Episode #101: Rick Hanson on Becoming An Ally
“My life is full of advantage and privilege and comfort,” Rick Hanson admits. “And most of the people I have tried to help also have somewhat similar lives. So yes, that's absolutely different from what people are encountering, certainly in Myanmar… so it's good to acknowledge that distinction.”
While recent Insight Myanmar Podcast episodes have focused on the reality in Myanmar, this show explores the situation from a different angle: allies outside the country supporting the democracy movement, but bearing witness to the on-going horrors in Myanmar. Although free from physical harm and living in safety, many find that they shoulder an emotional burden by immersing themselves so deeply in the Burmese people’s struggle and trauma, even from afar.
Rick continues, “That said, the underlying idea is that we deal with the challenges in our life, including extreme challenges of atrocities happening in our village or our family system. We cope with them, we gradually recover from them, and we offer help to others. And we try to preserve as best we can… and as we do that, we must tap into various strengths inside—psychological resources of various kinds—including mindfulness, compassion, resilience, grit, spiritual practices, emotional intelligence, moral commitments, and so forth.”
Rick’s own meditation practice started in 1974 while a student at UCLA. He initially dabbled with Zen before finding Spirit Rock Meditation Center, where he became grounded in Theravadin practice. Over time, he became “interested in bringing a kind of Mahayana spirit of foregrounding and appreciation of notions of emptiness” to his meditation. Paralleling his spiritual practice, Rick developed professionally in the field of psychology, becoming a Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and founding the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. And he’s combined these two passions as an author, making the New York Times best-selling list, his more well-known titles being Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Just One Thing, Buddha’s Brain, and Mother Nurture.
Rick explains that there are good practices that anyone can apply to become more grounded even in the most difficult of situations, including those going through trauma and crisis in Myanmar. The first of these practices is mindfulness, which he describes as the “capacity to witness your experiences, rather than being completely consumed by them, completely swept along and hijacked by them.” The second is a “feeling of heart,” which Rick characterizes as a sense of connection with other people, or perhaps any living being, or even nature. Third, he discusses the value of physically taking in a more expansive perspective, suggesting that we focus our gaze on the horizon or sky. “As soon as we do that, as soon as we take that wider view, it tends to bring us into the present neurologically. And it tends to relax a certain amount of self-preoccupation.”
Another helpful practice is to be mindful of what one allows within the heart and mind. Rick points out that when one is careless, certain harmful notions can become embedded “like an occupying power, like a military government.” In this way, even as one is facing terrible conditions outside, it is possible to recognize the power one has over the inner environment. Partly this can be done by not becoming swallowed up in the agony of the moment, recognizing the good that still exists in the world. “It's especially important to be aware of the good that endures,” he says, “the good that lasts, even while and especially while we're dealing with a world of bad in our immediate situation.”
Addressing those outside Myanmar who have chosen to become allies and advocates, Rick recommends that, first and foremost, activists seek comradery among themselves, creating a community of mutual support. He also explains that it is valuable to consciously embed a sense of meaning and purpose into one’s efforts, which acts as a kind of moral framework guiding one through the work. He strongly urges activists to realize the value of rest in sustaining their ability to maintain their involvement. “You can't do this stuff 24 hours a day,” he advises. “You need a break, you need to just disengage!” Last but not least is developing “a sense of connection with whatever you want to call it, the universe as a whole the cosmos, the unconditioned, the absolute, the non-dual, God, source, the ground…”
As the crisis in Myanmar has worn on, those allies who have decided to meet those atrocities head-on have come to realize that it is very difficult to proceed with any half-way measures, yet at the same time, the community of those who have chosen to step up is so small that many are getting overwhelmed, and drowning in the workload. To address this issue, Rick offers up additional thoughts. He says: “When people get invaded and consumed, even under the best of intentions, by their empathy for the suffering of others and their preoccupation, understandably, with the terror that other people are facing and feeling… they tend to burn out, and it's really hard to sustain effort over time.” Practically speaking, Rick recalls that the Buddha taught about the importance of balancing compassion with equanimity, and how strengthening the latter is able to build up the former. And when simply has nothing left in the tank, he reminds us again about the value of taking a bit of time off when possible.
“The underlying principle is really fundamental,” he notes in closing. “Without some equanimity, it's really, really hard to sustain compassionate action over any kind of long period.”