Lessons from the Blitz

By now, many of you have seen the news. As I am writing this, bands of criminals numbering in the thousands, recently released from prisons and injected with morphine, including some who were shaven and given monks robes as disguises, have been pumped full of drugs and given weapons, poison for water supplies, and fuel for burning homes, and sent into Yangon neighborhoods, in the cover of ambulances and with the assistance of drones. Barricades have been set up, neighborhood watches are enacted, and local residents are trying to capture and contain these attackers. Residents are not able to sleep as they try to defend themselves while not causing harm and making bad karma.

As I learn about this terror, the only hope that comes to mind is The Blitz, the 1940-41 German bombing of England in which the Nazis tried to so terrorize the British public that they would want to pull out of the war effort entirely. Instead, the opposite happened. Resistance was mobilized as never before, and the Germans made a grave mistake. Instead of creating panic, they created determination. And from what I'm seeing from these brave Burmese, the early returns is they are responding similarly, all while having the knowledge that no one may ever come to their aid.

Meditate and send metta, cry and scream, but the time for hopelessness and helplessness is over. This global diaspora of the meditator community may be quite small, but we are not without influence, whatever form it may take. If our Dhamma friends, spiritual teachers, and the very people in this group are not giving up, then how can we?

In the coming days, I invite you to brainstorm what actions, large or small, we can begin to take that are beyond sharing posts with the caption "no words for this." Some actions may be more worldly-oriented, as we don't know what connections various members, or some contact somewhere, may have. But a lot of people are already doing this from other platforms. The unique aspect of this community is our understanding and appreciation for the Dhamma as it shapes Burmese society.

What can we as practitioners do to take action at this critical time? How can we explore and share the Dhamma perspective, and bring this intersection of the spiritual and the worldly so it becomes more present in the public discourse, perhaps even starting to shape it? This might lead to more spiritual appreciation in worldly settings, and more worldly understanding in spiritual ones.

I'm not sure where this will lead, but let's begin the conversation.