From Misha's dharma talk on 6/22/20:
Hope is a Decision
Mahatma Ghandi led the non-violent struggle for Indian independence from British colonial rule, succeeding against all odds. He was, in his own words, an “irrepressible optimist”. His hope was not based on circumstances, rising and falling as things seemed to be getting better or worse. Rather it was based on an unshakable faith in humanity, in the capacity of people for good. He absolutely refused to abandon his faith in his fellow human beings. Keeping faith in people’s essential goodness, and the consistent effort to cultivate goodness in ourselves: these are the twin keys...to unleashing the great power of hope. - Daisaku Ikeda:Tricycle, Fall 2017
First, we must keep faith in people’s essential goodness, in their Buddha nature--and our own. Then, through effort, courage, and patience, we must cultivate goodness in ourselves. The difficulties in our lives are not ‘out there’, but right here in our own hearts and minds. If we truly want to do something to rectify the injustice in the world and find a way to honor and respect all beings, this is where we must start. It is our responsibility to acknowledge the consequences of our actions and our Bodhisattva vow to save all beings--starting with this one here.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Our ZHS on-line schedule:
- Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
- Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
- Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
- For more information: www.zenheartsangha.org)
Special bows for today:
- Please offer bows for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and others who have died from police brutality
- Please offer bows for Dottie Kelly, Misha's family member, who died of lung disease on May 20th
- Please offer bows for Annette Merrill, Misha's cousin, who died on May 13th from lung cancer
- Please offer bows for Donald Kennedy, former president of Stanford University, who died from COVID-19
- Please continue to offer bows for Nick Battaglia, Camille Spar's father, who died Aprill 13th
- Please continue to offer bows for the family of Alison Templeton, a PS parent, who died on April 1st
- Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:
- Beverly Klemme whose beloved horse Saphire died May 26th
- Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home undergoing chemotherapy
____________________________________________________________________________________
Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:
- Zen Heart Sangha website: resources about COVID-19: www.zenheartsangha.org
- From our dharma friend, Janie: Rhiannon Giddens featuring Yo-Yo Ma - "Build A House"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYDo0ZjXegM
- From our dharma friends, Diane and Wing: The History of Juneteenth from The Daily on Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736?i=1000478602271
- From our dharma sister, Kathleen: PBS series called "Race Matters": This is a 7 minute interview between Charlayne Hunter Gault and Kevin Murphy Go to minute 44:44 of this show:
- From our dharma sister, Jill: Rutger Bregman, author of Humankind: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/rutger-bregman-our-secret-superpower-is-our-ability-to-cooperate
- From our dharma sister, Camille: an important commentary on race, riots and society to help us understand from Trevor Noah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_c
- Anti-racism resources for white people: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/preview?pru=AAABco-l62s*wWgmhgauhStr-4WtSmpVLQ
__________________________________________________________________________________
Many thanks to those of you who are sending me articles to share, links to helpful information, and for making comments…it is a gift beyond measure. Please know that you can either leave a comment on the blog itself, or send something directly to me and I will be happy to paste it in.
No comments:
Post a Comment