Interdependence

Kaivalya is the sanskrit word for independence. It means absoluteness; to be free from the cycle of karma.

It's Independence Day in America. After a week of freedoms taken away from women and the environment, this country feels anything but free. So I'd like to talk about how we get to a place of being free from the cyclical existence we know of a birth and death. This is symbolized by the ourboros, the snake eating its tail in the painting above. And the Buddha's topnot is the symbol of awareness which breaks through this cycle.

A friend recently asked how to find out about past lives. I wondered, "What’s the intention or hope in discovering past lives?" I’m reminded of the Indigo Girl's song, Galelio, "And now I'm serving time for mistakes made by another in another lifetime. How long til, my soul gets it right... If we wait for the time til our souls get it right, then at least I know there'll be no nuclear annihilation." This is the understanding of karma I had for many years. It feeds the blame culture we live in. It can also fuel entitlement and a lack of responsibily all around. It's easier to blame or ride the merit of a past life for our current situation rather than embody the genuine experience of this moment and respond with awarness.

There's another concept in Buddhism, I'd like to offer up as a stepping stone to Absolute Independence. It's the idea of Interdependence. And I've used the arm of an octopus in this painting to symbolize the interdependent nature of separate parts working together for the whole. Its not just the karma of past lives that lends itself to whether our experiences are pleasant or unpleasant, its the interdependence of the component parts that contributes as well. To name a few, these parts are made of our energy from what we put in our bodies and mind, emotion, thought, social construct, family of orign, country and culture, class, race and religion, we see the layers of influence on our thinking.

Understanding interdependence has been empowering for me. It has allowed me to feel the impact of the supreme court decision, on a personal level and on a national level. We need to deeply feel, to weep, to be angry. And that anger can turn into research, discovery, mobilization, donations and making more knowledge and resources available to those in need.

You cannot live in this world and not be touched by something painful. To feel the pain is to be a real human. Interdepence is feeling the pain of others and smoothing out the frayed edges in every part of the energetic cord. When we respond to our anger, our body begins to trust us and the force that animates all of live seeks to collaborate with us. Ideas come, healing comes.

It is my hope, like Thich Nhat Hahn said, "The future Buddha will be a sangha (community)." Our power lies in recognizing our interdepence and working together for absolute freedom for all people. Buddha means awakened mind, not closed mind, not narrow view. Buddha’s view is expansive, vast, all encompassing, indestructible, stable. What if we start to frame our view as a community and we support the organizations that are already doing this.

Your monthly contributions to what you ar epassionate about make a difference. No matter how small.

Our mind needs ways to pray, to ask for help, to ask to be united , in union, in yoga with love, with a mind that is all encompassing, stable, indestructible, clear like still water reflecting with clarity the landscape around it. Compassion amd empathy are still our greatest strengths despite the common view.

It’s essential that we highlight the good happening in the world. It’s imperative that we take our anger and channel it into research into the best candidates for the long haul, organizations that making social, environmental and human right their top priority. And it’s important that we join together in community often and remind ourselves of the like-mindedness and the majority that we are. innovation.