I seldom watch the news on TV or on my News app, but I do read the Gazette daily. As I read, I seriously consider the state of my mind. I look at my family, friends, neighborhood, city, country, and the world at large. I ponder, at first fearfully, what might happen to us as we continue with what seems like a perilous journey together on this planet. I am a Buddhist meditation practitioner of over 45 years and I practice meditation daily. I am in my 70s now, with a multitude of health issues, but through my daily practice, I can still breathe deeply and start to notice my own fear relaxing into the present moment, not stopping amidst despair, but moving through to what? Sometimes I am not sure, but what often comes up is having respect and dignity for myself and others.
This is a big “if only,” but “if only” everyone could respect and have dignity for themselves and each other. What might happen? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. I wonder if there would be war of any kind if we did not see each other as the enemy? I would say it depends on our level of fear, personally and collectively. The Buddha’s teachings state that greed, hatred, power, and the delusion of being separate from others causes severe problems. Us versus them. Then, the love and Joy that are our true nature gets buried under the figurative and literal rubble and ashes of destruction. Is it just a matter of perception? When one looks at the videos reported by both sides in the most recent tragedy with ICE in Minneapolis, it can look differently depending on one’s perspective. I sat in conversation with another Buddhist practitioner last week, and we agreed that one’s perspective is ultimately based on our past and current beliefs and preconceived notions about what is “good” and what is “evil,” and thus, often without realizing it, we will know which side to take in the conflict. For me, hate can arise in that moment before I can catch it. What can I do to counter that? What about acceptance?
I often hear people’s disagreements as to whether or not there is an absolute truth. Does it depend on one’s beliefs? Or the knowing that comes from experience? I find that there are many examples from the past of those who knew absolutely how to lead an ethical, loving life; the Buddha, Jesus, and Eleanor Roosevelt, just to name a few who have offered their profound wisdom. Many others in the present as well. At this point in my life, I am awed by the many blessings the universe has to offer, if I can keep an open heart.
But, my mind argues, what about “good” and “evil?” I do have a sense of good and evil. Can I hold that notion without making “evil” the enemy? Admittedly, I find it very difficult. Can I actually feel compassion for the enemy? To be honest, I see so much harm at large, both internally and externally, in thought, word and deed. I see one of the root causes as our own fear. Fear of (this is my list, incomplete and in no particular order) — not being loved, of dying, of being killed, of sinking into permanent despair, of injuring myself or others, of getting old, of the apocalypse, of losing connection with the real people in my life to AI and social media, and of closing down my heart to my own and others’ suffering. The last is paramount for me.
At this point in my writing, I have to say I am a little bit frantic; my breathing gets shallower and faster; I forget sometimes who can help with all that. Now I am remembering. What if we tried, as best as possible, to be wide awake in the moment, committed to a life of peace and loving kindness no matter the internal and external circumstances? Knowing, without a doubt, that we will make it through.
Jennifer Delozier lives in Easthampton.