For Justice & Peace

[Troy]

For Justice & Peace

We have witnessed so much tragedy these last few days. It is heartbreaking in so many ways. Thank you Jundo for your words and making this thread available for us to talk. Thank you to EVERYONE who has participated. We need more dialog like this. We can’t individually solve the problem of systemic racism, but we can certainly do something together that will make a difference. Anger is a tricky emotion. It can make us real dumb, but it can also energize us to drive change in a positive way. Our practice helps us with this. If you are white, please please [emoji1374] find a black leader that you trust. Listen to and help this person. Educate yourself. Donate your money. Sign petitions. Protest peacefully. There is so much we can do. Don’t feel like you have to do it all, but do something. It makes you feel better. I promise [emoji4] One of the gifts of right action is the hope of a better future. Don’t give others (not two) the power to take that away.

ST

[krissydear]

Thank you, Troy. My sentiments exactly.

Gassho
Krissy
Sat


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[Benidaka]

While reading the first few entries of this post I saw a bold example of Us vs Them.
That is the problem.

Benidaka
I sat today.

[Benidaka]

I agree, Jundo, 100%.
Equality and Justice for all.

Gassho,
Benidaka
I sat today.

[Jundo]

An inspiring way to meet anger with peace ...

A peaceful protest in a small Montana resort town turned ugly Wednesday night when a visibly angry man confronted demonstrators, yelling at them while standing only inches away from their faces. In a video shared on social media, a man is seen yelling profanities at a group of demonstrators supporting Black Lives Matter ... the group starts chanting "peaceful!" to drown out his yelling.

In a powerful image shared by Samantha Francine, who is one of the protesters, Snowden, a tall white man, is seen looking down on a much smaller Francine while she looks up into his eyes, holding a poster that reads "Say Their Names." Francine, who is biracial, told CNN that in that heated moment with Snowden standing inches away from her face, she felt no fear. ... The 27-year-old protester said the words of her white father, who died 16 years ago, ran through her head: "No matter who the threat is, no matter what the threat is, you look them in the eye so that they know you're human."

https://us.cnn.com/2020/06/08/us/gir...rnd/index.html

https://youtu.be/DhRihk3N6ZQ

Gassho, J

STLah

[Heiso]

Thank you Jundo and everyone else for your thoughtful comments and insight. I think it's very important we have these discussions.

I've been pondering the events and currently think that while I probably wouldn't protest violently and I'm aware that only a tiny minority have, I can't condemn or judge people for the way they react to centuries of institutional injustice.

I've been absolutely shocked by the way some police forces have reacted, it's been unbelievably disproportionate and shows a shocking lack of training or else terribly misguided tactics - I served in Northern Ireland in the late 90s/early 2000s and was involved with many violent riots. We would never have dreamed of behaving like that, mostly because we'd have been arrested ourselves. And while historically the British Army has perpetrated many wrongs in Northern Ireland which I won't try to excuse, they had at least learned how counter-productive violent tactics are.

With regards to how we react as Buddhists, it seems sanghas (and all individuals) need to proactively think about how we engage with racial bias and take active steps to overcome it and be more encouraging and supportive to people of colour. With this I think we need to do more than just sit in silence because it seems in this case sitting in silence is itself a political act.

I think the fact we're having this candid conversation is a great start and far better than many others (yeah, I'm looking at you Brad Warner), but there's plenty of work to be done. This isn't to criticise anyone here and is much directed at me as anyone else.

Gassho,

Heiso

StLah

[Onkai]

I find I can’t feel I’m doing good and avoiding harm if I’m not doing something about racism. The best I can do now is work on myself. The Village Zendo has a list of resources on its website, and two books listed there are especially helpful to me in this regard:
My Grandmother’s Hands, On the trauma of racism, its effects on Black bodies, White bodies, and Police bodies, and how to heal.

https://smile.amazon.com/My-Grandmothers-Hands-Racialized-Pathway/dp/1942094477/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=My+Grandmother%27s+hands&qid=1601218573&sr=8-1

and

A Race is a Nice Thing to Have, designed to help White people fully recognize and accept their racial identity, assume the proper responsibility for ending racism, and develop an understanding of how racism impacts their own racial group
.

https://titles.cognella.com/a-race-is-a-nice-thing-to-have-9781516583263

or on Amazon:

https://smile.amazon.com/Race-Nice-Thing-Have-Understanding/dp/1516583264/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1CNID9IWJ7P1N&dchild=1&keywords=a+race+is+a+nice+thing+to+have&qid=1601219013&sprefix=A+race+is+%2Caps%2C483&sr=8-1

Gassho,
Onkai
Sat/lah

[Tairin]

I find I can’t feel I’m doing good and avoiding harm if I’m not doing something about racism. The best I can do now is work on myself.

Thank you Onkai.


Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Meitou]

I find I can’t feel I’m doing good and avoiding harm if I’m not doing something about racism. The best I can do now is work on myself. The Village Zendo has a list of resources on its website, and two books listed there are especially helpful to me in this regard:
My Grandmother’s Hands, On the trauma of racism, its effects on Black bodies, White bodies, and Police bodies, and how to heal.

https://smile.amazon.com/My-Grandmothers-Hands-Racialized-Pathway/dp/1942094477/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=My+Grandmother%27s+hands&qid=1601218573&sr=8-1

and

A Race is a Nice Thing to Have, designed to help White people fully recognize and accept their racial identity, assume the proper responsibility for ending racism, and develop an understanding of how racism impacts their own racial group
.

https://titles.cognella.com/a-race-is-a-nice-thing-to-have-9781516583263

or on Amazon:

https://smile.amazon.com/Race-Nice-Thing-Have-Understanding/dp/1516583264/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1CNID9IWJ7P1N&dchild=1&keywords=a+race+is+a+nice+thing+to+have&qid=1601219013&sprefix=A+race+is+%2Caps%2C483&sr=8-1

Gassho,
Onkai
Sat/lah

Thank you for this Onkai
Gassho
Meitou
Sattoday lah

[Inshin]

So many insightful posts here!
I understand Onka's view and don't think she meant hate speach : it's has to do with the system and the institution of police. I was born in communist Poland ( Onka - your use of the word Comrade makes me boil inside joking) and remember the mistrust and rage towards the police brutality who tortured many people (killing freedom fighting priest J. Popiełuszko), my father had to hide many times from them. Now Poland has democracy and the police has changed too. I witnessed corruption in Indian police, and never really respected this institution until I moved to UK. Some of you may have different stories but I saw the human in police for the first time in UK and I genuinely belive that here they work to protect the people and to be of benefit to people. I can't imagine any other place where police would call a drunk troublemaker "Sir", spoke to him politely and offered him a lift home. When it comes to US - there are good police officers but the system has to change, because as it is now it doesn't benefit the officers (PTSD, etc) neither the society. And hopefully it will - every crisis is a catalyst for change. Let's pray it will be more peaceful and for the better of American people.
Gassho
Sat
Sorry for going over 3 sentences.

[Jakuden]

So many insightful posts here!
I understand Onkai's view and don't think she meant hate speach : it's has to do with the system and the institution of police. I was born in communist Poland ( Onkai - your use of the word Comrade makes me boil inside joking) and remember the mistrust and rage towards the police brutality who tortured many people (killing freedom fighting priest J. Popiełuszko), my father had to hide many times from them. Now Poland has democracy and the police has changed too. I witnessed corruption in Indian police, and never really respected this institution until I moved to UK. Some of you may have different stories but I saw the human in police for the first time in UK and I genuinely belive that here they work to protect the people and to be of benefit to people. I can't imagine any other place where police would call a drunk troublemaker "Sir", spoke to him politely and offered him a lift home. When it comes to US - there are good police officers but the system has to change, because as it is now it doesn't benefit the officers (PTSD, etc) neither the society. And hopefully it will - every crisis is a catalyst for change. Let's pray it will be more peaceful and for the better of American people.
Gassho
Sat

Hi Ania, just wondering if you have confused Onkai with Onka. You would not be the first, though [emoji854]

Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday


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[Inshin]

Hi Ania, just wondering if you have confused Onkai with Onka. You would not be the first, though [emoji854]

Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday


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My applogies to both

[Tokan]

Hi all

Wow, took some time to read all the posts, metta to all who have suffered because of these events. It's certainly a difficult topic, and probably emblematic of many of the current and likely future struggles for our societies. We are beings of emotion and action and social media seems to work on the most polarising parts of our brain!

When I took the vow, to save all sentient beings, there was no caveat, no 'but only if that sentient being is nice to me'. Of course, if someone breaks into my house and kills one of my kids, I might want to kill that person - at least I acknowledge I would feel that way. But maybe I would want to seek the path of healing instead. Maybe both views would play tug-of-war with me, but one thing I do know - when I sit, I sit as a Buddha, I sit as the whole universe, I sit [U]as that person[U], that cop who has killed unnecessarily, or the person who kills in retribution.

Things need to change, of course they do, but when we drop our vows we forget the reason we came to Dogen's zen.

Just my opinion but I have nothing but metta and empathy for all sides in this.

Gassho, satlah, Tokan

[Meian]

When I took the vow, to save all sentient beings, there was no caveat, no 'but only if that sentient being is nice to me'. But maybe I would want to seek the path of healing instead.

Not for the topic of this thread, but Tokan your words here hit me right where I am at and speak exactly to what is keeping me going each day, in a particular longterm situation I'm dealing with.

Thank you for this reminder and this confirmation. [Gassho2]

Gassho, meian st lh


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