Perhaps you have saved a tag or two from a tea bag that says something worth pondering. I’ve kept one from years ago that reads: “Open your mind, just not so much as to let your brains fall out.” I’ve understood this to mean “Keep your head.” This is such important advice in these almost unthinkable times. We must also open our hearts to unimaginable depths. We must transcend habits of oppositional thinking such as this against that, self against other, other against self, us against them, and so on. We must cultivate the capacity to hold two things that seem in opposition until we see their oneness.
For many of us, other than attending to our personal realities, our focus these days is on Ukraine—the violence, insanity, and suffering. The pictures of the refugees streaming out are heartbreaking. We also see countless acts of kindness and compassion and hear accounts of the tremendous courage of ordinary Ukrainians and those who are helping them, and of the brave Russian people who are standing up for peace at great risk. We are focused on Ukraine because of this war that Putin has begun, but also because the consequences for the entire world could be shattering. We must do everything in our power to stop him and to help those harmed by his actions.
This is the particular—one country, one people, one situation of extreme suffering. The Dharma—the truth of things—asks us to be aware of both the particular as well as the bigger picture. Suffering is not confined to one country. Refugees fleeing wars happening in non-white countries have not always been met with the same compassion as those fleeing from Ukraine. Violence and brutality in many parts of the world are made worse by bias and prejudice.
Can we open our hearts to universal suffering, while here at home holding our families, friends, and neighbors with the very same attention and compassion? Can we hold both the particular and the whole of things? This is one of our meditative questions. Can we refine our focus so that we aren’t ignoring or denying the specifics of any given circumstance and yet open our hearts to it all?
Can we understand that those acting out of such extreme greed, hatred, and delusion need to be stopped immediately, and at the same time open our hearts to the reality that all beings have Buddha-nature? We must do everything in our power to stop those who harm and to help those harmed. And as we do, we should not deny anyone’s humanity, even as they deny the humanity of so many in the worst of possible ways. This is how we live our values, come what may.
Throughout history, it has been the norm to defend one’s own freedoms and to be less concerned about those unlike oneself. The Buddha was a revolutionary teacher who encouraged us to aspire to value others as much as we value ourselves. An evolutionary leap is clearly required if we are to meet profound hatred with an even greater love. In every moment, we can choose to walk the path of love and compassion.
Stanford University professor Douglas Rivers polled U.S. citizens asking which of two views of the world they identified with more. One view was: “Our lives are threatened by terrorists, criminals and illegal immigrants and our priority should be to protect ourselves.” The second was: “It’s a big, beautiful world, mostly full of good people, and we must find a way to embrace each other and not become isolated.” The first view is fear-based while the second is grounded in loving kindness. The path moves in a direction of expanding rather than contracting, unifying rather than dividing, and including rather than excluding.
In conclusion, a short poem by Edwin Markham
He drew a circle that shut me out. Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
Edwin Markham
But love and I had the wit to win: we drew a circle and took him in.
Let’s hold this whole wondrous world in our hearts, with as much wisdom and clear seeing as possible. May all beings everywhere be safe, peaceful, and free.