Now is Not the Time for Noble Silence
Kirin cancelled a major investment project that was planned. Singaporean tycoon Lim Kaling pulled out of a cigarette joint venture. New Zealand suspended diplomatic ties. A dozen countries issued a joint statement calling on the elected government to be restored. Telenor has just released a statement denouncing the amended changes in telecom laws. (Even Rihanna expressed her wishes for Myanmar at this time.)
In other words, countries and companies with various types of investment in and relationship with Myanmar have taken drastic moves to disrupt these plans, even at great cost to their mission. At times these organizations came to the decision on their own, in other cases there was public pressure placed on them to do the right thing.
It’s time to begin examining what Buddhist and meditative organizations around the world are doing in response to the horrors unfolding, particularly those with what we can call a “spiritual investment” in Myanmar, meaning that their practice came from the great meditation masters originating from the Golden Land. For those that currently run pilgrimages, offer annual meditation retreats or study options, and have branches and centers operating in the country, what is their ethical role at this moment? And while the cost of speaking up, taking a stand, and engaging in a positive way to support the people may indeed disrupt the mission of these organizations in a similar way to that of countries and corporations, perhaps the proper question is, what is the cost of not speaking up?
To this, I would argue that refusing to engage or speak out at any level incurs a huge risk indeed, especially for these meditative organizations and teachers who claim a deep connection to Burmese spiritual traditions and teachings. Keeping silent now indicates a lack of integrity and compassion, and suggests some degree of complicity, hypocrisy, opportunism, and perhaps being an apologist. (Ok sure, ask me how I really feel…)
Please understand me, I know this is not an easy thing to ask and I do not say it lightly. But neither was it easy for the above organizations who took a stand, and certainly it is not easy for the bulk of the Burmese people now carrying the burden of the suffering. For those Burmese, they have no choice; yet for any person (or organization) outside of the country who claims some connection with the place, they do have a choice in terms how they respond, what they do, and where they keep silent.
Some may question if meditation-oriented groups have any sort of role at all to play in taking action that is off the cushion. On this topic, I’m especially inspired by our two upcoming podcast episodes, as they speak profoundly to this. The Burmese speakers showcase how protesters are actually using core Buddhist principles in their very actions. Put another way, a lifetime of mental and spiritual cultivation are coming to support them at the time they need it most, and taking on a particularly Dhammic form of non-violence, and with a clear connection to past movements of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. While this is all happening far away in Myanmar, it does not mean that the only thing that the rest of us can do is to sit on a cushion and send metta. Organizations have their own resources and capacities, and individuals their own energy and strength. Support can take so many different forms. The question is first if, and then how.
Others may question the intersection between working for change in the world, and working for change within. So for this, let’s take a moment to explore the relationship between the on-the-cushion practice and its application in the real world, through three recent podcast interviews.
First, let’s hear from Clyde Ford, an anti-racism trainer who led workshops at Dhamma Kunja, a vipassana center in the S.N. Goenka tradition. He said:
“It's not separate. Social justice and spiritual practice are really not separate, because social justice is how you bring the practice of these deeper truths into your life in the world.'“
Second, I’ll turn to Daw Viranani, a Buddhist nun in the Chan Myay Myaing tradition. She said:
“I know some people think to do work in social justice, one needs one's anger. And I would draw a line between righteous indignation and anger. We still know even when you're radiating metta, what's wrong and what's right, and what's possible and what's not, you don't lose sight of that. And you don't lose sight of the terrible impact of unwholesome action on other people, and how wrong that is.”
And finally, last year we spoke to Swe Win, a vipassana meditator in the tradition of S.N. Goenka who became a political prisoner, and is now the editor of Myanmar Now, one of the leading investigative journals in the country today. In balancing his desire to take more retreats with working towards social justice, he said:
“You have the greatest dilemma facing many people here in this country. As a meditator, sometimes you want to devote yourself to meditation, but you cannot sign up [for a course] when something bad is going on. If your practice is very strong, if your practice is very mature, you cope with it, in a quiet way, in a meaningful way. But before we reach the level of maturity, we are at a junction, a very painful junction. I want to be fully with Dhamma, let the Dhamma take its course… When there is political turbulence, I cannot keep quiet. I want to do something.”
There is much more to say about this issue, and future posts will be examining this matter from different angles. Additionally, in the coming days and weeks, we will be highlighting teachers, traditions, and organizations who are choosing to engage directly in this issue (and please bring these positive stories our way so we can showcase them!). We will also be preparing open letters for those who have not yet done so, imploring them to use their moral authority to speak about the current moment, and explore what positive role their organization can play.
Sorry if this video is something of a disruption itself. There’s not all too many meditator hip hop fans, I recognize. I just had to include this song because the lyrics kept coming to me when I was writing about not being afraid to take a stand. Then I had to laugh that on my lone Yangon karaoke performance, I NAILED Eminem. There is even a video somewhere. So somehow it all comes back full loop.