This post is a blessing. My heart burns with pain, anger, and heartache. Responding with outrage is so…right there! So natural. Obvious! And the outrage burns through any capacity for love and care, at least for me. I’m so down with reaching out to Guru Rinpoche each day and practicing Vajrasattva to keep clearing out my rage. It’s the same rage in my heart that is in “their” hearts. This rage is a slow pitch right down the middle and sometimes it seems I can’t help but swing for the fences. Opening this heart and gathering virtue is the way forward. It’s hard to be present, witnessing horror. My samsaric mind keeps directing me to do stuff. That won’t help. I have to keep surrendering and transforming this rage-filled heart. Thank you.
Thank you for your call to compassion, Acharya Malcolm. Your writing reminds me of a story when the Dalai Lama was caught crying upon learning that Mao had died. When asked for a reason, the Dalai Lama said that Mao earned himself a very bad karma and he felt sorry for him.
Thank you for the insightful post, Acarya Malcolm. America has certainly lost its la, and I think this process has been in motion since the first generations of settlers arrived here and killed millions of Native people, along with their knowledge of and connection to the "spirits" of this land. Many, many Native people would agree that the cause for the immense suffering in North America is due to the physical and spiritual genocides perpetuated by the US government.
My point was mainly about the tremendous harm the United States caused the Dharma in these four nations as the part of the immediate cause of the present decline. Even though the European settlement of the Americans caused a great hardship to Native Americans, the Native population was in possession of most of the North American continent until the Confederate Diaspora. I don’t want to downplay the the Indian Removal Act and so on. That was the 1830’s version of ICE, since Native People were denied status as citizens under the US Constitution.
However, the present circumstances of our decline I personally attributed to our involvement in the destruction of Buddhism in these four countries. It is an opinion I have held for several decades.
I agree with you entirely. My point is that we also destroyed the Dharma here (even if “Dharma” wasn’t the very word being used). Eduardo Duran writes about this very beautifully.
I wish I could respond with your eloquence, grace and wisdom. Our anger does weaken us. Compassion like charity starts at home. Begin with self. Do not weaken yourself by feeding that which you oppose. Develop the strength to hold your emotions, not because you do not care, but because it strengthens you. Build Merrit within. Create a safe space that la would not leave from. Be that example in the world. Discover what your anger has to teach you....then Love that.
Thank you Acarya Malcolm for sharing this. I was feeling pretty down today, but spending a good chunk of my morning learning the yoga of the natural state ngöndro was uplifting. Thanks for all you do.
Thanks so much for this. It was the medicine I needed. The visceral response to seeing so much injustice can get one stuck in anger and righteous indignation. For me, that state becomes a feedback loop that is not healthy.
This post is a blessing. My heart burns with pain, anger, and heartache. Responding with outrage is so…right there! So natural. Obvious! And the outrage burns through any capacity for love and care, at least for me. I’m so down with reaching out to Guru Rinpoche each day and practicing Vajrasattva to keep clearing out my rage. It’s the same rage in my heart that is in “their” hearts. This rage is a slow pitch right down the middle and sometimes it seems I can’t help but swing for the fences. Opening this heart and gathering virtue is the way forward. It’s hard to be present, witnessing horror. My samsaric mind keeps directing me to do stuff. That won’t help. I have to keep surrendering and transforming this rage-filled heart. Thank you.
Thank you for your call to compassion, Acharya Malcolm. Your writing reminds me of a story when the Dalai Lama was caught crying upon learning that Mao had died. When asked for a reason, the Dalai Lama said that Mao earned himself a very bad karma and he felt sorry for him.
Thank you for the insightful post, Acarya Malcolm. America has certainly lost its la, and I think this process has been in motion since the first generations of settlers arrived here and killed millions of Native people, along with their knowledge of and connection to the "spirits" of this land. Many, many Native people would agree that the cause for the immense suffering in North America is due to the physical and spiritual genocides perpetuated by the US government.
Hello Kendall,
I certainly agree with you about this.
My point was mainly about the tremendous harm the United States caused the Dharma in these four nations as the part of the immediate cause of the present decline. Even though the European settlement of the Americans caused a great hardship to Native Americans, the Native population was in possession of most of the North American continent until the Confederate Diaspora. I don’t want to downplay the the Indian Removal Act and so on. That was the 1830’s version of ICE, since Native People were denied status as citizens under the US Constitution.
However, the present circumstances of our decline I personally attributed to our involvement in the destruction of Buddhism in these four countries. It is an opinion I have held for several decades.
I agree with you entirely. My point is that we also destroyed the Dharma here (even if “Dharma” wasn’t the very word being used). Eduardo Duran writes about this very beautifully.
Thanks for pointing out this author to me. I was unaware of him before.
I wish I could respond with your eloquence, grace and wisdom. Our anger does weaken us. Compassion like charity starts at home. Begin with self. Do not weaken yourself by feeding that which you oppose. Develop the strength to hold your emotions, not because you do not care, but because it strengthens you. Build Merrit within. Create a safe space that la would not leave from. Be that example in the world. Discover what your anger has to teach you....then Love that.
Thank you Acarya Malcolm for sharing this. I was feeling pretty down today, but spending a good chunk of my morning learning the yoga of the natural state ngöndro was uplifting. Thanks for all you do.
I found this very moving.
Thanks so much for this. It was the medicine I needed. The visceral response to seeing so much injustice can get one stuck in anger and righteous indignation. For me, that state becomes a feedback loop that is not healthy.
Again, thank you for this wisdom.
Thank you Acarya. I will do my best to apply your advice.
Thank you, Acharya
I forgot, did you draw that Drollo, or is that KDL’s drawing?
A picture I bought in 1990 or so, blessed by ChNN
Did you read Zizeks new piece on buddhism? Would love to hear your thoughts about it.
Link?
https://substack.com/@slavojzizek/note/p-184018390?r=26xgy4&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
I saw, he has no idea what he is talking about.
"the extrajudicial murder of Renee Nicole Good." There are "judicial murders"?
Yes, death penalty executions. They are judicial, state-sanctioned murders.
Thank you for this post, Ācārya Malcolm.
Brilliant essay.
The era of Enraged Buddhism has arrived. All right, that's it, let's roll. And hey... let's be careful out there.
Where can someone obtain a bla stone?
You have to make it.