Dear friends, 

We are living in wild times. 

I have been shocked and concerned by the ramifications of many of our new governmental policies. In the midst of the current political upheaval and divisiveness, I want to offer a reminder of Buddhist teachings that can help us to navigate.

To start, I invite you to read the powerful poem by my friend Alison Luterman at the bottom of these teachings. It is a wake-up call. I was moved to tears and moved to truly question how to respond. 

If you have a conservative perspective, please know that I value you. The benefits of the Dharma are universal; it doesn’t choose parties or politics. It offers a path for well-being, individually and collectively.

Here are some traditional teachings to help navigate these times. 
Read them slowly, let them guide you in your way.

⭐️ Remember your best values.

“When a society treats its members with respect, cares for the weak and vulnerable among them and tends the natural world around… it can be expected to prosper and not decline.” – Mahāparinibbāna Sutta        

⭐️ Don’t take sides and fall into the trap of who is right or wrong.

“The wise do not cling to their views.” – Sutta Nipata

⭐️ Steady and ground yourself. 

Quiet your mind and open your heart. 

“Become the one calm person on the boat who shows the way for all.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

⭐️ Don’t be afraid. 

When frightened monks came to the Buddha, he taught the practice of Lovingkindness and Compassion as a great protection. Don’t fall into fear.

Remember H.L. Mencken’s words, “The whole aim of politics is to keep the populace alarmed and hence clamorous to be led to safety.”

⭐️ Take a Long View. How long? As long as it takes. Trust.

Remember, in all the cycles of existence…

“Hatred never ends by hatred. This is the ancient and eternal law.” – The Dhammapada

⭐️ Support what is good. 

The liberal Rahm Emanuel publicly cheers the president on to receive a Nobel Prize hoping he can end the conflicts in Ukraine, The Middle East, Iran, North Korea.

⭐️ Live with integrity and the virtues of Non Harming 

“Others will be cruel. We shall be kind. Thus we will incline the heart.
“Others will speak falsely. We shall speak truth. Thus we will incline the heart.”
“Others will exploit and steal. We shall be honest and generous. Thus we will incline the heart.” – Sallekha Sutta

⭐️ Do not be afraid to stand up and speak up for these values.

“Truthfully will I speak. With good intention will I speak. For the benefit of all will I speak.” – Vinaya Pitaka

Pause even as you read these teachings …… sense how they invite the heart’s caring. ⭐️

⭐️ Remember your fundamental dignity and Nobility. See it in everyone.

“O Nobly Born…”  Remember, no one can take your spirit.

⭐️ Look with clear eyes.

Believe in science, observation, heart, honest wisdom.

“Do not follow what others say. See for yourself this is harmful, this is beneficial.” – Kalama Sutta

⭐️ Do not avert your gaze. We are in it together.

“Did it never occurr to you that you too are subject to loss and suffering?” – Digha Nikaya 

⭐️ Join with others to serve, care, awaken.

It is in community that we can foster liberation.
Take Refuge in Sangha. 

⭐️ Be a Bodhisattva.

You have been practicing for this, Now is your time to make a difference.
 Reach out and mend what is torn. Act with compassion for all.
 
“The Bodhisattva enters the realms of the hungry ghosts, the jealous gods, lovingly enters the realms of all beings to alleviate suffering.”

⭐️ Consider and reflect.

How can I contribute to a healthy society—one that meets in harmony, protects the vulnerable and honors the natural world?

For myself, I am listening to how best to respond.

It’s not clear yet, but I will work somewhere, on the border, in soup kitchens, supporting the best in our leadership, helping the neighbors who could be taken away from their children, helping others stay well and centered, helping new Bodhisattvas stand up.

Let’s join hands in compassion and care,
Jack

                          
            Praise the Broken Promise of America
                         Alison Luterman

Praise deep mineral veins under rich dirt,
and fossilized remains of dinosaurs turning themselves into gas
for our benefit. Praise the exhausted earth,
miles and miles of subsidized corn
and cattle lowing from their hell-holes
in automated milking barns.
Praise farmworkers rising before dawn,
their sore backs and aching knees. Praise the myths
that drew them here, stories eagerly consumed
when there is nothing to eat but faith.
Praise the courage of the reverend to look
the dragon in the eye and preach mercy;
praise whatever hidden waterways are still pristine.
Praise music that refused to play at the funeral of democracy.
and the killing cold that swept through Washington
when the fake Pope took power.
Praise drag queens and lipstick lesbians, boys who are girls
and girls who are lions, butch women wearing tool belts,
and all the music theater nerds
who are even now building new passageways
mapping the next underground railroad
and suiting up to be conductors—oh, everybody,
get on board! This train will chug quietly
across the great plains and over rocky Sierras,
into the desert where people still leave bottles of water
and packets of food for the desperate
who have always been the lifeblood
of this nation. It will stop in obscure hamlets
to pick up fugitives with tears tattooed on their cheeks
and fraying backpacks overspilling with contraband books.
Praise the weirdos because if anyone can save us
it will be us. And praise all the glittering illusions
we gawked at, ignoring our own neighbors
in favor of a 24-hour peep show on the internet.
Praise the convict fire fighters on the front lines in L.A.,
battling the insurmountable for ten dollars a day. We gambled
our future for a hot air balloon with a hole in it. Praise
our reckless hubris, and the infinite distractions
of the hall of mirrors we find ourselves in now, and bless
our overwhelmed brains, scurrying like mice for shelter.
Bless our collective rage, and protect
the officers who stood up on January 6th and now see their attackers
roaming the streets like rabid dogs, ah, bless the animals
we have always been, in our coats and shoes
and clumsy language, bless our willful ignorance,
so enormous, so world-altering, that, like the great wall of China,
it can be seen from outer space,
where the gods are shaking their heads even now,
in pity and in awe.