way can mean the difference from ending up in Corpus Christi or Gnome.

Sometimes, in this day and age, a brief e-mail reading can accomplish that sort of thing. (Otherwise, why would any of us here at Weekly Hubris keep thinking, writing, or remain active, socially, as we all are, in our disparate communities?)

Rothberg is speaking to “American Buddhists,” but he might as well be addressing American Yoginis, or British Catholics, or Trinidadian Hindus, or St. Paul’s Lutherans, for that matter.

His subject matter is how we can remain socially responsive and responsible—without morphing into raving, reactionary, polarized and polarizing mad-dog lunatics.

The world in which we live veritably ensures our morphing into such beings. So, how do we not do that?

Here’s Rothberg, at length, with apologies to Tricycle, and “The Daily Dharma”:

“As American Buddhists contemplate the present political moment, we may experience considerable confusion about what—if anything—we should do to make a difference. Isn’t the real work of Buddhists the individual inner work of rooting out the defilements (the kilesas) that impede our spiritual awakening? In 1992, while staying at a Thai forest monastery, I was told this by an eminent Western monk, who suggested that social work may help, but shouldn’t be confused with the heart of Buddhist practice.”

“But even if we want to be engaged, we face further challenges . . . . Should Buddhists endorse policies and political candidates? Does that cross a line, enmeshing us in squabbles, full of unwise speech and attachments to views and power? In Being Peace, Thich Nhat Hanh maintains that ‘a religious community should take a clear stand against oppression and injustice, and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.’ But how do we take a clear stand without sometimes being partisan?”

“These are koans of our times. In what follows, I give five basic guidelines for Buddhist social and political action, which, while they may not give definitive answers, can orient our approaches to these questions.”

1. As part of your commitment to practice, take moral and spiritual responsibility for the suffering of the world.

“The groundbreaking nonviolence of Gandhi and King was guided by the same intention—not to pass on the pain of oppression and racism by continuing the cycles of violence, and to bring compassion to those who are suffering. They echo the Buddha’s words: ‘Violence never ceases through hatred. It is only through love that it ceases. This is an ancient law.’”

2. Learn to see social and political phenomena through dharma eyes.

“We can come to see the commonalities between events in the world and our minds, as Vipassana teacher Michele MacDonald suggests: ‘Today, reporting from Baghdad, my mind. A lot of sniping going on and an explosion on the edge of town.’”

“As Shantideva suggests in A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life: ‘This entire world is disturbed with insanity / Due to the exertions of those who are confused about themselves.’”

“Going more deeply, we notice our ‘collective shadow’ emerging from unresolved collective pain—such as from the near genocide of Native American peoples, the history of slavery and racism, or the violence connected with American foreign policy (since 1945, according to social scientist Johan Galtung, some 70 interventions and some 12 million to 16 million people killed, directly or indirectly). Our lack of awareness of this material manifests in collective denial (particularly of responsibility), projection, and further cycles of violence.”

3. Remember that you don’t have to do everything.

“I have often responded by giving a model of three types of transformative action, developed by Joanna Macy. First, there are ‘holding actions’ such as protests, political and legislative work, and civil disobedience; their aim is to prevent further harm. Second, there is an analysis of the structural roots of problems and the development of alternative institutions—such as in health and medicine, education, or economics. Third, there are practices, such as meditation, art, and immersion in wilderness, to name a few, that alter the way we experience and understand ourselves, others, and the world; our current moral, political, and ecological problems in many ways reflect a crisis of perception.”

4. In hard times, learn how to transform difficult emotions and tendencies to polarize.

“It’s also important to shift our usual adversarial attitude toward our ‘enemies,’ whether George Bush, Osama bin Laden, coworkers, or members of our sanghas. Of great value are traditional practices such as the brahmaviharas (the development of positive mind states), particularly lovingkindness and compassion practices; tonglen (the Tibetan practice of giving and receiving); as well as the cultivation of mindfulness. These practices are particularly important when we take stands or enter territory conducive to partisan conflicts. We come to see better the extent to which we form a kind of system with our enemy, each projecting the negative onto the other. Yet we can take the appearance of an enemy as an invitation to practice, remembering Shantideva: ‘I should be happy to have an enemy / For he assists me in my conduct of awakening.’”

5. Prepare for the long haul—and for immediate insight and transformation.

“The perspectives of both gradual and sudden transformation may remind us that, as the Buddha taught, every moment of mindfulness matters! When we are mindful of the nearby trees or respond skillfully to a sarcastic word from a coworker, we are ‘stopping the war.’ The success of action may be measured, as Thich Nhah Hanh suggests in Love in Action, less by outer victory than by whether love and nonviolence have been furthered. And we may remember the words of the second-century teacher Rabbi Tarfon: ‘It is not upon you to finish the work. Neither are you free to desist from it.’”

So, here endeth today’s lesson, as the Presbyterian ministers used to intone from the pulpit in the churches I attended, as a child, in Pasadena and Chicago.

For quite some time, I have been writing jeremiads against this and that—in support of righteous causes, it may be true. But Donald Rothberg has asked me to step off my path for a moment and see if, perhaps, there might be better ways to use my words, my energies, and my very small megaphone. A better five-part plan for action in this most trying of worlds.

Note: for information on Donald Rothberg’s teaching and speaking engagements, go to: http://www.spiritrock.org/display.asp?catid=4&pageid=48&scatid=8