Timely medicine, Cort. Thank you. It feels meaningful to me that Tergar came to the States through Minneapolis. And so did AIM. And so, ostensibly, did Black Lives Matter. It is for some reason a crucible for transmutation. The size of its heart is visible to all of us. Holding your hometown and all there in my practice.
Powerful letter. This sums it up for me: "When you feel that pull toward outrage, toward fear, toward hatred, can you pause for just three breaths…and create a little space for the currents of compassion and wisdom to emerge?" Thanks and cheers, doc!
Thank you for that insightful, honest post. It is truly a struggle to keep my heart open while witnessing the senseless cruelty being perpetrated. I'm finding myself feeling rage which does not feel good at all and does not serve any useful purpose. Thanks for the reminder to take three deep breaths. This is a perfect time to dive deeper into radical honesty and to find courage, compassion, and resilience.
In the case of the Tibetans, even painfully, there was a flight (but not really fight) possibility.
However, some violence sometimes let no peace left, or at least very few.
Concerning such conditions, it is interesting to note that the most clever martial arts, nowadays often renowned, bur very much weakened in their efficiency, were arts, like Aikido or Taiji Quan (for example), that permitted to be extremely effective with principles of avoidance of violence, but that nonetheless translated in ways of fighting.
Fighting just as a flight, vanishing lines ans points in the confrontation that could bring victory, we could say.
Only an elite, very dedicated, reached such levels of proficiency, but maybe it is worth thinking of such realities when we have to deal, even collectively, with some violence that gives in itself no much possibility of fleeing away.
When one reads posts like Cort’s your belief that there is goodness everywhere, even when events say the opposite, is reaffirmed and I personally feel uplifted.
Thank you for these wise words. They prompted me to reengage with the compassion section on your Healthy Minds app. So important to practise this during these challenging times ❤️
I loved reading this because i've been trying to practice equanimity and it's been hard. Excuse me for asking the real questions that arise for me. Muting or avoiding the violence is one way to minimise the trauma for ourselves and our family...but if we are killed while protecting others and worse yet, others are also killed by being in the line of fire..... that trauma is magnified, over and over again in the camps of the peaceable and innocent people. There were a considerable number of tibetans who burned themselves in protest. It wasn't just themselves who suffered but also those who saw it...and those who heard about it.. so many people. Is that considered a noble act of service? My questioning western mind is wanting to know which methods cause the least trauma not only for us and for generations to come. I understand that violence perpetuates more violence. And I'm also thinking that the western mind/soul is a bit different partly due to the fact that the family structure is not as solid. When anger is held in it can fester and cause the kinds of problems we are seeing with mass shootings . I am clearly struggling with equanimity.
I so appreciate reading your honest response to visiting your home state at this particular moment. My heart goes out to you, your family and all Minnesotans. A first person account is so incredibly powerful and the fact that you are a Buddhist helps to make sense of it all. We so need advice on how to respond to this crisis, but at the same time we need to acknowledge the gravity of the situation.
It pacified and strengthened my spirit to hear your words at this moment in time Cort. Thank you 🙏🏽🕊️💗
Timely medicine, Cort. Thank you. It feels meaningful to me that Tergar came to the States through Minneapolis. And so did AIM. And so, ostensibly, did Black Lives Matter. It is for some reason a crucible for transmutation. The size of its heart is visible to all of us. Holding your hometown and all there in my practice.
Powerful letter. This sums it up for me: "When you feel that pull toward outrage, toward fear, toward hatred, can you pause for just three breaths…and create a little space for the currents of compassion and wisdom to emerge?" Thanks and cheers, doc!
Thank you for those words of wisdom Cort, I find the river and the Torrent methapor specially useful for living these days building balance ☺️🙏🏻
Thanks, Marian, good to hear from you
Thank you for that insightful, honest post. It is truly a struggle to keep my heart open while witnessing the senseless cruelty being perpetrated. I'm finding myself feeling rage which does not feel good at all and does not serve any useful purpose. Thanks for the reminder to take three deep breaths. This is a perfect time to dive deeper into radical honesty and to find courage, compassion, and resilience.
Thank you Cort for your wisdom and your acknowledgment of the wisdom of the community in Minneapolis
Thank you, Ann Marie, good to hear from you
I would differ a bit from your purpose.
In the case of the Tibetans, even painfully, there was a flight (but not really fight) possibility.
However, some violence sometimes let no peace left, or at least very few.
Concerning such conditions, it is interesting to note that the most clever martial arts, nowadays often renowned, bur very much weakened in their efficiency, were arts, like Aikido or Taiji Quan (for example), that permitted to be extremely effective with principles of avoidance of violence, but that nonetheless translated in ways of fighting.
Fighting just as a flight, vanishing lines ans points in the confrontation that could bring victory, we could say.
Only an elite, very dedicated, reached such levels of proficiency, but maybe it is worth thinking of such realities when we have to deal, even collectively, with some violence that gives in itself no much possibility of fleeing away.
Thank you Cort for a well balanced and perfectly relevant perspective at this incredibly distressing time.
Please spread compassion in MN for all of us.
When one reads posts like Cort’s your belief that there is goodness everywhere, even when events say the opposite, is reaffirmed and I personally feel uplifted.
Dear Cort,
A deep bow of gratitude for sharing this wisdom and compassion in a moment where so many are searching for an appropriate response.
Thanks Jessie, good to hear from you
Compelled to comment that, as a Minnesotan, I greatly appreciated this post. Thank you for sharing your words and being.
Thank you for these wise words. They prompted me to reengage with the compassion section on your Healthy Minds app. So important to practise this during these challenging times ❤️
Thank you for reminding us of our human capacity for wisdom and compassion by sharing your direct experience. This is most meaningful for me.
Thanks Gwen, wonderful to hear
This was an incredible read. Thx so much
Thanks, Heidi, good to hear from you
I loved reading this because i've been trying to practice equanimity and it's been hard. Excuse me for asking the real questions that arise for me. Muting or avoiding the violence is one way to minimise the trauma for ourselves and our family...but if we are killed while protecting others and worse yet, others are also killed by being in the line of fire..... that trauma is magnified, over and over again in the camps of the peaceable and innocent people. There were a considerable number of tibetans who burned themselves in protest. It wasn't just themselves who suffered but also those who saw it...and those who heard about it.. so many people. Is that considered a noble act of service? My questioning western mind is wanting to know which methods cause the least trauma not only for us and for generations to come. I understand that violence perpetuates more violence. And I'm also thinking that the western mind/soul is a bit different partly due to the fact that the family structure is not as solid. When anger is held in it can fester and cause the kinds of problems we are seeing with mass shootings . I am clearly struggling with equanimity.
I so appreciate reading your honest response to visiting your home state at this particular moment. My heart goes out to you, your family and all Minnesotans. A first person account is so incredibly powerful and the fact that you are a Buddhist helps to make sense of it all. We so need advice on how to respond to this crisis, but at the same time we need to acknowledge the gravity of the situation.