On this Wednesday of the month IPP usually offers a noontime meditation program built around the Christian practice of Lectio Divina. Today will be different. Today (March 10) is the anniversary of the Tibetan uprising...a response by the Tibetans to the military occupation of their country by the Peoples Republic of China. In solidarity with our Tibetan brothers and sisters today we will offer a special meditation featuring two Tibetan monks who reside in Louisville along with Anne Walter who is the President of the the organization that supports the monks and their home monastery in India (see a link below to the web site for the local Tibetan organization).
The way the Tibetan religious community has responded to their difficult relationship with the Chinese may offer a model for us about how we can respond when we feel ourselves hurt or damaged by others. Below you will find "Eight Verses" that you may find helpful in facing your own hurt and anger as people, groups or organizations (or governments for that matter) do things that seem to harm you.
But I want to relate first one small story I heard about the Tibetan suffering. One Tibetan monk had been imprisoned and tortured by the Chinese for decades. When he was finally release he was asked how he felt about what his captors had done to him. After thinking quietly for a few moments, he said, "Well, I think they have made alot of bad Karma for themselves." For those not familiar with the concept, Karma is the moral equivalent of "You will reap what you sow"...except at a cosmological level. The monk in this story did not wish to seek revenge. For him, the actions of his captors would lead them down a path that would be its own punishment...or better yet, corrective. I am sure that the monk's response was informed in no small part by the concepts in "The Eight Verse Attitude Training."
Here are the Eight Verses:
Eight-Verse Attitude-Training
by Langri-tangpa
With determination to achieve the highest aim
For the benefit of all sentient beings,
Which surpasses even the wish-fulfilling gem,
May I hold them dear at all times
Whenever I interact with someone,
May I view myself as the lowest amongst all,
And, from the very depths of my heart,
Respectfully hold others as superior
In all my deeds may I probe into my mind,
And as soon as mental and emotional afflictions arise -
As they endanger myself and others -
May I strongly confront them and avert them
When I see beings of unpleasant character
Oppressed by strong negativity and suffering,
May I hold them dear - for they are rare to find -
As if I have discovered a jewel treasure!
When others, out of jealousy,
Treat me wrong with abuse, slander, and scorn,
May I take upon myself the defeat
And offer to others the victory
When someone whom I have helped,
Or in whom I have placed great hopes,
Mistreats me in extremely hurtful ways
May I regard them as my precious teacher
In brief, may I offer benefit and joy
To all my mothers, both directly and indirectly,
May I quietly take upon myself
All hurts and pains of my mothers
May all this remain undefiled
By the stains of the eight mundane concerns
And may I, recognizing all things as illusion,
Devoid of clinging, be released from bondage
Here is a link to the web page of the Louisville organization that supports the city's resident Tibetan monks and the Drepung Gomang Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in India:
www.drepunggomang.com/
