I have been following an online conference on Rewiring the Brain. Yesterday, I happened upon a session with meditation teacher, Jack Kornfield. It was just what I needed. A boost to my spirits and a call to be joyful even in a scary and sad world.
Here are some of the things that Jack said.
There is greed, hatred, fear, and ignorance everywhere. The more of each of these, the more suffering…for everybody. And these have their opposites. The opposite of greed is generosity and connection and care. The opposite of ignorance is wisdom and clarity. The source of all of these is the human heart.
He quoted the Buddha’s instructions. Live in joy, in love even among those who hate. Live in joy and health even among the afflicted. Live in health. Live in joy and peace even among the troubled. Be free of fears and confusion.
Jack read excerpts from a poem by Jack Gilbert, that I include here.
A Brief for the Defense by Jack Gilbert
Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere.
If babies are not starving someplace, they are starving somewhere else. With flies in their nostrils.
But we enjoy our lives because that's what the Gods want.
Otherwise the mornings before summer dawn would not be made so fine.
The Bengal tiger would not be fashioned so miraculously well.
The poor women at the fountain are laughing together between the suffering they have known and the awfulness in their future, smiling and laughing while somebody in the village is very sick.
If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction, we lessen the importance of their deprivation.
We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight.
We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world.
To make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.
If the locomotive of the Lord runs us down, we should give thanks that the end had magnitude.
We must admit there will be music despite everything.
Jack continued…To bring the beauty of your spirit into this world and to use it to touch and care for others. This is part of the Boddhisatva path.
Jack told the story of his friendship with the Dagaaba people in West Afrcia. Jack explained that they believe that every child is born with a certain cargo. And the task of the child during their life is to deliver their cargo. Cargo refers to the gifts that they are born with and delivering them refers to offering these gifts to the world.
Jack went on… We are all born with certain gifts. One of the ways to be satisfied in life is to reach out your hand and mend the places that you can touch. You can plant a garden, raise a beautiful child, travel and help people, build a sustainable business. Our meaning and happiness comes from delivering our gifts. This is the West African version of the Bodhisattva path.
Jack said…We plant the seeds. The results are often not given to us. We get to plant the seeds…Seeds of love, connection, care. Eventually they bear fruit. That is the way seeds work.
These words and Jack’s stories buoyed my flagging spirits and inspired me. I listened to him several times.
On Jack’s website I found a page on the Bodhisattva Path. On that page he includes a stanza from a poem entitled “School Prayer,” by poet Diane Ackerman. Jack writes that she has created a modern version of the bodhisattva vow with these lines in her poem
I swear I will not dishonor
my soul with hatred,
but offer myself humbly
as a guardian of nature,
as a healer of misery,
as a messenger of wonder,
as an architect of peace.
I conclude with the invitation on Jacls’s website for each of us to compose our own Bodhisattva vow.
You can create your own Bodhisattva vow. Sit quietly for a time. Let your body and mind be at rest. Then, ask your heart, “If I were to make a vow, to set the compass of my heart, to give voice to my highest intention, what would it be?” And then listen for an answer. It need not be a poem. It might be as simple as “I vow to protect those in danger” or “I vow to be kind.” Your heart will instruct you.
As you quiet your mind and steady your heart, you can set your deepest intention. It will help you be strong for the long haul. Then get up and joyfully plant seeds for a more compassionate future. Educate yourself about social justice. Stand up against racism and hatred. Give voice, time, energy, care to alleviate suffering and tend our collective well being. Your freedom empowers you to contribute to the world. And your love will show you the way to do so.
