Contrasting Chile and Burma
Diego Prieto, a Chilean documentary filmmaker, embarked on a journey to Myanmar to explore the Buddha's teachings through the lens of a living Buddhist culture, and he talked about his project in a recent podcast interview. This experience stood in sharp contrast to his background in Chile, a country with a history of political upheaval and dictatorship. Yet despite Chile's past political instability, Myanmar's ongoing struggles presented a different scenario of resilience and devotion to spirituality amidst adversity. Diego's journey not only deepened his understanding of Buddhism but also provided him with a unique perspective on how societies navigate their complex histories and current challenges through faith and community.
“It’s hard for me to imagine how it is to live in Myanmar, having close relatives killed and so many atrocities. It’s very hard for me to imagine how to act compassionately.”
Chile is a country that has a history related to dictatorship. I know from my father that they lived in a society where it was very common to stand in between fights, and it wasn't rare to see people disappearing and being kidnapped. Also, two years ago, Chile had a strong social revolution because of the inequality in this country; we have many rich people and poor people, similar to other countries in South America.
In my experience living in the social revolution when all the people were on the street burning metros and buses, I was feeling so much anguish and stress that I couldn't meditate for one week; I was in shock! And so I went to our small family house in the mountains; it's like a tiny refuge. After two days there, I started to feel calmer and more peaceful. With that experience, it's hard for me to imagine how it is to live in Myanmar, having close relatives killed and so many atrocities. It's very hard for me to imagine how to act compassionately. In such a situation, it must be tough to be calm and stable and act cleverly. Once in that tension, you don't have a general idea of the best action. I just felt a lot of compassion for the country, and I felt a lot of sadness for many days.
Sometimes, the easy way is to close your eyes and get as far away as possible from the problem. But in the long term, it doesn't solve any problem. When you cannot do anything, it's wiser to listen because listening is not running away; it is staying there and sharing that feeling. And even if this is very sad, and it's very strong, you will learn from that, you will learn from that experience, even though there is nothing you can do to solve the problem. I find it more useful to hear than to escape.