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on
the 5th Anniversary of the War
| On March 19 at 6:30pm, practitioners in four different
cities across California taught a free meditation
class on the subject of peace, bringing awareness
to the 5th anniversary of the Iraq War. Below is
a synopsis of each class - a powerful peace offering
for our mandala and the world at large. |
| On March 19th, a Maha Siddha Dharma
peace vigil was held for the 5th anniversary of
the Iraq War. I had the honor of co-leading the
event in Berkeley with Inayat Shiva. It was a wonderful
experience. We shared the vision for the evening
which led to a group discussion. I noticed that
people were really interested in exploring how they
could help create change with working with their
mind as a foundation. I think people really understood
the meaning of how the root of war starts with our
own mind. After the discussion Inayat led a beautiful
Shitro practice. It was really powerful to offer
that practice as a group to the many beings who
have died in Iraq. |
Mohammed
Shiva
Berkeley, CA |
| Tonight felt like a great opportunity
for us all to come together and look at how our
own aggression plays out in the world and how it
affects others. It felt really powerful for our
community to look at the root of aggression and
not blame others. It was exciting to hear people
discussing the war and not blaming "them"
or "those people." Being responsible for
our own aggression and being constructive in our
participation in our political process. Members
of our community are actively staying up to date
on the current political climate. We are not blindly
letting the world happen to us. Our training in
The Dharma is preparing us to be conscious in our
political activism and aware of our responsibility
for what's happening in our name. |
Inayat
Shiva
Berkeley, CA |
Janak
Kimmel
Grass Valley, CA
|
For the Peace Offering in Grass Valley,
we read Kali Ma's letter reminding us of the high
cost of the Iraqi war in lives lost and massive
suffering for millions of people and examining how
our own personal habits of aggression and aversion
are connected to such larger scale events. We did
a brief practice of meditation and a blessing visualization
for those who have been harmed by this war. Then
we had discussion which focused on the personal
story of someone at the event whose husband had
suffered greatly as a veteran of the Vietnam war.
It was a reminder of the long-term suffering that
continues after these events become long past history. |
| I was happy to be a co-leader of the
LA Peace Offering with Serge Berkley. The evening
had a feeling of openness for me. I felt everyone
was authentic in their expression of how they relate
to the current war and also how they are disconnected
from the war. It felt as though everyone had a wonderful
experience and brought about some personal insight
into "war." Personally, I felt disconnected
from the depth of the tragedy and desensitized from
the pain that so many go through. This evening of
practice and dialogue helped me to feel more compassion
for those that suffer. Most people who attended
expressed that they can see how their violent actions
in the world are symbolic of a personal war and
that simply bringing awareness to this dynamic helps
to bring more compassion and light into world one
person at a time. |
Zat
Baraka
Los Angeles, cA |
Serge
Berkley
Los Angeles, CA |
The peace offering in LA was held
at an interesting moment in time since Tibet has
been in such explosive turmoil. This provided a
good context to begin our conversation. Everyone
truly understood that the root of war lies within
human beings themselves. People were quite open
to discuss and dialogue about their feelings. After
practicing Tantra Yoga Sadhana, a new space opened
up. We continued talking afterwards until later
than expected, as everyone had an experience of
looking at the war inside their own minds. It was
profound and jovial, even while maintaining awareness
of the war that this planet is stricken with every
day. Everyone agreed that it is up to each one of
us to decide how deeply we can get involved in the
political process of stopping war on a global scale,
but it is our duty as individuals to dismantle the
roots of war by purifying the karma inside of ourselves.
The first step towards true peace... |
Rigpa
Das Chiurazzi
San Diego, CA |
The peace vigil in San Diego was a
chance to encounter my own contribution to war in
the world. Being with others who were willing to
do the same made it a revelation. Four of us gathered,
read Rinpoche's letter, and shared personal experiences
with anger. We realized that if we amplified our
anger, it could produce what we see taking place
on the world stage right now! We acknowledged how
we relinquish responsibility for working for peaceful
means when we give into anger patterns. The event
has become a beacon that shines even more light
on the importance of taking full responsibility
for my anger and taking whatever means necessary
to find ways to cut through the confusion that is
at the root of it. |
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