The Sound of a Nation's Weeping Heart

[OmMommy]

In the interview below, Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh argues that, “When bombs begin to fall on people, you cannot stay in the meditation hall all of the time.” This sentiment is resonating with me tonight as my heart dwells on September 11.  I’m including the link to the interview below with the hope that you’ll pass it on.

When asked, “What did you learn from being in the United States?” Thich Nhat Hanh answered, “ The first thing I learned was that even if you have a lot of money and power and fame, you can still suffer very deeply. If you don't have enough peace and compassion within you, there is no way you can be happy. Many people in Asia would like to consume as much as Europeans and Americans. So when I teach in China and Thailand and in other Asian countries, I always tell them that people suffer very deeply in the West, believing that consuming a lot will bring them happiness. You have to go back to the traditional values and deepen your practice.”

In the wake of this anniversary, I can't help but ask, "Will America ever listen to her own cries?" Don’t we hear the sound of our own voices? Will we ever consider the possibility that our actions bring about the reality we experience? Can't we see that if we don't have enough peace and compassion within ourselves, there is no way we can be happy? It seems like we are very quick to fear, hate, judge, and blame and very slow to accept the consequences of our own deeds.

I didn't watch Obama's September 11 speech but I hope he asked America if she's learned her lesson. I hope he asked us if we can we use our experiences to affect change. If we refuse to see our own culpability in the problems we face today, then we are destined to repeat the mistakes of greed, consumerism, and injustice until it is too late. Can't we hear the sound of our own hearts weeping? Don’t we see that we are the ones who must create change? Obama's "Change" campaign has been missing a crucial element since it's begining. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." No man or woman, not even the President, can do it for us.

Each of us, as individuals, must make the independent choice to waste and want less and to honor the obvious connection between all life. We are living in a time when we can no longer deny the truth about our interdependence. For once you see that we are connected, you also see that everything each of us does somehow effects the Whole. The Universe is a Mega-Organism. We can’t keep acting as if there were no consequences for our actions. We need to stop, take a good look in the mirror, and honor the Life we see there.

Once upon a time, an Indian Prince named Siddhartha abandoned the comforts of his father's castle and discovered reality -- a place where awareness that we are all connected is a step towards liberation from the hard truth of suffering. How much longer can we (America) live inside the castle walls? Will we ever look beyond ourselves and take responsibility for effect of our addictions on Earth?

Sadly, in today's world, very few Americans even have the luxury of enjoying the dream upon which much of this nation was founded and by which we confine ourselves with uninformed choices. Too many of us are numb from processed foods, network television, prescriptions, and consumerism and we spend lifetimes not really knowing how lost we've become. We are the walking dead, going through cookie cutter lives just to buy things, pay taxes, use up rescources, and, in increasing numbers, take anti-depressants. What kind of dream is this?

We've forgotten the one thing we actually need -- to experience one another with compassion. Instead of tuning out in front of the television tonight, let's stop to breathe together for just a few moments. Let's let today be a new dawn where exchanges on Facebook! and Twitter don't count as social interaction and we reach out to honor the connections between us.

Our reluctance to change, our dependence on prescribed norms, and our lack of innovation keep us addicted (generation after generation) to the old and out-of-date American Way of ego-based living that destroys Earth one precious resource, one precious habitat, one precious species, and one precious life at a time. We are no longer a nation of innovators, we’ve eliminate the arts from education while increasing standardized testing and we’ve stopped getting our news from reliable sources. We need to change our course and turn our focus inward.

What would happen if Americans began to take notice of the all the connections which exist between us? (See: Pratītyasamutpāda) There is a continuum between the chaos and suffering that is so widespread on Earth's surface and the chaos and suffering within the walls of our own minds. Our dissatisfaction with our inner-lives breeds discord Earth’s surface. As it says in India's ancient books of wisdom, the Vedas, “As is the Atom, as is the Universe. As is the human mind, as is the Cosmic Mind.” We create our reality. It's time we change it.

Will Americans rise to this call, this opportunity to affect change? Will we burst through these self-imposed (albeit illusory) castle walls with compassionate action (including looking at ourselves with compassion)? I certainly believe that we are able; however, I’m not so sure that we are willing. It will take the courage of determined voices for us develop clear-seeing as a nation. We must work hard each day to see ourselves as we truly are and not as wish wish to be.

The world is waiting for us to change. If only we would practice acting with peace and compassion within ourselves first, the affect we would have on Earth would be monumental. As our beloved President John F. Kennedy once said, “One person can make a difference and every person should try.”

On this dark anniversary in our nation's history, let's rise up from yesterday's ashes into a new nation of hope -- into an America with a vision for the future where we see that the fire starts at home. Let's let our history be a guidepost - not a hitching post - and let's move forward building strength from yesterday's weaknesses. As the Buddha taught, "To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others." America should heed this wisdom and begin looking inward. Our nation's heart is weeping. Will we listen?

In Engaged Buddhism, Peace Begins with You
by John Malkin, from the Shambhala Sun

Thich Nhat Hanh, who originated Engaged Buddhism, in an interview with John Malkin.

I met with Thich Nhat Hanh recently at the Kim Son Monastery in Northern California. I was happy to be seated on a zafu drinking tea with him, but I was also glad when he motioned with a simple gesture towards the page of questions sitting at my side: otherwise the lunch bell might have sounded an hour later without the interview having begun.

Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1967, after playing a central role in the Vietnamese peace movement. He is the author of over one hundred books, including Love in Action, Peace Is Every Step, The Miracle of Mindfulness and No Death, No Fear. He currently lives at Plum Village Monastery in France. -John Malkin

John Malkin: Will you describe the origins of Engaged Buddhism and how you became involved in compassion-based social change?

Thich Nhat Hanh: Engaged Buddhism is just Buddhism. When bombs begin to fall on people, you cannot stay in the meditation hall all of the time. Meditation is about the awareness of what is going on-not only in your body and in your feelings, but all around you.

When I was a novice in Vietnam, we young monks witnessed the suffering caused by the war. So we were very eager to practice Buddhism in such a way that we could bring it into society. That was not easy because the tradition does not directly offer Engaged Buddhism. So we had to do it by ourselves. That was the birth of Engaged Buddhism.

Buddhism has to do with your daily life, with your suffering and with the suffering of the people around you. You have to learn how to help a wounded child while still practicing mindful breathing. You should not allow yourself to get lost in action. Action should be meditation at the same time.

Continued here:
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1579