I travelled by train next to the Hudson River, from Hudson, NY to New York City, the first leg of my trip to Budapest, Hungary. It was snowing so hard I could barely see the trees and bushes beside the track, let alone much of the river, or the islands. I enjoy the ride when the distinctive panorama of the river, lighthouses, mountains and islands slide by my view.
But there is something magical, mystical, about it in a snowstorm. It was like being up close to an impressionist painting. You can see splashes of color, some muted some, noticeable, but the focus is off, teasing and promising, but not quite clear enough to fully grasp. One must step back from impressionist paintings, sometimes way back, to perceive the image of a cathedral, cityscape or seascape.
This is similar to how I view the events in Minneapolis and around the country recently. It is hard to perceive the reality of the country where I was born, USA, up close. As I write this I am now in Budapest, a beautiful city with a storied past, a history of culture and refinement, but also one of conflict, oppression, violence and rule under fascist and totalitarian regimes. There is a museum titled ‘Terror Háza’ (House of Terror). According to Rick Steves, “The building at Andrássy Út 60 was home to the vilest parts of two destructive regimes: first the Arrow Cross (the Gestapo-like enforcers of Nazi-occupied Hungary), then the ÁVO and ÁVH secret police (the insidious KGB-type wing of the Soviet satellite government).” This was in the later half of the 20th century.
What went through the minds of Budapest’s residents when they saw pictures of military dressed police committing state sponsored violence against peacefully protesting citizens in familiar neighborhoods? How do we, as law abiding citizens, perceive the richest nation on earth bringing unwarranted violence against an unarmed middle-aged mother and wife shot three time in the head, against a middle aged veteran’s hospital ICU nurse while subdued on the ground and shot ten times?
People may recall that I advocated waiting, immediately following the murder of Renee Good. until we had facts of malfeasance by ICE agents and other law enforcement officers. Not merely video evidence, which can be doctored, before declaring abuse of power. I was influenced by reports earlier that day regarding how videos shown on TV and streaming services had been altered. My first thought was by whom? Later, I learned the videos were altered by the Department of Homeland Security. We now know that it is the subordinates of the Trump administration which doctored the evidence, misreport the facts, not the loyal opposition.
Buddhist teachings seek to reveal the nature of reality, Śūnyatā. The reality Buddhist teachings unveil is beyond the provisional, the mundane. It is an absolute reality that is free from perception, “no form, no sensation, conception, discrimination, awareness;” as is stated in the Heart Sutra. This reality requires wisdom and insight. Another way to understand this is that we must go beyond the interpretations of what we see and hear, whatever they may be, and employ context and what we often refer to as critical thinking, that is to form a judgment through the application of rational, skeptical, and unbiased analyses and evaluations.
Regarding the abuses of power we see in the U.S. in the last year Buddhism directs us to practice the Middle Way. That is, to practice one’s Buddhist path by merging the absolute and the provisional. To seek the truth of a situation without preconceived notions, and then to act in a way that uses upāya, (expedient means), in the practice of loving kindness (metta) and Karuṇā (compassion).
We must ask, who is being marginalized, who is being discriminated against, what are the methods used to alienate and oppress, how do we redress wrongs, and how do we use upāya (expedient means) in this situation? What can be done and how this is done is a matter for each person’s conscience and circumstance.
From a Buddhist perspective resistance to oppression and violence is consistent with the primary practice of Karuṇā. This needs to be combined with Prajñā (wisdom) by the bodhisattva. The two mandalas at the front of our hondo are the Taizōkai Mandala, the Womb-matrix Realm, which is compassion and the Kongōkai Mandala, the vajra realm, which is wisdom. Compassion starts with how we feel about something but is not fully manifest until we do something about it.
In Mahayana, the bodhisattva path, encompasses sharing one’s merits with all living beings and entails a profound awareness of others’ suffering, accompanied by a desire to alleviate it. Much like Kanon Bosatsu (Avalokiteśvara, deity of compassion) in the Heart Sutra who clearly saw Śūnyatā and sought to alleviate the suffering of others. This contemplation on the emptiness of the five skanda, the five material and mental factors that take part in the perpetual process of craving, thus encourages wisdom.
We should all be appalled by ICE and other agents of our government regarding the recent violence. These actions are illegal, immoral and remind us of the violent oppressive agents in Europe and around the world in the middle of the last century.
As Buddhist we must resist, we must respond, we must at the very least stand witness to this cruelty. We must not merely react, act without forethought, we must not react to the images with anger or hatred, We need to calm our minds and purify our actions. To do this most effectively we should dwell in Bhavana (contemplation), encourage Prajñā and act with Karuṇā through upāya. In the end this does not call for inaction, it calls for action by encompassing our Buddhist values.
Gassho with love . . . Monshin