Meditation and Landmines

“The development of compassion by seeing deeply into your own experience, which is the human experience, leads to very deep compassion for the suffering of others. For any real social change to occur, it has to come out of that space of acknowledging our shared human predicament, and that’s what gives me the strength to continue doing what I do. Anger burns up its own supports; compassion is what keeps me doing my activism.”

Yèshua Moser-Puangsuwan’s meditation practice began at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where he participated in a three-month retreat and learned from teachers in the Mahasi tradition. Since then, he has maintained a regular meditation practice, often spending a month or more each year in intensive meditation. This practice has been crucial in helping him process the immense suffering he has come to witnesses through his work. Yèshua credits his meditation practice for preventing burnout in his activism, highlighting that many activists who rely on anger for motivation eventually exhaust themselves. He believes that anger depletes its own resources, whereas compassion provides the resilience necessary to continue his work over the years.

Yèshua has spent over three decades working to address the devastating impact of landmines in conflict zones, with a particular focus on Myanmar. His efforts has been crucial in raising awareness and pushing for stronger international efforts to ban landmines globally.

Yèshua’s meticulous research and advocacy began in 1995 with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997. Yèshua has dedicated himself to documenting the widespread use of landmines by both the Burmese military and various ethnic armed groups. He describes how landmines are a strategic tool for ‘area denial’ and the protection of military positions. However, he emphasizes that landmines are indiscriminate weapons, often left behind long after conflicts have ended, leaving a devastating legacy for local populations. Yèshua therefore calls the use of landmines a “suicidal policy,” harming the very communities they are meant to protect.

Since the 2021 coup, Yèshua describes how landmine contamination in Myanmar has surged, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian crisis. It is not limited to conflict zones, but has expanded to civilian areas, including farms and villages. In 2023, UNICEF reported a tripling of mine-related casualties, a stark indicator of the escalating threat. Unfortunately, due to internet shutdowns and the dangerous environment for reporters, data on the full extent of the contamination remains difficult to verify.

Yèshua reiterates that landmines will continue to claim lives long after conflicts end, leaving a tragic legacy for future generations, as they will remain a hidden threat to farmers, children, and communities trying to rebuild their lives. His advocacy underscores the urgency of addressing this issue before more innocent lives are lost.

Listen here for the full episode: https://buff.ly/3zLBttn