Practice peace of mind
This practice is all of a piece. The tendencies of some governments to torture political dissidents and destroy the rain forests are my own tendencies and yours - to neglect our children, say, or to squander our physical health. The results are felt all of a piece too. My Mara permeates the world, and world Mara permeates me. Likewise when I conduct myself with kindliness, compassion, goodwill and equanimity, all beings are enlightened.
The path is practical, not metaphysical, though archetypes show through the mist to guide us. I cannot be content just to seek peace of mind with concepts. After all, the Buddha's teachings were concerned with noble conduct, and the ancient sanghas were organized as noble social structures. How should we as modern Buddhists apply the teaching and sangha models in the context of pervasive systems that are ignoble and destructive? It is up to us, it seems to me, to conspire with our families and friends and establish practical alternatives that are true to our understanding, here in our own time.
- Robert Aitken Roshi, Original Dwelling Place
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