How to Be in These Days
Buddhist Psychology has a lot to offer in these days.
I love Tara Brach's teachings. I was listening to one of her recent podcasts this week. It gave me a deeper understanding of the dynamics at play in our world, and some much-needed solace amidst the barrage of the newsfeed. I was also reduced to tears by one of the stories she told.
I really recommend a listen of this podcast episode, it lasts about 45 minutes, and the link is given below. I especially recommend it if you're struggling at the moment with world events, 'the news onslaught' 24/7, perhaps a constant gnawing sense of anxiety and feeling of powerlessness.
You don't need to be a Buddhist to take comfort and sense-making from Buddhism. Tara Brach herself is not a Buddhist. I once heard her say 'I don't have a religion; but if I did, it would be Nature'.
So if Nature is your solace, you might well resonate with Tara's words.
And of course, her immediate context is the situation in the United States; she talks too about that.
She begins with a quote from Gandhi, which tickles me. He was asked:
‘What do you think of western civilization?’ and his response was
‘It would be a good idea’
Doesn't that fit our times?!
Tara goes on to say that civilization is supposed to be the evolved expression of our human culture. But it gets undermined when fear is dominant.
The spread of fear, and authoritarian rule, is happening around our world, and has happened through human history.
But....she also points out - 'through history humans have repeatedly rebuilt against different forms of tyranny.'
She says that this call for justice and compassion, for democratic principles of inclusion and for freedom - is intrinsic to the human spirit.
She quotes Gandhi again: 'When I despair, I remember that all throughout history the way of truth and love has always won.’
As we watch the tyranny in the world right now, we can take it as an invitation - firstly - for an inner transformation. Almost like we reclaim human qualities like love, compassion, care. And what we do in the world, we do from that inner place.
So the archetype of the 'spiritual warrior' is about a quality of heart, of 'awareness', that helps us in dark times. It helps us 'wake up' spiritually. It helps us know that we can do things to help create a more loving, just world.
I found this concept really powerful -
'The spiritual warrior fights darkness not other humans.'
Tara goes on to share a 'spiritual warrior' story. Bryan Stevenson is an Alabama-based lawyer, social justice activist, and law professor at the New York University School of Law. One of the social justice initiatives he speaks about, is where people go to historical lynching sites, dig up the soil and put it in a jar. The jars are then be placed in a museum with the names of the victims.
Tara relays this story of an African American woman who went out to a remote area with the piece of paper telling the story of the lynching that had happened there.
The woman was about to start digging when a truck drove by; the white man in the truck slowed down, drove by and stared at her. He then turned around and drove back. He parked and stayed in the truck staring. She got very nervous and even more so when he got out of the truck and walked towards her.
He asked her what she was doing.
She responded 'I'm digging soil because this is where a black man was lynched in 1931' and gestured to the piece of paper. She said 'I'm going to honor his life'.
She was so scared she started digging really fast. And the man just stood there.
And then he said 'Does the paper talk about the lynching?' and she confirmed it did. He asked if he could read it.
She gave the man the paper and he stood there reading while she was digging. And then he put the paper down and stunned her by asking 'Would it be OK if I helped you?'
He got on his knees, and she offered him a little plough to dig but he said 'No, no, you use that.'
And he started throwing his hands into the soil with such force, and his hands got coated with black soil.
The woman was moved and next thing she knew she had tears running down her face.
He stopped - 'Oh I'm so sorry for upsetting you' and she said 'No, no, no, you’re blessing me'. And they kept putting soil in the jar.
They got the jar almost full and she noticed toward the end that the man was slowing down and his shoulders were shaking. And she turned and she looked, and she saw the man had tears running down his face. She put her hand on the man's shoulder asking if he was all right. He said:
'No, I'm just so worried that it might have been my grandparents that were involved in lynching this man.'
Tears ran down my face too, as I listened to Tara retelling this story. It touches something very deep in me, which is about - as she says - redemption, healing, humanity.
Tara says:
'It's when we open to the realness of the suffering that we then get tender and we respond.'
She says that we can all practice in getting 'proximate' with what we're feeling right now. And allow ourselves to get proximate with others who are hurting. And then widen to include those who may be different and are also hurting. Thich Nhat Hanh (the Vietnamese Buddhist Monk) reinforces the message:
'...humans are not the enemy; it's the forces of fear, anger, greed, delusion.'
Also, Nelson Mandela, who said:
'No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or religion; they must learn to hate. And if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than the opposite.’
Here's a reflection for you, something to sit with for a few moments, at Tara's invitation:
'... imagine the great great grandchild of someone who appears to be the opposition, and your great great grandchild. And imagine them joining hands, together seeking more love, more healing in our world.'
She goes on to say:
'...if we can envision ... we can bring it into reality'.
I am reminded also of the work of philosopher Roman Krznaric, and his book: 'The Good Ancestor: How To Think Long Term in a Short-Term World'.
In his book, Krznaric explores history and the human mind to show that we can think Long Term. He illustrates how humankind has always had 'the innate ability to plan for posterity and take action that will resonate for decades, centuries, even millennia'. He says that 'if we want to be good ancestors and be remembered well by the generations who follow us, now is the time to recover and enrich this imaginative skill'.
And his book describes six ways to help us do just this. He shows how people around the world are already - for example - reinventing democracy, culture and economics, so that we all have the chance to become good ancestors and create a better tomorrow.
I resonate with this review of the book by Brian Eno:
“The individualistic philosophies of the last century have generated huge concentrations of wealth – but at the same time put us on the road to social, political and environmental collapse. This clear-sighted and inspiring book suggests a different view of who humans are and what they really value – and a number of ways off that lethal road. It’s a must-read for anyone who’s looking for the good news.”
And to give the last words to the wonderful Tara Brach:
'Throughout history it's been an expression of the human spirit - to care, to sense our belonging, to try to help, to sense the future. There will always be caring beings, trying to make a better world.
....love comes naturally. ....So, as spiritual warriors, we need to practice ....actively choosing love. (because we're in a culture that conditions us to harden our hearts, not to be vulnerable; that conditions us to cut off our own suffering and distance ourselves from others).'
I hope you find these words helpful, I hope you find some pointers to help you hold what is happening, to know how to be.
Resources:
Tara Brach's podcast, Episode 13th March 2025:
https://www.tarabrach.com/talk-freedom-from-inner-and-outer-tyranny
Book by Roman Krznaric: The Good Ancestor (2020):
https://www.romankrznaric.com/good-ancestor
...'Til Next Time, Go Well