Join me for a guided meditation. Free. Online. Pre-registration is required:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qcu-orDktHtOAIYjPOlrlFWDndOKxDQQD

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In the Buddhist tradition, there is an understanding that one of the primary reasons we suffer so greatly and persistently is because we live under the powerful misperception that we are separate from others, and that our happiness will come from taking care of "me, mine, myself."

The teachings help us understand how inextricably linked we all are. We come to see that if I only think of myself, I will never, ultimately, find true, enduring happiness. This misperception that keeps me clinging to "me myself and I" feeds the seeds of greed, hatred and delusion, which lead to unhappiness, harm and violence, not only to ourselves, but to others. This happens on a personal level, with our families and close relations, and on a global level, with entire populations considered "other” - dehumanized to such an extent that the displacement and mass killing of innocents, including children, is made possible, as we have seen in history, and as we are seeing right now, happening to the Palestinian people living of Gaza.

The dangers of these states of mind cannot be overstated - personally, and globally. How do we liberate ourselves from this misperception? How do we keep our hearts-minds open and rooted in love and fierce compassion as we bear witness to such horrors? How do we not collapse into overwhelm? How do we not become numb? And how do we stay rooted in love as a motivating force for our actions, even as we experience the gamut of feelings - grief, outrage, disbelief, numbness, confusion, overhwhelm, disconnect, despair?

Let's gather to practice together. Let’s connect with our breath, bodies, our tender hearts. Let us support each other in this liberating aspiration.