I just got back from Emory University’s first summit on religion, conflict and peacebuilding with the Dalai Lama. As we might expect the Dalai Lama made some wonderful observations as did the other members of the summit which included Rabbi David Rose, Professor Rajmohan Gandhi, Sister Joan Chittister, and Professor Abdullahi Amed An-Na’im. I am sure Emory will have a transcript of the summit which I can share with you at a later time.
But right now I want to add my two cents worth from Zen’s perspective as to why we are not moving towards peace in a significant way, especially in America. I know it will sound strange to say this, but the road to peace begins when we begin to look inwardly. Where else might we expect to find peace?
Looking deeply within ourselves is the process of introspection. Moreover, it is a path towards our authentic being that makes a clearing, in you like, which goes beyond who we are in terms of the social person. Our authentic being, I hasten to add, lies deep within us. It is beyond our senses, desires and, especially, our emotions which make up the social person. It is even beyond the death of this body with which we presently engaged. This is also the road to peace since peace is marked by freedom from oppressive thoughts and emotions which arise as a result of our extreme attachment to the body and the world in which it exists.
In a nutshell, those who are engaged in introspection; who are seeking their authentic being gradually become more peaceful.
The very opposite of introspection is to be one-sidedly engaged with the external world which is exhibited through our senses. This is not freedom since anyone who is engaged with the external world has no sense of their authentic being which lies in the opposite direction.
Those who are one-sidedly engaged with the external world live as victims of circumstances; of going from one shallow identity to the next; playing role after role. In fact, the social person is little more than an aggregate of roles. By trying to find our authentic being in the external world we become a protean being. We don’t know the answer to “Who am I?” Such an endeavor also goes against true peace which is dependent upon the depth of our introspection in which the bearer of the senses lets go of the social being and beholds the eternal medium of all (Dharmadhatu). Thus, to know our self which is our authentic being, is to attain great peace—a peace beyond the body’s existence and its death.
In Zen, the first level of introspection and the beginning of peace begins when our mind is free from sensuous and worldly concepts. In the midst of sensuous and worldly mental images, which are strongly felt, we are able to pass through them by means of introspection. As result, we are no longer intensely attracted to them. Repeating introspection over time takes away the enchanting power of what our senses bring to us in the way of emotional and worldly concepts. We discover that mental images are just images—nothing more. Their power to incite us and to move us to extremes, which is the basis for violence, is greatly diminished. At the same time, we enter into a more peaceful state of being. Our patience is, also, greatly enhanced. In fact, it can be argued that a small amount of this kind of introspection is the proper antidote for a frame of mind which is bent on aggression which, in turn, leads to violence.
It is interesting to note, that all of the main speakers at the Emory University summit on religion, conflict and peacebuilding agreed that peace begins at home, that is, within each of us.
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