Finding peace within ourselves, and then able to go into the world without reactivity, without reproducing the hostility...
The bodhisattva path...not only to find peace within ourselves, but also to find peace in the world... a core part of our awakening but also to awake awaking in others. 'We are each other'. To recognize the interdependence of all of us...awakening all of us not just ourselves as individuals... this is the creation of the 'beloved community'. MLK. No one is excluded. including those who we see as causing harm.
To see a different way of seeing ourselves a driving in this world. Its easy to exclude others, to see separation. If it's us and them, there will be suffering. Any creation: the believers, the non-believers., the just and the unjust.. we then build in conflict and division. With the us/them... there can be a lot of hatred in the 'peace movement'...'we are right, they are wrong'...in the wisdom teachings, it's possible to work towards a compassionate world without creating more division, without excluding others from the community.
Rather than polarity of good/evil, wisdom / ignorance, understanding/ not understanding. Getting 'rid' of them is not the answer. to see differences as the truth that we are all on a p ath of awakening...we all have Buddha nature...Quakers talk about it as 'each of us the capacity of Godliness'. Truth is we never l ose that capacity to wake up. MLK: 'NO ONE IS EXCLUDED FROM THE BELOVED COMMUNITY. Our goal is not to defeat our opponent...it is injustice we seek to defeat not people who act unjustly. Freedom and justice through love, not through hate. Not through boycotts... the end is reconciliation...the end is redemption.. ' NOT TO DESTROY those who have different views...but to include. Hate is too great a burden to bear. match your capacity to inflict suffering, by our capacity to endure capacity...and in the process we will convert you.
Not just about winning the political victory..but also about winning over the other.
Solzinitzyn: If only it were all so simple...evil people out there committing evil deeds... the line dividing good and evil cuts through every human being and who is willing to destroy a piece of their own heart.
Per Buddha, the challenge is not the duality of good people v evil people, but rather seeing and not seeing. Finding the way to free their own heart, vs. not being able to free their own heart. If MLK can do this in his struggle with the KKK, we can do it too. Doing this with an open heart, with a compassionate heart...without this, we will keep reproducing the suffering...the mark of shallowness...thinking we can defeat the other.
the way out is to cultivate the 'open heart'...TNH...we all have seeds within us... seeds of cruelty, anger'...also have seeds of kindness, gratitude and love within us...which seeds are we going to nurture. These seeds whichever type are watered, we will reap what we water: equanimity...compassion or anger and hate. WE START WHERE WE ARE. We work where we have the greatest agency (Sister True Dedication).
Clarissa Pinkola Estes: Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once..but to mend the world that is within our reach. What is the part of the world that is within our reach? How do I cultivate my own clinging...what can I do to let go of my clinging...what can I do to help a family member? something that is within my reach.
The energy is delusion: Ajahn Chah...we're looking for happiness in places it cannot be found.
