Brother David Steindl-Rast 2435 words, 179K views, 15 comments
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On Oct 4, 2009Pancho wrote :
My family calls me Pancho and I'd like you to know that I love you all...
A few months ago, after a magic Wednesday in Santa Clara, a silent Monday and an inspiring email from hermano Viral, an indescribable feeling flowed through me to provide another piece in the puzzle of sustainable change. I channelled that energy, and with the help of many of my co-workers at the Metta Center, I drafted a document named: "The Earth Swaraj or The Independence of the Earth." This is an excerpt (with some updates) of that document that came to mind after reading this week ijourney's passage:
1. Outer Revolution.
2. Inner Revolution.
3. Total (R)evolution of the Human Spirit.
1. Outer Revolution
This approach is primarily outward-looking, seeking to transform the world through social, economic, and political change. In Gandhi's constructive program one works to create positive change in their own community, to change the conditions so that violence cannot take root there. In Satyagraha (what we call 'Obstructive Program') one ceases to cooperate with harmful situations and/or institutions. It is important to note that in the Gandhian sense, Constructive Program and Obstructive Program -- making up outer transformation -- work inextricably and in concert with the personal -- or inner transformation.
A. Constructive Program
Constructive Program is action taken within the community to build systems or resources that are positive alternatives to oppression. Constructive Program is doing what one can to imaginatively and positively create justice within one’s own community. Approximately 90% of one's energy can be used in creating the relationships one would like to have with other people, with animals, with plants, with the whole Earth Community.
The “inner charkha“, a daily activity that everyone can practice in the planetization of the movement, is “being in receptive silence” (BIRS, see III. Inner Transformation).
B. Obstructive Program (Satyagraha)
Satyagraha can be understood as the vast inner strength required to perform nonviolent acts. Once we understand the problems affecting our communities, we can then understand that violence only exacerbates the fracture of community. It is important to remember that means are ends in the making (one of the 5 Principles of Nonviolence): satyagrahis stop the damage and honor the pain of the world, but always while paying attention to how one does so. Gandhi believed that a dedicated adherent to nonviolent resistance who works to uphold a just cause will inevitably reach the heart of the oppressor by taking authentic action to represent truth. When understood for its strength and courage, Satyagraha—also defined as ‘soul force’—is recognized as a positive and spiritually-based form of resistance that starts in the heart of the resister and inevitably produces creative action. And so one can invest 10% of one's energy in noncooperation: boycotts, civil disobedience, protests and rallies (UC Walk Out!), fasts and hunger strikes, etc.
In the past, many advocates of personal transformation have seemingly said "Don't be concerned with the world's problems. Look inwards and focus on changing yourself. The political, the economic, the social problems come after." It is worth noting here that every great nonviolent warrior we can conjure up off the top of our heads has been grounded in some spiritual/religious practice (e.g. Gandhi, King, Vinoba, Aung Sang Suu Kyi, César Chávez...just to name a few!). This is personal to each individual, so we will not presume to advise here -- but it is worthwhile to contemplate how one's spiritual or religious practice, whatever that means to you, relates to a nonviolent life.
Being in Receptive Silence:
“When one comes to think of it one cannot help feeling that nearly half the misery of the World would disappear if we, fretting mortals, knew the virtue of silence. Before modern civilization came upon us, at least six to eight hours of silence out of twenty-four were vouchsafed to us. Modern civilization has taught us to convert night into day and golden silence into brazen din and noise. What a great thing it would be if we in our busy lives could retire into ourselveseach day for at least a couple of hours and prepare our minds to listen in to the Voice of the Great Silence. The Divine Radio is always singing if we could only make ourselves ready to listen to It, but it’s impossible to listen without silence.” M.K. Gandhi - Harijan, 24-9-1938, p.267
Vipassana. S.N. Goenkha.Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was taught in India more than 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills, an art of living.
Passage Meditation. Eknath Easwaran.Blue Mountain Center of Meditation. According to Easwaran, the principle of meditation is simple: You are what you think. Recognizing this, he developed his method of passage meditation, which involves meditating on words that embody your highest ideals.
Seven Masters One Path. John Selby.7 Masters One Path is another holistic, non-sectarian approach to meditation. The guided oriented meditation of John can be also reached at his latest website: iUplift
Contemplation of Nature. Walking in the woods, staring at the sea, watching the stars, whatever but to do something to foster the nourishment and awakening of the divine nature.
Aside from any religious practice one may or may not have, there are many other practices that directly relate to and support the practice of nonviolence. Here are some other avenues we are familiar with to help in becoming a more grounded nonviolent warrior.
Fearlessness. One of Gandhi's main points was that there could be no nonviolence without fearlessness. The violence of the mind, shown in violent attitudes and feelings was, he said, worse than open, physical violence. It follows from that the most important aspect of nonviolence is inner nonviolence, which is not possible without fearlessness.
Gratitude. Thank you for reading through this document :-)
Compassion is a spontaneous movement of wholeness. It is not a studied decision to help the poor, to be kind to the unfortunate. Compassion has a tremendous momentum that naturally, choicelessly moves us to worthy action. It has the force of intelligence, creativity, and the strength of love. Compassion cannot be contrived; it derives neither from intellectual conviction nor from emotional reaction. It is simply there when the wholeness of life becomes a fact that is truly lived.
Stay Positive! Why? Well, many reasons...but the discovery of mirror neurons begins to scientifically explain why.
3. Total (R)evolution of the Human Spirit.
People have generally followed one or the other of these two conventional approaches: religious groups concerned with inner growth and inner revolution, and social activist groups concerned with social service and outer revolution. Traditionally we have created boundaries, and exploration beyond our home territories has been superficial. The social activists have staked out their territory, the outer life—the socioeconomic, political structures—and the spiritual people have staked out theirs—the inner world of higher dimensions of consciousness, transcendental experiences, and meditation. The two groups, throughout history, have shown contempt for one another. The social activists consider the spiritual inquirers to be self-indulgent, and the inquirers consider the activists to be caught in a race of activity, denying the essence of living. Some spiritual leaders have divided life into worldly and spiritual, and have at times insisted that the world is an illusion.
If we sanction violence in our hearts, we are going to cooperate with whomever is waging war. We are participants because psychologically we sanction violence. If we really want to put an end to warfare, we need to explore deep into the human psyche where the roots of violence have a stronghold. Unless we find the roots of violence, greed, and jealousy, we will not find our way out of chaos. Failure to eliminate their roots will doom us to endless miserable repetitions of the failures of the past. We must see that the inner and the outer are delicately intertwined in a totality and that we cannot deal with the one successfully without the other. The structures and systems condition the inner consciousness, and the conditioning of the consciousness creates the structures and systems. We cannot carve out one part of the relationship, make it bright and beautiful, and ignore the rest. The forces of human societal conditioning are powerfully entrenched; they will not be ignored.
The challenge now is to create an entirely new, vital (r)evolution that takes the whole of life into its sphere. We have never dared to embrace the whole of life in all its awesome beauty. Now is the time to embody a (r)evolution that strives for the soul of life in its totality: a total revolution of the human spirit.
From the progressive standpoint, it is obvious that evolution has been towards higher consciousness and deeper unity. Today there are many regressive forces concealing the inherent good sense and fellow-feeling of human beings everywhere, but those qualities can, and must nonetheless be contacted and brought to life. It would be hard to find a clearer description of the way we understand the world and our role within it than this beautiful statement of Albert Einstein:
“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
As modern science has shown, the capacity for ‘widening our circle of compassion,’ for breaking out of the prison of separateness, is part of our evolutionary heritage. ‘Progressive’ literally means moving us forward, in this case in the direction of evolution from lower to higher consciousness, especially its power to reveal our connection with other persons and all life — with ‘the whole of nature in its beauty.’
The things that those who embrace life want to leave behind, then, are the things that drive us apart: injustice, war, prejudice, and so forth. The things that bring us closer together in a creative harmony are, conversely, justice, peace, nonviolence, and what Mahatma Gandhi called “heart unity,” or the ability to wish for another’s happiness even when he or she differs from us in race, gender, intellect, status, or opinion. This is how the Progressive Unity Project was born.
Another way to put it is that a real (R)evolution, that is sustainable change, will happen only when activists get spiritual and when spiritual people get active.
On Oct 4, 2009 Pancho wrote :
My family calls me Pancho and I'd like you to know that I love you all...
A few months ago, after a magic Wednesday in Santa Clara, a silent Monday and an inspiring email from hermano Viral, an indescribable feeling flowed through me to provide another piece in the puzzle of sustainable change. I channelled that energy, and with the help of many of my co-workers at the Metta Center, I drafted a document named: "The Earth Swaraj or The Independence of the Earth." This is an excerpt (with some updates) of that document that came to mind after reading this week ijourney's passage:
1. Outer Revolution.
2. Inner Revolution.
3. Total (R)evolution of the Human Spirit.
1. Outer Revolution
This approach is primarily outward-looking, seeking to transform the world through social, economic, and political change. In Gandhi's constructive program one works to create positive change in their own community, to change the conditions so that violence cannot take root there. In Satyagraha (what we call 'Obstructive Program') one ceases to cooperate with harmful situations and/or institutions. It is important to note that in the Gandhian sense, Constructive Program and Obstructive Program -- making up outer transformation -- work inextricably and in concert with the personal -- or inner transformation.
A. Constructive Program
Constructive Program is action taken within the community to build systems or resources that are positive alternatives to oppression. Constructive Program is doing what one can to imaginatively and positively create justice within one’s own community. Approximately 90% of one's energy can be used in creating the relationships one would like to have with other people, with animals, with plants, with the whole Earth Community.
Some examples of constructive programs are: Permaculture (e.g. Earth Activists Training), Selfless Service (e.g. CharityFocus), Restorative Justice (e.g. Ella Baker Center), Green Jobs (e.g. Green For All), Preventive Medicine (an inspiring example), Independent Media (e.g. YES! Magazine , New Internationalist, Democracy Now!, DailyGood), Community Currencies (i.e. Reclaim your Currency!), Educational Initiatives (e.g. YES! for Students and Teachers), etc.
The movement is deeper than a solar panel! We need to install SOULar panels too! Enjoy this inspirational talk by Oakland activist, and former Obama adviser, Van Jones (20 min).
And by the way, we had a creative discussion about Constructive Program at a recent Hope Tank. :)
B. Obstructive Program (Satyagraha)
Satyagraha can be understood as the vast inner strength required to perform nonviolent acts. Once we understand the problems affecting our communities, we can then understand that violence only exacerbates the fracture of community. It is important to remember that means are ends in the making (one of the 5 Principles of Nonviolence): satyagrahis stop the damage and honor the pain of the world, but always while paying attention to how one does so. Gandhi believed that a dedicated adherent to nonviolent resistance who works to uphold a just cause will inevitably reach the heart of the oppressor by taking authentic action to represent truth. When understood for its strength and courage, Satyagraha—also defined as ‘soul force’—is recognized as a positive and spiritually-based form of resistance that starts in the heart of the resister and inevitably produces creative action. And so one can invest 10% of one's energy in noncooperation: boycotts, civil disobedience, protests and rallies (UC Walk Out!), fasts and hunger strikes, etc.
Some inspiring examples of hardcore satyagrahis in action are: Third Party Nonviolent Intervention or TPNI (e.g. Nonviolent Peacefore, Peace Workers, Peace Brigades International, and Christian Peacemaker Team), Civil Disobedience (Pace e Bene, Gandhi's Salt March is a famous example, and scene of one of the most oft-seen pictures of Gandhi), Conscientious Objectors (e.g. the Schministim in Israel), etc.
2. Inner Revolution
In the past, many advocates of personal transformation have seemingly said "Don't be concerned with the world's problems. Look inwards and focus on changing yourself. The political, the economic, the social problems come after." It is worth noting here that every great nonviolent warrior we can conjure up off the top of our heads has been grounded in some spiritual/religious practice (e.g. Gandhi, King, Vinoba, Aung Sang Suu Kyi, César Chávez...just to name a few!). This is personal to each individual, so we will not presume to advise here -- but it is worthwhile to contemplate how one's spiritual or religious practice, whatever that means to you, relates to a nonviolent life.
Being in Receptive Silence:
“When one comes to think of it one cannot help feeling that nearly half the misery of the World would disappear if we, fretting mortals, knew the virtue of silence. Before modern civilization came upon us, at least six to eight hours of silence out of twenty-four were vouchsafed to us. Modern civilization has taught us to convert night into day and golden silence into brazen din and noise. What a great thing it would be if we in our busy lives could retire into ourselves each day for at least a couple of hours and prepare our minds to listen in to the Voice of the Great Silence. The Divine Radio is always singing if we could only make ourselves ready to listen to It, but it’s impossible to listen without silence.” M.K. Gandhi - Harijan, 24-9-1938, p.267
Aside from any religious practice one may or may not have, there are many other practices that directly relate to and support the practice of nonviolence. Here are some other avenues we are familiar with to help in becoming a more grounded nonviolent warrior.
3. Total (R)evolution of the Human Spirit.
People have generally followed one or the other of these two conventional approaches: religious groups concerned with inner growth and inner revolution, and social activist groups concerned with social service and outer revolution. Traditionally we have created boundaries, and exploration beyond our home territories has been superficial. The social activists have staked out their territory, the outer life—the socioeconomic, political structures—and the spiritual people have staked out theirs—the inner world of higher dimensions of consciousness, transcendental experiences, and meditation. The two groups, throughout history, have shown contempt for one another. The social activists consider the spiritual inquirers to be self-indulgent, and the inquirers consider the activists to be caught in a race of activity, denying the essence of living. Some spiritual leaders have divided life into worldly and spiritual, and have at times insisted that the world is an illusion.
If we sanction violence in our hearts, we are going to cooperate with whomever is waging war. We are participants because psychologically we sanction violence. If we really want to put an end to warfare, we need to explore deep into the human psyche where the roots of violence have a stronghold. Unless we find the roots of violence, greed, and jealousy, we will not find our way out of chaos. Failure to eliminate their roots will doom us to endless miserable repetitions of the failures of the past. We must see that the inner and the outer are delicately intertwined in a totality and that we cannot deal with the one successfully without the other. The structures and systems condition the inner consciousness, and the conditioning of the consciousness creates the structures and systems. We cannot carve out one part of the relationship, make it bright and beautiful, and ignore the rest. The forces of human societal conditioning are powerfully entrenched; they will not be ignored.
The challenge now is to create an entirely new, vital (r)evolution that takes the whole of life into its sphere. We have never dared to embrace the whole of life in all its awesome beauty. Now is the time to embody a (r)evolution that strives for the soul of life in its totality: a total revolution of the human spirit.
From the progressive standpoint, it is obvious that evolution has been towards higher consciousness and deeper unity. Today there are many regressive forces concealing the inherent good sense and fellow-feeling of human beings everywhere, but those qualities can, and must nonetheless be contacted and brought to life. It would be hard to find a clearer description of the way we understand the world and our role within it than this beautiful statement of Albert Einstein:
“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
As modern science has shown, the capacity for ‘widening our circle of compassion,’ for breaking out of the prison of separateness, is part of our evolutionary heritage. ‘Progressive’ literally means moving us forward, in this case in the direction of evolution from lower to higher consciousness, especially its power to reveal our connection with other persons and all life — with ‘the whole of nature in its beauty.’
The things that those who embrace life want to leave behind, then, are the things that drive us apart: injustice, war, prejudice, and so forth. The things that bring us closer together in a creative harmony are, conversely, justice, peace, nonviolence, and what Mahatma Gandhi called “heart unity,” or the ability to wish for another’s happiness even when he or she differs from us in race, gender, intellect, status, or opinion. This is how the Progressive Unity Project was born.
Another way to put it is that a real (R)evolution, that is sustainable change, will happen only when activists get spiritual and when spiritual people get active.
May all become compassionate courageous and wise.