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<\/a>Battle at Lanka
from the Ramayana
Sahib Din
1649-1653<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
<\/a>from the Ramayana
Sahib Din
1649-1653<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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(At the recent Empty Moon Zen<\/a> Saturday Zazenkai, Dharma<\/a> Holder Mo Myokan Weinhardt gave the dharma talk on the koan \u201cStop the war.\u201d I asked her if I could reprint it at my Monkey Mind column, hoping to see it get the wider readership it deserves. She graciously consented. )<\/em><\/div>\n
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Once, many years ago when Tom and I were living in the Bay Area, we went to sit one evening with David Weinstein Roshi\u2019s Rockridge Meditation Community. After getting reasonably far into one or two periods of zazen together, David\u2019s voice rolled quite suddenly through the zendo and into the depths of my mind:\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n\u201cStop the War. Stop the War,\u201d he repeated slowly.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAt the time, I was deeply upset that he\u2019d dropped something into my zazen like that. To be honest, it felt invasive and inappropriate. It was my first time with that community, and the experience caught me completely by surprise.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAnd, to this day, I have to admit that it\u2019s one of the most profound koan I\u2019ve ever encountered.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n\u201cStop the War. Stop the War,\u201d he repeated slowly.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAt the time, I was deeply upset that he\u2019d dropped something into my zazen like that. To be honest, it felt invasive and inappropriate. It was my first time with that community, and the experience caught me completely by surprise.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAnd, to this day, I have to admit that it\u2019s one of the most profound koan I\u2019ve ever encountered.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I invite you to take a moment to turn this over in your heart-mind \u2014 to soak in its meaning from different angles and perspectives:<\/span><\/div>\n
\nStop the War.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nConsider, what could this mean for how you engage with yourself? \u2026for how you engage with others? How you engage with ideas, beliefs, or situations that you find ignorant? \u2026or worse yet, abhorrent? What might it mean for how you\u2019re encountering this very moment?<\/span><\/div>\n
\nGiven the deeply divided, chaotic state of our world \u2014 which weighs heavily on me, as well as every single person I\u2019ve spoken with recently \u2014 I\u2019ve been reflecting a great deal on what this koan means; and to go a step further, what it means to walk a path of peace.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThis has challenged me for a long time, much longer than I care to admit \u2014 and I know I\u2019m not alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThis isn\u2019t actually what I set out to discuss in this dharma talk, but in trying to write something coherent and meaningful, this is what emerged. To be clear, whatever I say here is not coming from place of having sorted this conundrum out; this is more of a \u201csharing where I am in this endless fucking struggle\u201d sort of talk. The \u201cwiping mud and blood off my face and just trying to take another step, thanks for helping me up\u201d sort of talk.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nStop the War.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nConsider, what could this mean for how you engage with yourself? \u2026for how you engage with others? How you engage with ideas, beliefs, or situations that you find ignorant? \u2026or worse yet, abhorrent? What might it mean for how you\u2019re encountering this very moment?<\/span><\/div>\n
\nGiven the deeply divided, chaotic state of our world \u2014 which weighs heavily on me, as well as every single person I\u2019ve spoken with recently \u2014 I\u2019ve been reflecting a great deal on what this koan means; and to go a step further, what it means to walk a path of peace.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThis has challenged me for a long time, much longer than I care to admit \u2014 and I know I\u2019m not alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThis isn\u2019t actually what I set out to discuss in this dharma talk, but in trying to write something coherent and meaningful, this is what emerged. To be clear, whatever I say here is not coming from place of having sorted this conundrum out; this is more of a \u201csharing where I am in this endless fucking struggle\u201d sort of talk. The \u201cwiping mud and blood off my face and just trying to take another step, thanks for helping me up\u201d sort of talk.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
I may have managed to duct-tape all of this together okay enough for today\u2019s zazenkai, but let there be no question \u2014 I am still deep in trying to figure this out for myself. It\u2019s a moving target, and I have no answers. All I can say is that I\u2019m committed to holding and exploring all sides of this koan. How to stop the war; how to remain endlessly curious as I continue to discover the shape and meaning of my own path of peace; and I\u2019m committed to sharing what I learn as I stumble along, in the hope that with each other\u2019s help and support, we may all grow in wisdom together.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nBut no promises \ud83d\ude09<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nBut no promises \ud83d\ude09<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
***
\nSo, what exactly is a \u2018path of peace\u2019?
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\nSo, what exactly is a \u2018path of peace\u2019?
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The first thing that came to my mind is that any path of peace must be firmly rooted in love and compassion. And while I do believe that\u2019s true, upon further reflection, it felt incomplete.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n\u201cLove and compassion\u201d are nice, flowery words. But it\u2019s easy to hear them as cliche sentiments; to roll our eyes and judge folks who talk like that as kumbaya, flower-twirling hippies who naively believe that \u201cAll we need is love.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAnd in some ways, there\u2019s truth to that cynicism. In this often harsh, unrelenting, batshit crazy world of form, love and compassion as mere sentiments \u2014 as warm, fuzzy feelings \u2014 are entirely useless. They\u2019re not enough. Walking a path of peace doesn\u2019t rely on \u201cgood vibes.\u201d In fact, it has nothing to do with the substance of our feelings at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nBut\u2026 Love as a verb? Love as an intentional practice of \u2018not one, not two\u2019? As the very fabric of emptiness itself, permeating every iota of this madly interdependent world? That\u2019s a different proposition altogether.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nWalking a path of peace through these dark and broken roads requires much more of us than warm, fuzzy feelings. To walk such a path through a world that is\u00a0anything<\/i>\u00a0but peaceful, means prioritizing how each of us cultivates our internal landscape first and foremost. It all starts and ends with this\u00a0<point to heart><\/i>. And it requires grit. Awareness. Resilience.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThankfully, we don\u2019t have to completely reinvent the wheel here. There are many people who\u2019ve modeled different versions of living this path; but first, I want to offer a different koan from The Blue Cliff Record I\u2019ve been sitting with \u2014 one that goes right to the marrow of this entire struggle.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n\u201cLove and compassion\u201d are nice, flowery words. But it\u2019s easy to hear them as cliche sentiments; to roll our eyes and judge folks who talk like that as kumbaya, flower-twirling hippies who naively believe that \u201cAll we need is love.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAnd in some ways, there\u2019s truth to that cynicism. In this often harsh, unrelenting, batshit crazy world of form, love and compassion as mere sentiments \u2014 as warm, fuzzy feelings \u2014 are entirely useless. They\u2019re not enough. Walking a path of peace doesn\u2019t rely on \u201cgood vibes.\u201d In fact, it has nothing to do with the substance of our feelings at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nBut\u2026 Love as a verb? Love as an intentional practice of \u2018not one, not two\u2019? As the very fabric of emptiness itself, permeating every iota of this madly interdependent world? That\u2019s a different proposition altogether.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nWalking a path of peace through these dark and broken roads requires much more of us than warm, fuzzy feelings. To walk such a path through a world that is\u00a0anything<\/i>\u00a0but peaceful, means prioritizing how each of us cultivates our internal landscape first and foremost. It all starts and ends with this\u00a0<point to heart><\/i>. And it requires grit. Awareness. Resilience.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThankfully, we don\u2019t have to completely reinvent the wheel here. There are many people who\u2019ve modeled different versions of living this path; but first, I want to offer a different koan from The Blue Cliff Record I\u2019ve been sitting with \u2014 one that goes right to the marrow of this entire struggle.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nCase 43: \u201cTozan\u2019s No Cold or Heat\u201d<\/span><\/b><\/div>\nA monk asked Tozan, \u201cWhen cold and heat come, how can we avoid them?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\nTozan said, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go to the place where there is no cold or heat?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\nThe monk asked, \u201cWhat is the place where there is no cold or heat?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\nTozan said, \u201cWhen it\u2019s cold, the cold kills you; when it\u2019s hot, the heat kills you.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nYou can almost hear the astonishment in the monk\u2019s voice here. What is this magical place you speak of, where there is no cold or heat? Beyond our constant picking and choosing? Where can we go to escape these difficulties? How do I get there?!?\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThis monk is speaking directly to the heart of the human condition.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAnd in our batshit crazy world, this monk\u2019s question is also our question: How can I avoid the things I don\u2019t want to experience? The things I don\u2019t want to be true? How can I avoid all of this heartbreak, injustice, fear, and suffering?<\/span><\/div>\n
\nBut Master Tozan suggests a radically different path. He says if it\u2019s cold, let the cold kill us. If it\u2019s hot, let the heat kill us. But don\u2019t be fooled \u2014 he\u2019s not talking about physical death here.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nWhat is it exactly that\u2019s being killed?<\/span><\/span>Over the years, we\u2019ve each developed countless ways to strengthen our defenses, guard ourselves from perceived threats, and insulate our hearts from fear and suffering. But instead of thrashing against the things we don\u2019t want to experience \u2014 instead of raging and protecting ourselves from whatever we\u2019re clinging to or trying to push away \u2014 Master Tozan is inviting us to lay down our armor completely, and be intimate.<\/div>\n
\nIntimate with our thoughts, fears, and feelings. Intimate with our suffering, with our own tender hearts. Intimate, and curious, with all that we\u2019d rather avoid.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nStop the War.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThis reminds me of Pema Ch\u00f6dr\u00f6n, who teaches a concept called \u201cMaitri.\u201d A Sanskrit word, Maitri is literally translated as a kindness or benevolence toward all beings that is free from attachment \u2014 also known as \u2018loving-kindness.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nNow on the surface, this might sound like yet another flowery sentiment. According to Pema however, who defines Maitri as \u2018unconditional friendliness with oneself\u2019, it means having an unbiased relationship with all the parts of your being \u2014 creating intimacy with all those parts of ourselves, (and thus those parts of others), that we generally don\u2019t want to touch.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nIn a brief excerpt from her article, Turn Your Thinking Upside Down, Pema says:
\n\u201cBecoming intimate with pain is the key to changing at the core of our being \u2014 staying open to everything we experience, letting the sharpness of difficult times pierce us to the heart, letting these times open us, humble us, and make us wiser and more brave. Let difficulty transform you. And it will. In my experience, we just need help in learning how not to run away.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\nWhen it\u2019s cold, let the cold kill you; when it\u2019s hot, let the heat kill you.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThe circumstances causing you pain may not be your fault, and you don\u2019t have to like or condone it. But \u2014 we\u00a0do<\/i>\u00a0have to take responsibility for how we respond to the cold, to the heat, and to everything in between. \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nYou see, fault and blame are just other forms of armor. I\u2019ve heard it said \u2014 most famously by the actor Will Smith \u2014 that fault and responsibility don\u2019t actually go together. It sucks, but they don\u2019t. For example, it\u2019s not somebody\u2019s fault if their parents were abusive, or if their partner cheated and ruined the relationship; but it\u00a0is<\/i>\u00a0their responsibility to figure out how to face that pain so it doesn\u2019t spread, or create rot; how to compost those traumas into some kind of fertilizer that can cultivate healing and compassion. \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nWhen we focus on whose fault the \u201cheat or cold\u201d is \u2014 whether it\u2019s our corrupt government, a stranger who causes harm, an awful boss, our parents, our past \u2014 we\u2019re just trying to build a wall between ourselves and the anger, the discomfort, or whatever it is we\u2019d rather avoid. And as long as we\u2019re pointing a finger of fault, we remain stuck in some kind of righteous victim mode.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nLike I said, fault and responsibility don\u2019t actually go together. Not when it comes to\u00a0our<\/i>\u00a0hearts; not when it comes to\u00a0our<\/i>\u00a0actions.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nResponsibility is the act of dropping the blame; facing the heat fully, just as it is; and then, to the best of our ability, responding with intention \u2014 instead of reacting unskillfully.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nStop the War.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nIt may not be our fault that the world is on fire, but it\u2019s for\u00a0damn<\/i>\u00a0sure our responsibility to decide how we\u2019re going to inhabit that heat.\u00a0This<\/i>\u00a0is what moves us out of victim mode \u2014 out of our narratives and armor and reactivity \u2014 and back into presence, choicefulness, and agency.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\nPeace is a skill that we develop across our lifetime. It\u2019s a commitment to discerning what uprightness and ethical conduct mean in the context of our messy lives, moment by moment; and \u2014 spoiler alert \u2014 we are sure to fall short again and again. But, just as we return to our breath in zazen, we return to this commitment to Love and Compassion as verbs \u2014 living this commitment for ourselves, and living it for all beings. No separation.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n