POST ELECTION THOUGHTS & FIVE SUGGESTIONS

Of late people have been telling me that they are so stressed out about the election and attached to its outcome that they can hardly think, or even breathe. Like myself, they wonder "What can I do? What is next. How to go on, not give up, make a contribution...."

We are a nation deeply divided. Either way, somebody gets hurt in this kind of election where partisan politics plays such a large part. Where Americans are so polarized in views, opinions, conversational style and concerns.

Whoever you voted for, whatever you think, feel or believe or are concerned about--the Buddha says, first of all, Breathe. And keep breathing. That is very important, regardless of the outcome of any election. Remember--not everyone agrees with oneself, regardless of the issue great or small, collective or personal; there will be other elections, other candidates, other issues, and other things to concern yourself about. Take a breather now, perhaps, and then begin anew: becoming better informed, thinking about and discussing things, and actively engaged in the process .

So Keep breathing. And continuously. Take a Breather now and then. Any time, throughout the day--at home, at work, while travelling--take a Breath and refresh yourself, before plunging back into the maelstrom. One deep liberating breath can puncture the claustrophobia of a heavy day, an intense meeting, a stressful altercation. Take a moment; create a little oasis of inner peace and harmony in your busy day through a moment of mindfulness, a breathe of fresh spiritual air; take an instant to connect with the holy now. For it is now or never, as always. Don't forget this.

Of course, if you have sufficient sanity and presence of mind to be able to stay centered amidst it all, and keep breathing naturally while you work wholeheartedly at whatever you are doing while awareness continues to remain clear and calm, even better--more power to you! Then you can wholeheartedly enter into the fray without getting frayed, and just do what you are doing without undue concern for the results of your good labor. Then perhaps you can help bring more reconciliation and mutual understanding into this violent world as we seek to find a third way and a fourth way, beyond the selfish shortsightedness of intense political partisanship, unilateralism and sectarian rivalry.

First, we must learn how to consider and reflect intelligently upon things as they are, not just how we think they should be. This is wisdom: seeing things as they are, not as we are.

Second, detaching ourselves from the momentary emotions that cloud our thoughts and perceptions. Consider historical origins, causes and long term implications. Then we will better understand the chain of causation, perceive the underlying patterns and energies, and be able to make much better decisions.

Third, we must keep speaking out and acting with vision, commitment, compassion, and courage.

Fourth, we must, I think, heal ourselves in body and spirit, individually and collectively, if we hope to have any hope of healing the world; transforming ourselves in order to transform the world has to be our first order of business. Broken people cannot contribute very much to a healed, restored, renewed, and whole world.

Fifth, we must work towards mutual understanding in our fractured society and agitated world. Try to see things through the eyes of others by imagining oneself standing in another's shoes and seeing things from their viewpoint can help a great deal in this necessary direction.

In case you wonder how to do that: start by looking and listening while you breathe, and stay aware. "You can see a lot by just looking," as Yogi said. "Awareness is curative," says Doctor Dharma. For example, if we feel as I do that religious intolerance and extreme partisanship are the bane of our existence at this exact moment in time, our first step must be to scrutinize ourselves for any vestiges of such dogmatism and fanaticism in our own hearts and minds, our own homes and churches. Wishing it to go away just won't do it; we have to dispel such prejudices and narrow-minded, anachronistic, superior thinking ourselves.

We live in volatile, dangerous times. Yet I believe there is a middle ground to be found here, amidst the welter of facts, information, events, and opinions. Buddha himself called it the Middle Way, beyond extreme views and over-weaning attachments to one's own opinion; and he exhorted us to find it and cleave to it, if we would find peace, harmony and wise living.

To loosen my own attachment to opinions, I have found that when I check and notice, if i really knew everything there was to know past, present, and future about any particular person, subject or situation, my opinion and feelings about it would be quite different. Therefore, since I don't--I have learned to not to be so judgmental and invested in my own views and opinions, although I certainly do have them.

The Buddhist teaching on the dream--like nature of reality comes in handy here. Buddha said everything is like a dream, fantasy, illusion, mirage, hallucination. In my Long Island family of origin, I could sometimes maintain my cool detachment and equanimity, even enjoyed it somewhat when other family members really lost it and things blew up. I'd sit back in amused detachment and think, "Oh, this should be interesting, today's installment of our regular sitcom...Buckle up, off for a ride!" But since we're all together on this planet, we do need to care about unity; we can't just sit back always with amused detachment. There aren't just Democrats and Republicans. There's an us and we're all together. United we sit, divided we fall, as a mediator might say.

But if it's a dream, why should we care at all? If it is a dream, we should better work towards making a good dream rather than a nightmare. Meanwhile, we could strive to find out what it all really is and means, where we come from and why we are here, and who we are and what we are meant to be--and not settle for any two bit cliché or sound bite, or even a mere adage such as "it is all just a dream." For who can prove that with certainty? What does that adage even mean?

My advice to people is to recognize the inter-woveness of us all--and not just we humans--and to get involved, become better informed and active, and get engaged. There is just no sitting back. Even if the person you don't want to win becomes president, temporarily, you can't sit back and let the world take a course you disagree with. We are the ancestors of the generations to come; it is up to us what they shall inherit, and we must do our damnedest not to make not harder for them through our blindness and selfishness.

Ancient wisdom tells us:
"Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream."

Keep rowing is the first part. We have to keep on keeping on in life, doing what we can--our best, even, assuming we're up to it--and let things take their course as well. Gently down the stream, we flow, we float, we paddle, steer, and redirect. But we can't really get back upstream, although we can try. There is little use in always going against the grain, resisting, fighting the flow, which can be just another form of clinging and attachment--although sometimes it may be necessary and appropriate, even called for, in the interests of one and all. You may feel out of the great flow, but it always flows right through the middle of your life, and through you too. You may feel far from It, but rest assured that it is never apart from you. Thus joy rises each morning, each moment.

Travel lightly, and you will soon arrive. Thus spoke Surya.

This is exactly when the Dream Mantra can help: reciting it, contemplating at first hand the illusory nature of things, then the "Oh, this-is-like-a-dream" realization can come to one's assistance--for all is ultimately fleeting, temporary, insubstantial, mysterious, and not exactly what we think it is. This leaves more room to breathe and to be, and helps bring more clarity as well, which occasionally contributes to intelligent thought and skillful action in present circumstances.

Yes, I voted blue, even as often feel that I have little impact on our political process and its outcome. I have a bad feeling for where we Americans as a group seem to be heading; yet still, remembering that everything is like a dream, an illusion, reminds me that there are any number of possible outcomes and so many different levels and dimensions, so there is no need to overly focus on just one and lose sight of the rest. I do have a basic gut instinct that I'll most likely survive it, and that our children will too, and even the environment, one way or another. Practicing Tibetan Dream Yoga helps me awaken within my daydream, as well as while I am asleep, and to constantly remember that there will be more elections, national and local, and international. We need to keep the long term and bigger picture in mind even as we attend to the business at hand. Meanwhile, choosing among two candidates who are not different enough for my taste, I think we would all do well to reflect about what if anything we are doing to inculcate enlightened leadership and unselfish wisdom in the younger generations now, if we are to have any hope for better leaders and a more just, nonpartisan and sane political process in the future. For who in their right mind among the best and brightest of our youth would dedicate thirty years to this kind of rude political process? How can we expect to get better candidates and leaders in the future if we don't reform our political system and refine and further develop and evolve out internal personal process?

Our life is a vehicle, our body like a boat or vessel conveying us--we know not where. We could try to find out. Also, it has the sense of being just a craft that the passenger--guess who--drops, leaves, and moves on from when the time comes, when our next staging point not necessarily our final destination--is reached. It is important and helpful to develop a greater, long-term relationship to life than we usually begin with, and to more deeply appreciate our part in the whole. We are definitely connected, but it is not all about us--me, myself, and I: the fake three jewels we so often take refuge in.

"On this journey, merriment is helpful. Lightness will help us get where we're going, without capsizing and sinking. Travel light, and you will soon arrive. Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly. Thus, in the ditty, the word Merrily is repeated four times, one for each of the four arms of Buddhist Love (Brahmavihara, Boundless Intention, Divine Abode, Heartitude), forming one entire line of this verse, to remind us of the third Brahmavihara (Divine Heartitude), namely Mudita--Sympathetic Joy and Rejoicing--which is to be cultivated along the Way.

Therefore as a spiritual activist I always teach and advocate enhancing your own Spiritual Literacy and furthering a more universal and authentic Higher Education; becoming the leaders we want to see in the world, by cultivating and inculcating in ourselves and each other the panaceaic virtues of the Bodhisattva, the peaceful spiritual warrior dedicated to awakening, the enlightened servant-leader dedicated to the ultimate higher good: cultivating and practicing the six principles of enlightened living, six transcendental yet practical transformative virtues traditionally enumerated as generosity, moral self-disciple, patient forbearance, energetic effort and perseverance, reflection and introspection, and the wisdom of unselfish love, recognizing our universal responsibility and interbeingness.

Then I do my best to work within the dream-like nature of reality to help deliver all dream-like beings beyond the dream-like suffering and confusion of dream-like worldly existence to the dream-like state of perfect freedom, peace and enlightenment.

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Culture Pic-of-the-Week:
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What the Bleep Do We Know? -- the movie
http://www.whatthebleep.com/