Mandy Kahn: Peace not opposite of war

(Sum of Some Books) Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace explained in 7 minutes (War and Peace)

Peace is not the opposite of war

Mandy Kahn (edited by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly)

We went LIVE in person in the PRS Library for the first and only time so far.

Inner peace begins when... (Tiny Buddha)

Peace is not the opposite of war. When true peace is present, war does not begin. When people who live in a war-ravaged society arrive at a place of true peace, they first tend to notice the absence of war. They are surprised to see that war is not there, so they say: "This state is the opposite of war."

But peace is not the opposite of war. What they are noticing when they enter the state of peace, the peace state, is the absence of war. We use this shorthand until we are hamstrung by it, defining peace as absence. But to define peace by what is not there is to fail to understand what IS there.

What is there? In the peace state, what is there is the experience of honoring all beings.

Let's bury them alive? War gives IDF meaning

What is there is an experience of deep and sustained compassion—a caring for all others as well as self.

What is there is an awareness that one’s true nature is loving and peaceful with a conscious, vibrant experience of one’s loving and peaceful nature.

What is there is a deep remembering of the interconnectedness (intermeshed oneness) of all beings.

When genocide is caught on film (NYT)

What is there is a natural honoring of our earth.

In this loving experience of compassion-without-end, war simply does not begin.

It is not that war is not allowed in the peace state—it’s that no one in the peace state ever chooses it. War not beginning is a result of what is present in the peace state. It is not that the "absence of war" is present, it’s that compassion-for-all-beings is present. And when compassion-for-all-beings is present, war is never present.

Definition

War Force  Gives Us Meaning

Defining peace as the opposite of war is like saying, "What’s notable about Los Angeles is that it’s not San Francisco." It’s like saying, "What we know about Los Angeles is that it is the place where the Golden Gate Bridge is not; therefore, Los Angeles is the opposite of the place where the Golden Gate Bridge is." This is nonsense.

This would be like teaching our children, "There is the Golden Gate Bridge, and there is Los Angeles, which is where the Golden Gate Bridge is not." Then our children would grow up to say, "Yes, Los Angeles, that’s the place where the Golden Gate Bridge is not!"

To associate peace with one thing that is not present in the peace state is to be distracted from what is there.

What is inherently present in the peace state is compassion-without-end, the honoring of all beings, the honoring of earth, a sense of the connectedness of all human beings, the knowledge of one’s inherent true nature, and the feeling of love-without-limits and without-end, unconditional love (Buddhist metta, Ancient Greek love).

These presences are all inherent aspects of peace. When we begin to think of peace in terms of its presences, we begin to understand what peace is, how to build it, how to sustain it, and how to share it.

An experience of peace

Then a wave of bliss came over me: metta

How do we know that we are having an experience of peace? We know we are in the peace state when we feel peace’s presences—love-without-end, compassion-without-end, a connection to all others, an awareness of our own loving and peaceful true nature, and an inherent honoring of the earth.

As a result of these presences, we act in ways that are respectful of self and others concurrently. These actions are a result of what we know when we are in the peace state, what we remember we are when we are in the peace state.

Misdefined peace

"Let that sh*t go," the Awakened One might say

When we make the mistake of defining peace as "the opposite of war," what is really happening is that we are confusing peace, a state in which war does not begin, and a ceasefire.

A ceasefire is an action taken as a step to end a war. Peace and ceasefire are two very different things. The fact that we have used one word to mean both indicates our fundamental confusion about the true nature of peace.

A "ceasefire" can only exist in a place where fighting is a possibility. In the peace state, fighting never begins. Therefore, a ceasefire cannot exist in the peace state. Conflating peace and ceasefire has created profound confusion—one of the greatest of our time.

That’s what makes this moment so powerful. We can begin, right NOW, to learn what peace is—to learn what is present when peace is. We can begin to understand the difference between peace and ceasefire, and to separate them as distinct. Once they are separated, we can begin to learn about peace free of confusion.

See you Wednesday for a guided meditation

Once we have begun to separate peace and ceasefire, we can begin to engage with true peace, as it is, without its power being dampened by the idea that it is a dance in-and-out of war.

A ceasefire is simply a part of the cycle of belligerence. The peace state is infinitely more powerful than any ceasefire. To equate peace with a ceasefire is to reduce peace’s power. To separate the concept of peace from the concept of a ceasefire is to return peace’s power to us.

• Mandy Kahn (mandykahn.com)

Mandy Kahn's Peace Class goes live every Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm (Pacific Time) on Zoom. It is free to attend. To sign up, visit: eventbrite.com/e/peace-class-with-mandy-kahn. To get Mandy Kahn's free weekly peace emails, visit: mandykahn.com.

• Mandy Kahn (text); Sum of Some Books (War and Peace summary); Dhr. Seven (ed.), Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly

Real life kindness caught on camera

Real life super people caught on camera

(#Mind Warehouse) Jan. 11, 2024: Rescue a kitty, stop a rolling car with bare hands, prevent a fight with pizza, it's metta-motivated super heroic magic. Let's discover the many ways to become a real-life superhero or heroine in this latest compilation!

BRAIN TIME ► goo.gl/tTWgH2. SLICED ► goo.su/v3QLR. For copyright matters, please contact: copymanager.mn@gmail.com. #MindWarehouse #IncredibleMoments #CaughtOnCamera  #MindWarehouse #IncredibleMoments #CaughtOnCamera #incredibleindia.

Animals that asked humans for help (video)

Give Love, Get Love and Happiness Now

Wisdom Quarterly EDITORIAL

I found the secret to love. You can choose it right now, just as you can choose happiness. It's available right here. But I, for one, won't "feel" it simply because I "choose" it. I'm too hardened. So I draw love out by tapping. I'm not after selfish, sloppy, sexy "love." But it is an option once you exude love. I'm after an altruistic, pure heart, with exploding energy LOVE.

The ancient Greeks knew how to distinguish the forms love takes: Agápe (αγάπη, altruistic compassion), Éros (έρως, passion with sensual desire and longing, not always sexual, but more than philia or friendship-love, partnership, appreciation of beauty), Philia (φιλία, friendship, familial, communal dedication, dispassionate virtuous loyalty), and Storge (στοργή, affection).

Unbounded metta (universal kindness, friendliness, connectedness) is the Buddhist all-inclusive term. The Buddha spoke in praise of it again and again -- a love full of concern but free of selfish-attachment. It has close companions in the other "Divine Abidings" here-and-now:

• karuna (compassion or urge to alleviate others' suffering)
• mudita (joy-because-of-others'-joy, altruism, sympathy)
• upekkha (impartiality, equanimity, unbiased regard for all).

Monks for War?

(Aljazeera/TamilVoice2009) Are Buddhist monks in the wrong for (apparently) promoting Sinhalese nationalism instead of universal compassion and impartiality (upekkha)? It all came to a head in Asia's longest-running civil war on the majority Buddhist island of Sri Lanka. In hopes of preserving their ancient religion and culture, some monks (JHU: National Heritage Party) may have gone too far. For they would have in the process engaged in counterproductive activities, disgracing the Dharma and the local Sangha.

• The Legend of Sinhala (Epic India)
• Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka
• List of Buddhist temples worldwide
• The new pro-war President Obama (WQ)

Antidotes to Meditation's "Five Hindrances"

Dharmachari Seven (for WQ)

Buddhist tradition specifies particular obstructions that prevent enlightenment. These "Five Hindrances" (pancha nivarana) retard progress in meditation, often making it impossible. So it is an excellent thing to be able to recognize them from afar and employ antidotes or at least engage evasive maneuvers. What five?

1. sensual desire
2. anger
3. restlessness
4. drowsiness
5. doubt

LUST: Sense desire (craving, gluttony, five strand sensuali-ty) is a great distraction from serenity, mindfulness, and en-lightenment. Concentration is the antidote. When the mind is strong enough to (seemingly) effortlessly stay on a single object, there is no danger of falling into the trap of discomfitting lust, greed, and yearning.

ANGER: Ill-will is a miserable tendency that destroys calm, cool, collected states of mind in a blinding instant -- like an explosive hot flash reducing everything to cinders. Not all but most people recognize anger as anathema and unpleasant.

Most people do not realize how much annoyance, irritation, and ill directed resentment they're carrying around -- that is, until they try to sit peacefully and silently for a few minutes. The antidote is cultivating kindness (metta), compassionate recognition (karuna), and joy-in-others-happiness (mudita). These give rise to a sublime state of looking on (upekkha) with acceptance and understanding. One becomes unflappable but perfectly able to respond. "Warm detachment" -- not to be confused with cold indifference. Try it, taste it, and you'll agree. Think about it, prejudge, and you'll argue.

RESTLESSNESS and worry, or being scattered, results from inattention to the object and too much effort. More effort makes one more awkward. inartful, and inarticulate. The more one wants something, the LESS one is able to get it. Think dating. Less apparent concern with the outcome, more confidence, paradoxically, MORE success. And with more success, more confidence.

Every Hollywood teen romance tells us so. The relaxed sports star, not the uptight scholar, gets all the dates. And more thinking won't make it otherwise. The same is true in meditation and teasing out the light of a concentrated mind coupled with a pacified heart (appeasement). Too much effort quickly leads to dissatisfaction and prematurely giving up.

DROWSINESS (sloth and torpor) occurs for two reasons. The truth will out on the cushion. Making too little effort -- whether from a lack of rest, lack of confidence, indiffer-ence, or stressed adrenals from an exhausting ("modern") lifestyle -- is one reason.

The other is a habit of delusion (moha) or foolishness (bala): If in the past (as now) one was not keen to hear the Truth, not interested in things as they are, but negligent, heedless, inattentive, then mindfulness, diligence, and one-pointedness leading to insight will take more time. Rest well before sitting, and persevere. Persistence and regularity are antidotes to pernicious drowsiness. Sporadic drowsiness is easier to deal with:

Get up. Walk around. Go somewhere cooler. Look up into the sky or at bright lights. Exercise. Splash water. Get rested up. Cup your eyes. Breathe fully. Tug on your earlobes. One yoga move, and there are many, was recently co-opted by a famous teacher and dubbed Superbrain Yoga. It's called thoppu karanam: pull your left ear with your right hand, and your right ear with your left while staring straight ahead and repeatedly squatting. It's good for autism and mental wandering (Hinduism Today, Summer 2009). For more simple solutions to boost vitality and energy instantly, see the work of Donna Eden.

DOUBT or nagging, distracting uncertainty (a lack of confi-dence in the Teaching, the Teacher, or the Taught) is overcome in two ways. Simply set it aside for now and meditate. Or get up and get your questions answered. There are many books, many teachers, many ways of explaining.

Entangled, caught in an All-Embracing Net of Views, one will not find a way out. Discursive thinking is a crutch. The way to meditation (kammatthana), to enlightenment (bodhi), or to skill in concentration (samadhi) is NOT thinking. It is not.

Thinking does many amazing things, but it does not lead to the goal (nirvana) nor even mundane accomplishments. Take the first route: suspend disbelief, lay down the doubting mind, abandon reasoning from a position of faulty assumptions. The Truth is true; your thinking won't make it otherwise. The Truth is here to see and inviting. There's a time to argue, a time to study, a time to investigate and question. That time is certainly not when you sit on a mat and cushion.

MEDITATION
Sitting is the time to practice -- like an idyllic childhood spent spinning a wheel with a stick -- mindful, seemingly effortless, accepting what comes along and overcoming simply with peace and persistence. To discouraged Hindus and Christians, this epoch is the dreaded Kali Yuga and the End Times, a dark age but in no way the end in the cycling of time and history. Ultimately and with each decision, we create our world. "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right!"

Things are what they are. More importantly, a world is what I make of it. Meditation, like life, is a canvass. And any painting is possible. Since things are not directly under our control, we influence and guide our lives. Our decisions and deeds lead to results and fruits, some immediate and some eventual. No one looks back and regrets meditating. But those who regret never starting or not starting sooner are twenty cents for two dozen.

Four Immeasurables: Brahma Viharas

Chenrezig (embodiment of compassion): Kalu Rinpoche said "one does not think of the deity's body as solid or material, made of flesh and blood like one's ordinary body, or made of metal or stone like an idol. One thinks of its appearance as inseparable from emptiness, like a rainbow or like a reflection in a mirror."

THE FOUR IMMEASURABLES
Also known as the Brahma Viharas (the "supreme" or "divine abidings"), the Four Immeasurable states are found in one brief and beautiful contemplation:

May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes,
May all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes,
May all sentient beings be blissful without suffering,
May all sentient beings be equanimous, free of bias,

attachment, and anger.

Humorous talk by Kusala Bhikshu, August 2008*

The Buddha taught the following to his son Rahula, as related in "Old path white clouds" by Thich Nhat Hahn:

"Rahula, practice loving-kindness to overcome anger. Loving-kindness has the capacity to bring happiness to others without demanding anything in return. Practice compassion to overcome cruelty. Compassion has the capacity to remove the suffering of others without expecting anything in return.

"Practice sympathetic-joy [a.k.a., empathy] to overcome hatred. Sympathetic-joy arises when one rejoices over the happiness of others and wishes others well-being and success. Practice non-attachment to overcome prejudice. Non-attachment is the way of looking at all things openly and equally. This is because that is. Myself and others are not separate. Do not reject one thing only to chase after another.

I call these the Four Immeasurables. Practice them and you will become a refreshing source of vitality and happiness for others." (To meditate on these, see List of Sample Meditations).

LOVE

One definition of love in Buddhism is "wanting others to be happy." This love is unconditional and it requires a lot of courage and acceptance (including self-acceptance). The "near enemy" of love, or a quality which appears similar, but is more an opposite is conditional-love (selfish love, see also attachment). The opposite is wanting others to be unhappy -- anger, hatred. A result which one needs to avoid is attachment.

This definition means that "love" in Buddhism refers to something quite different from the ordinary term of love, which is usually about attachment, more or less successful relationships and sex, all of which are rarely without self-interest.

Instead, love in Buddhism refers to detachment and an unselfish interest in others' welfare.

"Even offering three hundred bowls of food three times a day does not match the spiritual merit gained in one moment of love" -- Nagarjuna.

"If there is love, there is hope that one may have real families, real brotherhood, real equanimity, real peace. If the love within your mind is lost and you see other beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education or material comfort you have, only suffering and confusion will ensue" -- the Dalai Lama from The little book of Buddhism.

COMPASSION

The definition of compassion is wanting others to be free from suffering. It happens when one feels sorry with someone, and one feels an urge to help. The near enemy of it is pity, which keeps others at an emotional distance, without the urge to help. The opposite is wanting others to suffer, or cruelty. Another result one needs to avoid is sentimentality. Compassion thus refers to an unselfish, detached emotion that gives one a sense of urgency in wanting to help others.

From a Buddhist perspective, helping others to reduce their physical or mental suffering is very good, but the ultimate goal is to extinguish all suffering by stopping the process of rebirth and the suffering that automatically comes with conditioned living (enlightenment).

The attitude of a so-called Bodhisattva is Bodhicitta [bodhi = "enlightenment," citta = "mind"]. This is the ultimate compassionate motivation, the wish to liberate all sentient beings from the suffering of cyclic existence. Therefore, one wishes to become a fully enlightened Buddha oneself in order to act as the perfect guide for them. (See compassion).

SYMPATHETIC JOY

The definition of empathy is being happy with someone else's good fortune/happiness. Sympathetic joy here refers to the potential of bliss and happiness of all sentient beings, as they can all become Buddhas. The near enemy is hypocrisy or affectation. The opposite is jealousy, when one cannot accept the happiness of others. A result that one needs to avoid is spaced-out bliss, which can easily turn into laziness. Note that sympathetic joy is a great antidote to depression as well, but this is not the main goal. By rejoicing in others' progress on the spiritual path, one can actually share in their positive karma. Sympathetic joy is an unselfish, very positive mental attitude beneficial for oneself and others. In this case, it also refers specifically to rejoicing in the high rebirth and enlightenment of others.

EQUANIMITY

The definition is not to distinguish between friend, enemy, or stranger, but instead to regard every sentient-being as equal. It is a clear minded, tranquil state of mind -- not being overpowered by delusions, mental dullness, or agitation.

The near enemy is indifference. It is tempting to think that "not caring" is equanimity, but that is just a form of egotism.

The opposite is anxiety, worry, stress, and paranoia caused by dividing people into "good" and "bad." One can worry forever if a good friend may not be a bad person after all, thus spoiling trust and friendship. A result to be avoided is apathy as a result of "not caring" enough.

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Equanimity is the basis for unconditional, altruistic love, compassion, and joy over others' happiness and Bodhicitta. When there is discrimination between friends and enemies, how can one ever help all sentient-beings? Equanimity is an unselfish, detached state of mind that also prevents one from doing negative actions.

If one tries to befriend an enemy for even a moment, that person becomes a friend. The same thing occurs when one treats a friend as an enemy. Therefore, by understanding the impermanence of temporal relations, wise ones are never attached to food, clothing, reputation, or to friends and enemies.

"The father becomes the son in another life, mother becomes the wife, enemy becomes friend; it always changes. Therefore, there is nothing definite in Samsara" -- the Buddha.

The foundation for practicing the seven-point cause and effect method is cultivating a mind of equanimity. Without this foundation one is unable to have an impartial, altruistic view, because without equanimity one is always partial towards relatives and friends. Realizing that it is better to be without prejudice, hatred, or desire towards enemies, friends, or neutral persons, thus lay a very firm foundation of equanimity -- the Dalai Lama, from Path to Bliss: A Practical Guide to Stages of Meditation.

It is said that the awareness of a Buddha is completely even, like the ocean, taking in equally the joys and sorrows of all people, friends, loved ones, relatives, and those never met. This is the meaning of a statement made by so many of the world's great spiritual teachers, "Love your enemy." It does not mean love the person you hate. One cannot do that. Love those who hate you (from Buddhism with an Attitude: The Tibetan Seven-Point Mind-Training).

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*Urban Dharma: Kusala Bhikshu (http://www.dharmatalks.info/) is an American born Buddhist monk living in Los Angeles, California. He shares his understanding of Buddhism in a simple, non-technical way through stories, humor, and personal insights. He spoke on the Four Immeasurables at the One Spirit Center for Conscious Living in Simi Valley, CA on 8/4/08.

• More information: http://www.kusala.info/
• Free EBooks on Buddhism: http://www.buddhabooks.info/
• Video (2 min video "The Fly" on meditation): http://www.dharmatube.org/