All of us at Downtown Meditation are horrified about the murder of another Black person by Minneapolis police officers last week and the violent response by police against protestors. As dharma students, we stand together with victims of murder, marginalization, and oppression because of skin color, and we oppose any attempt to divide or ignore our common humanity.

As dharma students, we have to do better than simply take sides: we have to look at ourselves— our thoughts, speech and deeds. One of the Buddha’s key teachings is that greed, hatred, and delusion are in us all— and that includes the potential for racism and ways we may overlook inclusivity. Overcoming these defilements requires heedfulness of what is in our own minds. We are the owners of our actions.

In these difficult times, we need the practice more than ever. Often, we are in too great a rush to engage with the world, but as the Buddha noted, the world is always already within the body. In other words, when our experience of our bodies and nervous systems is tense, fearful, hateful, or simply dis-regulated, our experience of “world” will be the same, and we will be of no use to anyone or any cause. We support skillful external action of all kinds, but we also support and prioritize the internal work of developing reflection, concentration, and self-knowledge.

When we meditate, we close our eyes to open them. We open them to the pain and suffering in ourselves and in the world. We practice with compassion for all beings, and we understand that this practice casts wide ripples in the world. May all beings without exception be free from all stress, pain, trouble, and oppression.

With metta,

Paul Weinfield & Kristine Marx