Zen: The Calm in the Storm
Aurora Borealis by Stephanie Bailey
My wife and I are no strangers to the struggles of poor and oppressed groups, as we helped during the recent immigrant crisis in Chicago. However, the toll recent national and international events have taken are putting every caring person on edge. Fear, anger, despair, hopelessness, helplessness: These feelings make us want to hide, to run away, and to protect ourselves from the pain we see around us. This, however, we have learned, is a downward spiral into depression and sickness. So, how do we get out? What is the secret sauce?
I have three simple, yet profound answers. The first should come as no surprise, especially given the group this is being written for. Zazen has a profound ability to offer perspective and a centered mind that enables the universe to pour through us. The number of times creative solutions that have burst fully formed into my consciousness through zazen is frankly remarkable.
The second practice is “To Get Off the X”. Older people like me remember the Bugs Bunny, Road Runner show. Wile E. Coyote would plan an ambush for the road runner and mark the spot he would drop his anvil with an X (as a new amateur blacksmith I find this quite amusing). We need to move. When stuck, we are often in the position of utmost danger. That static stuck position becomes its own expanding crisis. So, here is my advice. Go outside for a walk. I don’t care what the weather is or the time of day. Walk. You are off the X. You are moving. Action breeds action.
The final practice is to DO. When there are things that are wrong in our world we cannot simply sit by and wait for someone else to solve our problems. We need to own the problem. We need to lead. But what does this mean? It means first leading ourselves. Find the courage to reach out to others to see what others might be doing. Find the courage to not just grieve, but to seek out ways to act. Find the courage to join. Finally, if you can’t find something that works for you, make something that works for you.
In zazen, we breathe into the discomfort. When walking, we breathe into the movement. In action, we breathe into the course of history, and we find our way, or better yet, our way finds us. For us, in the past, this meant diving into rescuing people dumped off at police stations with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Now, this is expressed by creating and leading workshops dedicated to Non-Violent Resistance and Civil Disobedience. Anyone who is interested in learning more about the myriad of ways one can help in a resistance movement, please send an email to our dojo: tenryukancenter@gmail.com
Lastly, through this comes community. The more we hold our center, get off the X, and walk boldly into our destiny, the more all those people around us can also do their things. Leaders do not come ready made into the world. They are made when good people choose to act. Dr. King was not at all ready when Rosa Parks thrust him onto the world stage.
Together we transform this time on our small blue dot. Three Sips of Tea.