The recent election has troubled me and caused me to wonder how to respond. Lashing out with the same ugly tactics does not improve the state of the world. Neither does apathy and inaction. I have been asking myself, “What would Martin (MLK) do?” How to be kind without falling into being “nice”, appeasing the hateful?
A Time for Discernment – A Muslim Woman Calls on her Buddhist Cousins in Faith, a post by a Muslim woman on a Buddhist site, lays out a path for the faithful of all religions and peoples.
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. is probably the best known of American activist-contemplatives. There are contemporary activist-contemplatives, but none as well known. Ethan Nichtern is one I pay attention to. His lineage is Shambhala Buddhism (Tibetan). He is the founder of the Interdependence Project—change your mind to change the world. Interdependence is a fancy word for “we’re all in this together”. He recently posted a 7-Point Practice Plan for Engaged Mindfulness in 2017 on his blog. With a little translation, it’s applicable to activist-contemplatives in any tradition.