 Spring 2007 e-Newsletter - Social Justice Edition |
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Contents
Storytelling as a reflective practice Storytelling is a very powerful cultural tool to teach people about a variety of ethical and moral values. The stories that follow teach us about kindness. Buddha of Infinite Light: The Teachings of Shin Buddhism, the Japanese Way of Wisdom and Compassion by D. T. Suzuki gives us a story about kindness. It is a tale about a man's surprising kindness to a group of boys stealing fruit from his trees. "When a man heard noise coming from his yard, he looked out and saw neighborhood boys climbing up one of the fruit trees in the yard, trying to steal some fruits. So he went out into the yard and placed a ladder underneath the boys in the tree. He then quietly returned to his house. Is this not a stupid thing to do? The boys are stealing his fruits, but the owner does not stop them from committing an unlawful act. This man feared that when the children try to come down the tree, nervous about being caught, they might slip and fall, and hurt themselves. His impulse was to prevent them from being injured, not to save his property from thieves.” Here’s another from the Sufi tradition which demonstrates the power of being kind without expecting anything in return. Once upon a time, says the Sufi master, the waters of the rivers swelled and ran over the riverbank, reaching the level of trees. At the most frail end of the lowest branch, a scorpion clung quivering to the one leaf above the water. The Sufi knelt down in the dust, stretched himself out on a slender branch and extended his hand to the scorpion as a bridge. Each time he reached for the leaf, however, the scorpion bristled and sprang to sting. “Are you crazy?” shouted a passerby. “Don’t you know every time you touch that scorpion, you will be stung?” And the Sufi shouted back, “perhaps, dear friend, but just because it is the scorpion’s nature to sting, should I forfeit my nature to save?” Michael Garret’s Walking on the Wind: Cherokee Teachings for Harmony and Balance offers us this gem. To "walk the path of good medicine" is to be in harmony with the universe and its sacred rhythms.” He uses stories like the following to elaborate. "I remember once listening to a Mayan elder talk about one day when he was walking in the forest with a young boy who had cut off one of the branches of a small tree. The boy was proud of his new walking stick and displayed it for the elder to see. The elder questioned whether the boy had gone about it in a proper way: asking permission, taking only what he needed, and giving thanks to the tree spirit by making some offering. The boy replied that he had just cut it off because he needed a good walking stick and the branch was a good one for that. The elder asked the boy to go back to the tree and put his hand on the spot where he had cut off the branch. 'What did you feel?' he asked the boy.
Here are 10 small, but practical gestures to kick start your kindness practice.
Upcoming Workshops, Trainings and Retreats CMind events: Sitting in the Fire with Integrity Awake to this Moment: A Zen Meditation Retreat for Activists and Organizers A Gathering of Activists/Organizers of Color This is an intergenerational gathering of northeast activists and organizers exploring the integration between spiritual practice and social action. Non Cmind related events: Nonviolent Communication For more information visit www.tinyurl.com/2z6k82 Vision and Values Workshops Through these workshops, we help organizations and coalitions re-align their practices with their vision and values, expanding the scope and effectiveness of their work. For more information visit www.wholecommunities.org/vision_values/ Spirit in Action Leadership Program For more information visit www.spiritinaction.net Introduction to Spiritual Activism: Cultivating Joy While Changing The World For more information visit www.tinyurl.com/2768cl Being Change: The Way of the Activist For more information visit www.stonecircles.org/work/events.html#being Values in Action: A Mindfulness-based Leadership Training for Change Makers At Vallecitos, we meet in a new way. We convene deep in the deep woods and mountain wilderness, with no computers or cell phones, and we turn inward. We use a set of time tested awareness and contemplative practices drawn from the great wisdom traditions that are simple, direct and undogmatic. We spend time in the woods, hiking in the majestic old growth forest of the magical and legendary La Manga wilderness that borders the ranch. The format cultivates creative dialogue, critical thinking and strategic problem solving. We explore important issues from different points of view, discover insights and formulate creative actions to systemic problems. Visit www.vallecitos.org for more information and to register.
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The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society top image by Lisa Berry |
