Long Walks On Leafy Streets

9/12/2013 Jane's Island State Park, Crisfield, MD
Last weekend Nicole and I went to New York City to see and listen to Thich Nhat Hanh. He is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and we both admire him personally and for his teachings. Thich Nhat Hanh or, as his followers call him, “Thay” (teacher) lives in a monastery in France where he has been in exile since the days of the Vietnam war. He is in his late eighties and he is currently on a tour of the U.S where he has established three monasteries. I have seen him twice before, both during his public speeches, but this was Nicole’s first time seeing him and she was very excited about it. I was also excited about it, but was also going through some turbulence in my mind.
During all of last week, ever since we returned from our trip to the Eastern Shore, I have been reading and thinking about the happenings in Syria. I watched the Senate hearings on the proposed military action. I was in agreement with President Obama that military action had to be taken.
This caused a lot of agonizing because many people who are near and dear to me , including Nicole and my colleague Francois, are opposed to military action. I understand their position completely, because I share the same opposition to war, weapons and excessive buildup of the military. Moreover, who would want to be responsible, even in an infinitesimal amount, to the deaths of civilians that might happen as a result of any military action?
This made me look into myself deeper and ask hard questions of myself. Am I putting too much faith in President Obama? Is there a part of me deep inside that likes war and fighting? I did grow up playing with toy guns, like many boys, and liking war movies and still watch them time-to-time apart from watching football games. I also admire those who are able to do difficult tasks such as flying fighter planes (my dear friend Ganesh used to do that) or fight in battles risking their lives in the process. These tasks require much courage, skill and concentration. They also bring one face to face with death. Looking deeply into oneself and into the nature of life also requires courage, skill, concentration and the willingness to contemplate the fragile nature of life.
It also made me think about the nature of peace and peace in nature. What is peace, really? Being with nature helps me to be peaceful, but is nature by itself peaceful? What is true compassion? If we see someone harming an innocent, would it be compassionate to attach the attacker, if that is the only way to rescue the innocent? There is much suffering in this world, both amongst humans and among animals and plants. One way to think about peace would be to say that peace is about bringing about the well being of all, to care about all creatures. As I wrote in this blog two weeks ago, the Vedas pray for the peace and well being of all living beings. Animals and plants do attack each other, but they do it for survival, mostly. As human beings we are blessed with a consciousness that feels a connection with all beings, and I believe it is our duty to live in such a way that promotes the well being of all. So I asked myself, am I truly being compassionate by supporting military action?
So it was with a heavy heart and unsettled mind that I embarked on this trip. On Saturday morning we took the BoltBus from Union station. We had just enough time to have an Italian lunch at Serafina not far from the Beacon theater where the talk was held. There was a long line to get into the theater. Most of the people there seemed to be affluent and white, perhaps reflecting the population of the Upper West side. There was a marked contrast between the bustling noisy lobby and the peaceful meditative atmosphere inside the auditorium. Thay was already seated along with the monks and the nuns of his order when we entered. Soon he started speaking. There was also chanting of the Avalokiteswara mantra.
Because of my slight hearing impairment, I was unable to hear clearly every word of Thay. Perhaps due to the turbulence in my own mind I was disturbed more than I should have been by the noise outside the doors of the auditorium. I was also struck by the incongruity of this talk by Thay inside an auditorium that was decorated with sculptures and paintings with martial themes.
Nevertheless, the calmness that was exuded by Thay as well as the sublime vibrations created by the chants slowly reduced the turbulence in my mind. I was amazed by how he was able to maintain an absolute stillness of body and mind in front of hundreds of people. If he was bothered, even superficially, by people continuing to arrive after the program had started and the noise outside I couldn’t notice it.
Thay talked about mindfulness, compassion, the five mindfulness trainings and mindful living. I was familiar with most of the things he talked about, from his books and tapes, so it didn’t matter that I couldn’t hear him clearly. He talked for more than an hour. The program lasted for almost two hours. As the time went by I felt my heart soften and my mind calm down. Thay was also very relaxed, smiling constantly and often making jokes. On a lighter note, I couldn’t help but notice the similarity between the face of Thay and that of Yoda, the Star Wars character.
I felt so fortunate to sit in close proximity to such an enlightened and supremely calm and compassionate human being. At times just watching him brought tears to my eyes to think of what a great person he was, living as he does in our world of material ambitions and constant conflict. I hope and pray that we are all able to continue his inspired way of living. He likes to say that his followers are his continuation. I hope we live up to that lofty expectation.
Nicole also felt inspired by the experience. She was particularly touched by the singing of a very elderly nun at the close of the program. She was thrilled when that nun walked past us while we were exiting the auditorium. Later that evening we walked to the area where the 9-11 memorials were being built. On Sunday morning after brunch we spent some time in Bryant Park. It was nice to sit near the grass surrounded by the rows of Sycamore trees bordering the park. There is a certain beauty to the tall buildings on all sides. Walking on some of the streets feels like being in a cavern, with enormous walls on either side.
As we were getting ready to leave on Sunday afternoon I reflected on what I had learned from the whole experience. I guess what I really received was a certain sense of being at peace with myself. I had reached certain conclusions based on what I knew and what I felt was right. None of us has the perfect answer to any particular question; none of us knows exactly what is right. I do what I can to advance the well being of all. If I were to truly help the people of Syria in a compassionate way I should be there practicing non-violent resistance or organizing peace marches within Syria. But since I am not doing that, I should just relax and be at peace with myself.

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