The warrior feels sadness for the suffering of beings, as well as the delight in the possibility of their awakening.
– Sakyong Mipham.
We are living with the heartbreak and outrage of the war in the Middle East. This refrain has repeated many times throughout my lifetime. As things change, they say, the more they stay the same. This time may be different.
This was the worst attack upon the Jewish people since the 2nd world war. It will precipitate an intense retaliation which will rock the foundations of world security. All this is happening in the shadow of the invasion of Ukraine that had shaken the world. AIt is also a time when technology has created more awareness and nuance than ever before. The world is either waking up or falling fast asleep. Or perhaps both. We have the setting sun approach turning toward darkness counterposed with the rising sun view of opening to possibility. We can take either position. We can take the easy approach of blaming a group and wishing for their eradication or we step back and try to see more clearly with eyes of healing and compassion. And just like any of us waking up on a spiritual journey, we will see harsh realities along with positive development. It is important not to latch onto solid propositions. As we develop spiritually, one of the things we are waking up to is the horror we are capable of inflicting.
This is not about the Middle East, or Eastern Europe. A murdered child was stabbed 26 times outside of Chicago ina misguided response to the crisis. People throughout the U.S. are arguing positions for one side or the other. There may likely be more violence throughout the world. This is who we are. Violence to one wounds us all. Sometimes violence is necessary. But only when it is clear sighted and free of hatred. When we are filled with anger and range acting is our first impulse. But it may be the last thing we should do.
Past trauma will fester ingrained beliefs that often ripen as a basis for a next generation’s identity. Clashes between race, nationality, creed, economic and social stratification have been common to societies throughout history. The development of human societies is a violent confluence of currents that crash, conflict, and sometimes meld into each other. The turbulence of water flowing into water. Through this mixing we try to maintain the uneasy balance of protecting identities while engaging with a larger world.
It is becoming clear that anyone left out of engagement with their world, without the comfort and security and having less than those around them become angered. Whenever we are gauging our life by others, we are losing. So anger may seem like strength. But anger makes us ripe for manipulation. Whether a loner in their basement gathering information from the web, or a child in poverty throwing rocks at tanks in Gaza, those who believe they are powerless will hold to a belief, a flag, a slogan, or a group with which to identify. This identification brings a temporary sense of security and power. But we are giving away ourselves and our higher power. Abdication of personal strength never makes us secure. Nor is there any power when we are being manipulated. We are merely swept along, lost in the rush of momentum. The child strapping munitions to their vest or carrying an automatic weapon into their school is not evil. They are not insane. They are broken and have allowed themselves to be swept away. Whether from the internet or a megaphone, they have been steered by rhetoric. They are chasing the illusion of power.
People chasing an illusion of power must do so because they feel they have none. Yet no one is truly powerless. As long as we’re alive we have the strength of our own spirit. We have the strength of our soul. We have the strength of our basic goodness and a higher power that is our human birthright. We can develop ourselves on a path of wisdom in order to foster the great strength of awareness and compassion. Granted, this might seem pollyanna-ish or inaccessible to those whose lives are in turmoil or danger. And each of us are in danger sometimes. Each of us has our thinking obscured by the wrong view from time to time. Each of us becomes manipulated by misinformation, for a great source of misinformation is our own mind. We give up our freedom and our power every time we latch on to easy slogans or pat answers. We give up our power when we let anyone or anything else decide our fate. We give up our power when we talk ourselves into defeat.
For meditators it is important to learn the distinction between our wisdom mind and its dependent blah-blah sibling. With meditation, we develop the stability to have the clarity to see what is. We gain access to our higher mind and this engenders a strength of mind that in time will be our true power. This is the power to remain true to ourselves and open to others. And like a Buddha, the onus on those waking up is to care for those less awakened. Compassion is not an elitist system. We are each trying to help another up the mountain. If one fails, it is a failure for all. Not everyone is in a position to develop themselves spiritually. And there are those who will use their awareness to manipulate others. This is awareness with an egregious blind spot, and it is very dangerous. It is manipulation masquerading as compassion. Manipulating others or being manipulated by others is not freedom. Freedom comes when we have the humbleness to know that we have much to learn and the willingness to remain open in order to do so. And along the way, we develop real respect for ourselves and grow into the leader the world needs. Awareness is not an assumption of power or stature. Awareness is a responsibility.
As we journey up the mountain our view changes. We begin to value possibility. Instead of defensive protectives, we start to see the commonality in all humanity. We see that we are part of a greater whole. We are part of an experiment by the cosmos to develop wisdom and begin to see itself. But in order to do this we have to understand a very simplistic binary: acknowledge the mind that keeps us locked in suffering, but follow the higher mind that leads to clarity and strength. While the shadows of our past are still an influence, we can develop the power to look ahead toward a bigger view. No one looks out from the top of the mountain and says, “this sucks”. Sure, we may see all the refineries and junkyards but the view from above is nonetheless beautiful. In time, we will see more of the war and hatred people still rage upon themselves. But we will also see trees growing and life blooming. All of life needs to defend itself, and all life yearns to grow. This higher mind cares naturally for the world. And even as it hurts deeply for its suffering it rejoices in its liberation. We are evolving.
And as we evolve, it is up to those who have the good fortune to be able to foster awareness to develop the compassion to help others develop wakefulness. The opposite, of course, is always possible. Like a shadow following behind as we travel toward the sun our defensive mind is ever there, ready to pounce. We can fall backward. In our confusion we might choose the setting sun of slogans and simple answers. We might choose death. And, if we do this often enough the earth, who gave us life, will take the hint and rescind our lease. Then she will move on to her next experiment.
But should we choose to follow a path beyond our self-interest, we might become stewards of the world. We can be shepherds of her people. And when that is too grand for our personal circumstances, we can turn to ourselves and work to develop our own personal freedom. There is no fault in this. Personal liberation (so so tharpa) is the basis of compassion. Compassion is the supreme thought of healing this fractured world. We may not be able to do this ourselves, but by raising our sights to its possibility, we are learning to understand more of ourselves. And if we can add some positivity to the profusion of negativity we may influence the course of our evolution as a species.