We are all aware that we are living in exceptionally turbulent and uncertain times, and that people are experiencing higher levels of anxiety and fear than ever before. Surely these feelings are being dramatically amplified as we watch with horror the Russian invasion of Ukraine—a violation of seventy-seven years of peacetime in Europe, and already unleashing yet another heartbreaking humanitarian crisis.
We may feel that the very foundation of all that we’ve known is being shaken, collapsing, and falling apart. Many say that the world is in the midst of a paradigm shift. Those of wise view refer to these times as the Great Turning or the Shift—terms that suggest both uncertainty and possibility as we move toward something new and unforeseen.
As practitioners of the Dharma, how are we responding? The truth is life has always been filled with uncertainty. It is human nature to respond by seeking security, predictability, reliability—some sense of control over our circumstances. These impulses harden into habits driven by our mental states; instead of being open and flexible, we close down and become rigid and controlling.
In response to a question about how difficult life can be, one dharma teacher once replied that “chaos is good news.” He used the word “chaos” as the Greeks once did to indicate a wide-open space, or emptiness, the space before forms appear, whether as new possibilities, concepts, solutions, and so on.
This statement echoes a pivotal teaching of Seung Sahn: his phrase “don’t know mind” refers to that openness of mind/heart that brings us immediately into the present moment. Though counter-intuitive, not knowing is a precious gift, pulling us away from repetitive thinking about past or future, the two places where suffering inevitably resides. We’ve heard it thousands of times: now is the only moment, the only certainty we have.
But have we noticed—really noticed—how much of the time we’re not there?
Here are a few approaches that may help with negotiating these chaotic times:
- Know your refuges. We can take refuge in the present moment. Truly we can! Grounding in the body, aware of each breath, sensation, and feeling—fully aware. At this moment, and the next, and the next, we are open, aware, totally free. Also remember those most enduring refuges: the Buddha (also our true nature), Dharma (the truth), and Sangha (connection, love) Each is a vast field of possibility for finding inner strength, inspiration, and support.
- Stay open. Don’t turn away from what’s difficult, because, hard as it is, pain helps to open our heart of compassion toward ourselves and the suffering of the world. It takes us beyond our self-preoccupations and can propel us into actions that will help. Avoidance and resistance, often unconscious, simply intensify our suffering. Acceptance enables us to step out of our struggle with the realities of life, and softens the challenging emotions like anxiety, dread, anger, grief, and fear.
- Mysteriously, accepting things as they are helps us live with the reality of groundlessness, another form of don’t know mind.
- Trusting our compassionate heart. We have no control over outer circumstances, but through our practice, our responses to life become more skillful. We gradually develop flexibility and resilience. We deepen in compassion for ourselves and others, and trust that we can remain steady in the midst of uncertainty, our presence becoming a gift.