The following verse gives me great comfort when I’m faced with challenging people or groups - like an opposing political party in the time of a election. It’s a bit tricky so I’ll explain a little of Thogme’s verse from 700 years ago, which still applies today:
“In my native land waves of attachment to friends and kin surge, hatred for enemies rages like fire, the darkness of stupidity, not caring what to adopt or avoid, thickens — To abandon my native land is the practice of a bodhisattva.” -Thogme
The following bullets will hopefully make this clear. Once you read them, trying sitting quietly for a moment to see how this applies to the 2020 Presidential Election, as well as in other areas of your life.
This “native land” is not a place. It is the situation we’re born into where we’re conditioned to believe there’s a “us vs. them” and an “other” that is separate from ourselves. This native land is one that is full of divisions. People and ideas are set against each other. This is called duality - and it’s the beginning of suffering and delusion. I equate it to the Original Sin in the story of Adam and Eve. By eating the apple they separate themselves from the Garden of Eden - separate their genders - and live in a state of suffering duality ever after.
Abandoning this native land means no longer being involved in an us vs them game. It is bringing our divided world back into view as it actually is: unified, interdependent, in a state of interbeing.
This attachment to friends and kin is especially tricky. Of course we are attached to the folks we love. But are we attached to the idea that our parents, our siblings would vote like us? What happens then…And are we not attached to the lives of others? We’re happy to just throw all those people away?
A bodhisattva can simply be understood as someone who’s endeavoring to reduce suffering in the world rather than create it. So in this election, it’s probably easy to conclude that by voting for Old White Man #1 in stead of Old White Man #2 that you’ll reduce suffering for all…sure. But what is your attitude towards Old White Man #2’s voters. Do you hate them? Do you think they’re idiots? This is causing you and the world suffering too.
I’ll end by adding a few questions/practices that, once you’ve had a moment to contemplate this verse, you might find compelling:
If only for today - when you think about the other party or the other candidate let the words “not two” pop into your mind. Then try to see where interdepence and interbeing are at play. Can you bring the other party and the other candidate back into unity with you in your mind?
The “not two” exercise is especially interesting when we listen to political candidates talk about other countries, like China. You’ll be begin to see that in this native land we are being conditioned to separate from others, to dislike/hate etc. What purpose is this severing? Can you see how you are also Chinese? Russian? Are you a traitor for doing so?
Finally, what comes up for you when you’re told you are American? Or Patriotic? Or that you are not Patriotic? Where does this cause suffering or joy? How is your nationalism affecting you, those around you and the world?
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