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Guided Meditation

Hello everyone, and welcome to IMC. We'll just start with a meditation directly.

Prepare yourself by sitting here with respect for yourself, with kindness and care for your own welfare. Perhaps so that later you might be able to offer respect, kindness, and care to others. Think of meditation as an act of self-respect, self-care, and self-kindness, in such a way that it feels welcoming for you to be present. Be here at this time, at this place, with your attention. Your attention is the vehicle through which care, kindness, and respect can be present.

Gently close your eyes. Perhaps take some long, slow, deep breaths. It's a way of connecting to yourself and, as you exhale, clearing away whatever might interfere with present-moment awareness.

Let your breathing return to normal. Relax in your body, softening. Perhaps with the help of your breathing, soften whatever is hard in you. Meet with care and kindness whatever is difficult in you.

At the end of the exhale, as the inhale begins, perhaps you can evoke a kind of awareness and attention which has a quality of clarity. Just clear awareness here, with the beginning of each inhale.

And then, as we come to the end of this sitting, where would you connect to inside of yourself if you were going to gaze out on the world with respect, care, and kindness? Where would that come from in you? From the heart? From deep in your torso? Below the layers of fear, anger, and despair, is there a home for compassion, for care, for respect of others?

If there is, now at the end of the sitting, metaphorically gaze out upon the world. Evoke goodwill for this world of ours, wishing well to others.

May all beings be free of suffering. May others be free of oppression and violence. May they be free of hate and disrespect. May all beings live in safety and mutual respect. May all beings be happy and free. And may it be that we can contribute to making that possible.

Dedication to Non-Violence

Hello everyone who's here at IMC, welcome. And to those of you who are online, welcome as well.

I'm thinking about how there are two sources within us for how we act in the world—how we react and respond in the world. One is what I consider to be more on the surface, and one is from our depths, someplace deep inside.

I associate the surface with reacting to the world when events come to us and meet our fear, anger, despair, hopelessness, or greed. I think of these as more on the surface partly because they usually involve a lot of thinking, imagination, ideas, and desires. They are also a more activated state.

The depth within us allows something deeper inside to respond, to be touched by the world in a way that is deeper than whatever fear, despair, or anger we might have. Maybe when those things have settled and quieted, when greed has settled away enough so that we feel a sense of satisfaction, warmth, pleasure, and happiness in life in a deeper way—without needing the world to be a certain way—we feel at ease and feel at home in a deep way. And so, there's a different sensitivity in which we receive the world and its difficulties. Things that are deeper inside, which can be easily eclipsed by the surface, can emerge.

Rather than reacting, we respond. Something emerges from the heart, from deeper inside, where we can feel our shared humanity, where we can see and feel other people for their humanity. That's very hard to see if we're reacting from the surface, if we're seeing through fear, hate, greed, despair, or a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. Being able to tap into some deeper place within is a hugely important part of meditation and Buddhist practice. Some of the guidelines for how to live that the Buddha gives make a lot of sense, and they resonate much deeper inside of us if we're in touch with this depth.

One of the guidelines, the First Precept^[1] of Buddhism, is not to kill. The primary principle associated with that, which I believe underlies all of Buddhism, is not to harm—the principle of non-harming, living a life of non-harming.

I want to talk about this a little bit today because of recent events. It seems like just two weeks ago we had this horrific shooting in Buffalo at a market called Tops Friendly Markets^[2], where ten Black Americans were shot just shopping. That hate crime was the motivation for my talk last week on hate. And then, just five days ago, we had another horrendous shooting of children. Nineteen children and others were killed in Texas. We've had a lot of school shootings in this country.

What happens when these kinds of events are allowed to touch something deep inside? Is there a place that's deeper than anger, fear, and despair? Is there some place deeper? This is not to dismiss those reactions and responses, because they're so human and are how many people respond to things. But do we have access to some place deeper? I think that's one of the calls of Buddhist practice. Because of the First Precept and this first principle of not killing and not harming, the call of Buddhists is to see how we can come from that deeper place. How can we be dedicated and committed to non-harming in a radical, thorough way? How could we be champions of not killing? Not just restraining from killing ourselves, because the Buddha also encouraged advocating for others not to kill, or inspiring others not to kill, to cultivate a culture of not killing.

How do we change this tremendous momentum of a culture that is so steeped in violence and killing? After the killings in Texas, there were news reports that the manufacturer of the gun that was used, a company called Daniel Defense, had an advertisement which I then found on their website. You can't see the face, but clearly a young child—my guess is four or five years old—is sitting with a semi-automatic rifle resting on his lap. He has a t-shirt that says "Rascal" on it. It seems to diminish, make light of, or suggest something very different about what it means to own or possess a semi-automatic rifle. But even more remarkable is the statement that goes along with the advertisement: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Start them early with semi-automatic rifles.

So here's a business trying to promote the sale of their rifles. I don't know if they're operating out of some kind of strange idea of compassion for our society, but it seems to me like they're operating out of a desire to do business, sell, and hook people in. There is a momentum of economic forces in society advertising a culture of violence. How do we do something different? Where does that come from?

In the slightly longer description of the First Precept, it says: "One abstains from killing. One lays down weapons and swords. Modest, compassionate, dwelling with care for the welfare of all beings." So it isn't just about not killing; there is much more involved, and these are beautiful qualities. I'm inspired by people who put down their weapons and throw them away. For me, that creates a different culture—a culture of people who are not going to succumb to fear, greed, conceit, or arrogance. I think one of the worst ways of responding to violence in the world is allowing the fear it elicits to get the upper hand in such a way that we go out and buy another gun. Then we just perpetuate more violence.

There is a historical event from Japan—maybe it's slightly interpretive the way I'm going to present it to you. Somewhere in the fifth or sixth century, in the valley surrounded by mountains that is now Kyoto, they were building Buddhist temples. The capital was there, and there was an idea that evil spirits and forces would come out of the northeast corner of that valley, down the mountains, and harm the capital. So to protect the capital, they built a Buddhist temple up in the northeast. They would do rituals and practices and somehow have dharmic protection.

Over the centuries, that monastery grew and developed to be one of the biggest in Japan. At some point, it became so big that it acted like a landlord over a vast estate. And they had some monks—I don't know exactly what kind of monks they were—who were soldiers. At some point, they became the evil force that came out of the northeast down to Kyoto to attack and take over. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy: "There's danger, let's protect ourselves. Let's have monks up there who can arm themselves and be soldiers." They became so powerful that they became the threat. I don't know if we want to take too much of a lesson from that, but it's certainly an example of how living with fear, in a reactive mode, can elicit the very thing we are trying to avoid.

A more contemporary statement of what I'm trying to say here today is from Martin Luther King Jr.:

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence, you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

There are all kinds of things being said right now. Almost every time there's a mass shooting, many of the same things get said about what should happen, along with analysis of our culture and society. It's very sad to think that we're saying the same things over and over again; the repetition is kind of phenomenal. So I don't want to repeat some of those common cultural and societal ideas. But I do feel inspired to evoke the importance of non-harming and not killing in a Buddhist life. Learning how to do this in a wise way allows us to protect ourselves better than we can through violence.

It's not an obvious or easy thing to naively say we should be non-violent when there are dangers in this world. But are there resources or ways to prepare ourselves so we have responses coming out of our compassion that help us be safe and live well? Responses that help us not perpetuate fear, despair, or a sense of hopelessness? One of the reasons to do this is to hopefully radiate a cultural change from ourselves.

When we look at the roots of violence in this country, some of it comes from hate. Some of it, like with this last school shooting in Texas, where the 18-year-old committed these horrendous killings, comes from other things. He was apparently bullied for having a stutter and a lisp. He had a mother who struggled with drug addiction, and he probably had a very difficult life. Bullying is horrible, especially if you already have a difficult life at home and no place of refuge. Bullying is not something to be taken lightly. I've had parents tell me they went to their child's school to try to address bullying, and the principals were not interested in doing anything. We have to respond. But how do we respond kindly?

Look at our correctional systems. We put people in jail, and they often become worse than they were before they went in because of how terribly and disrespectfully they're treated. We don't call it bullying by the guards, but guards can treat people horrendously. I met a man when I was teaching at San Quentin who had spent 24 years in solitary confinement. Can you believe that's possible in California, in a state prison? Twenty-four years. And so, the very system that's supposed to be a "correctional" system doesn't correct; it perpetuates harm and makes things worse.

So, what do we do? Among the many things we can do as Buddhists is to really appreciate and find a way to love—certainly others, but also to love non-violence. Love not causing harm. Love it because it protects you. It protects the best that's in you. It protects something that's wonderful, beautiful, rich, satisfying, and worth coming from. It provides a meaningful life that doesn't depend on things that are relatively superficial, but comes from a heart that is full, satisfied, delighted, and rich. We do this practice not just to restrain from killing, but as the rest of the teaching goes, to cultivate modesty, compassion, and care for the welfare of everyone.

It's interesting that the Buddha presented an analysis of how rulers can care for their people. There's an ancient myth that the Buddha perhaps composed. It involves the decay of society that happens when rulers do not care for everyone equally. This is such an important idea: that everyone should be treated equally, everyone should be given the same opportunities, and it's the role of the government to make sure that happens.

The way this myth goes is that there was a long series of hereditary kings who ruled for many years. The custom was that when they first became king, they would get advice from wise religious people and others. The teachings they received instructed them to live by the Dhamma^[3]. Outside of its specific Buddhist meaning, the Dhamma in this context means natural law or justice. It meant ruling justly and fairly, which I interpret to mean treating everyone equally and giving everyone equal opportunities—which is still not the case in this country.

The passage goes like this. The wise people would tell the king: "Depending on the Dhamma yourself, honoring it, revering it, cherishing it, doing homage to it, and venerating it, have Dhamma as your badge and banner. Acknowledging the Dhamma as your master, you should establish guard and protection for everyone: your household, your troops, your people..." The text lists everyone, including animals and birds. The first task of rulers is to protect everyone.

Again, this word "Dhamma" or "Dharma" in this context doesn't mean Buddhism; it means a kind of natural law, justice, or fairness. The king is supposed to rule based on Dhamma, not on their own wishes or desires. You'll see this becomes important later.

The text continues: "Let no non-Dhamma prevail in your kingdom." Non-Dhamma here means injustice, in all the different ways that can manifest. "Let no injustice prevail in your kingdom. And to those who have nothing, provide for them. Provide property for those who have nothing so that they can take care of themselves. And whatever religious people there are in your kingdom who have renounced the life of sensual infatuation and are devoted to forbearance and gentleness, each one taming themselves, calming themselves, and striving to the end of craving... from time to time you should go to them and consult them as to what is wholesome and what is unwholesome."

In other words, take advice from people who practice and have a different set of values. Don't consult with the people who manufacture assault rifles; consult with people like the Dalai Lama who can teach you the things that will, in the long run, lead to welfare and happiness, not to harm and sorrow. You should listen to them.

This is the advice the kings received, and for many generations, that's what they followed. But eventually, one king forgot to consult the wise people when he first took the throne. Finally, his ministers came to him and said, "You have to listen to this." So he heard the advice, and he did establish guard and protection for others.

However, he did not care for the people who were in need. He didn't provide property to those who had no way of taking care of themselves. As a result, the realm became rife with widespread poverty. A person took what was not given, committing theft. The king arrested the person, and after a short trial, the person admitted to stealing. The king gave him some property, saying, "Here, take care of yourself and your family with this."

But other poor people saw this and thought, "Wow, all I have to do is steal, and then I'll be given property." So widespread stealing began. The king quickly realized this wasn't working, so instead, he began to execute and heavily punish the thieves. Facing punishments like that, the people took up weapons themselves. With weapons, they started killing each other, and violence spread throughout the realm. Society deteriorated dramatically.

This is a mythic story, but it illustrates a profound point: the decay of society begins when those who are ruling do not treat everyone equally or give everyone equal opportunity through property and the means to have a successful life. People became poor, and of course, when they're starving, they steal. The king tried to solve the problem by giving them something, but it was already too late. It set up a strange dynamic where others started to steal, leading to violence.

So there is this spiral. Violence begets violence, as Martin Luther King Jr. said. Does non-violence beget non-violence? Does not harming beget not harming? I'm sure you could find situations where that's not the case. I'm sure you could find examples where violence doesn't always beget more violence. But the tendency is that non-violence begets non-violence.

Non-violence can come from this deeper place inside, rather than from fear. Non-violence born out of fear doesn't really work. But can we find a place within? Can we clarify our hearts enough so that we're in touch with an inner wealth, an inner place of peace, satisfaction, and inspiration? It is possible to resolve our wounds, conflicts, fears, and despairs. It's possible to settle them. We should not succumb to the belief that seeing the world through fear, despair, anger, greed, or hatred gives us an accurate view of what the world is like. It doesn't.

If we think those reactive states provide an accurate view, we will only perpetuate and strengthen them. But they aren't accurate. Is the view of the world through love and compassion more accurate? Not necessarily. That view can have its own problems, especially if it's enforced as a surface-level obligation, where we feel we're just "supposed" to act that way.

Where I think it really makes a huge difference is doing something like meditation. It allows all the "shoulds" and the rigid structures of our thinking to get quiet and peaceful. It helps resolve the challenges of our hearts. When our hearts are quiet and peaceful, we encounter the world from this deeper place inside where something resonates, and something different can happen. I don't know all the different ways we'll respond from the heart, but it will be much healthier than responding from the surface in a reactive way.

To be inspired by the horrendous things that happen in our society to actually change society—to find ways to promote non-harming—is one of the great tasks of a life. But before we can do that out in the world, we need to do the work within ourselves. We must find a way to be an exemplar of a life motivated by non-fear, non-hatred, non-despair, and non-greed, so that the most wondrous qualities of our hearts have a chance to be shared in the world we live in.

It's heartbreaking to see all the hatred, despair, anger, and violence in this country. But in that heartbreak, do not despair. Use it as a powerful catalyst and encouragement to do your work. Do your practice to resolve the issues of your heart, so that your heart can come forth in a beautiful response to what this world needs—a response that is clearly and obviously one that will never harm anyone.

Let's live in a world where non-harming is understood to be one of the greatest gifts we can give. Thank you.

Announcements

If some of you would like to have some discussion about this or anything else, I invite you to pick up a folding chair from the [word?] just outside. We'll meet in a few minutes in the parking lot, maybe take off our masks, sit in a circle, and have a little conversation for 20 or 30 minutes. Thank you.