Like many of
you, I spent last night sleepless and, I think, in shock. Starting with
disbelief … then moving through anger at all those my ignorant, dualistic mind held
responsible for the outcome of the election … and ending in shock.
It was in
that fog of shock I reached for my refuge, the Dharma, and clung to two teachings
that moved me beyond shock, to a place of peace. One was a teaching that helped
soothe my fear for what a Donald Trump Presidency and Republican Senate and
House means for the fight against climate change. The other, was my perpetual
life jacket, The Way of the Bodhisattva.
I am
currently participating in EcoSattva Training, offered through One Earth Sangha,
with two of fellow Bright Dawn ministers. One of the readings in that training
was an article by Jo Confino, from The
Guardian, “Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh: Only Love Can Save Us from Climate
Change.” That reading gave me a new perspective—a bigger picture of time,
people, and Mother Earth—that saved me from staying in anger during the wee
hours of this morning.
The article points
out that Thich Nhat Hanh believes the reason people aren’t responding to the
threat of global warming, “despite overwhelming scientific evidence is that
they are unable to save themselves from their own personal suffering, never
mind worry about the plight of Mother Earth.”
The article
continues to explain Hanh’s advice:
“It is
possible to be at peace if you pierce through our false reality, which is based
on the idea of life and death, to touch the ultimate dimension in Buddhist
thinking, in which energy cannot be created or destroyed.
By
recognizing the inter-connectedness of all life, we can move beyond the idea
that we are separate selves and expand our compassion and love in such a way
that we take action to protect the Earth.”
He then
moves to a concept that is alarming, but worth reflecting on. He says:
“Our perception of time may help…. For us it
is very alarming and urgent, but for Mother Earth, if she suffers she knows she
has the power to heal herself even if it takes 100 million years…. The
collective anger and violence will lead to our destruction and we have to learn
to accept that….
So take
refuge in Mother Earth and surrender to her and ask her to heal us, to help us.
And we have to accept that the worst can happen; that most of us will die as a
species and many other species will die also and Mother Earth will be capable
after maybe a few million years to bring us out again and this time wiser.”
I realize
this may not make anyone feel better today—or even tomorrow or the next day—as
we struggle with shock, grief, and anger, but take some time to feel all that
then think about how this frames things. It frames things in a way that I (and
those that feel the way I do politically) am not the center of the universe …
and this moment is not the end. And that “the worst can happen.”
I heard a
political ‘pundit’ say today, “the truth is people vote for their own selfish
interest.” When we remember that, it can help us understand that those who
voted for President-Elect Donald Trump, did so because they, too, are thinking
about their own happiness and wishing to avoid suffering.
And today,
like the many other times I have struggled with great anger or fear, I reached
for The Way of the Bodhisattva, by
Master Shantideva. From the Chapter on Patience:
“If those who
are like wanton children
Are by nature prone to injure others,
There’s no reason for our rage;
It’s like resenting fire for being hot.
And if their faults are fleeting and contingent,
If living beings are by nature mild,
It’s likewise senseless to resent them—
As well be angry at the sky when it is full of smoke!
Although it is their sticks that hurt me,
I am angry at the ones who wield them, striking me.
But they in turn are driven by their hatred;
Therefore with their hatred I should take offense.”
Are by nature prone to injure others,
There’s no reason for our rage;
It’s like resenting fire for being hot.
And if their faults are fleeting and contingent,
If living beings are by nature mild,
It’s likewise senseless to resent them—
As well be angry at the sky when it is full of smoke!
Although it is their sticks that hurt me,
I am angry at the ones who wield them, striking me.
But they in turn are driven by their hatred;
Therefore with their hatred I should take offense.”
