Contemplative Practice and Social Engagement
Better Together or Separate?
I’ve been longing for a Kansas City community that blends contemplative ways of being with social engagement and takes a stand when it makes sense to. It feels like a need for me at this moment. Spaces like this have existed elsewhere. Perhaps its too fraught to sustainably blend discussion of social problems, advocacy and activism with contemplative practice. Maybe they don’t mix, like oil and water.
Maybe they’re ultimately a toxic combination like bleach and vinegar, though useful when applied separately in their specific contexts.
Perhaps its just a misunderstanding. Some people think of practices like meditation and yoga as no more than a welcome reprieve from the pressures of life rather than as a way to live with greater presence.
In his post “How Are You Practicing With Your Overwhlem”, New York Zen Center teacher Koshin Paley Ellison writes that in his own contemplative tradition, “…we do not cultivate attention in such a way to only focus our concentration; instead, we liberate our attention so that we can pay attention in a 360-degree way. The expansion of our attention can liberate wisdom, promote mental flexibility, and introduce us (again!) to the compassion in the whole of our life—moment by moment…”
Koshin continues, “Attention is not about trying to myopically focus on only one thing,” rather it allows us to “expansively open up to include and experience more of the whole… learning how to pay attention is, ultimately, learning how to bear witness to what is intimate, and to not turn away from it… When we’re willing to go toward what we conditionally fear, that’s a road to freedom.”
To me it seems like an incredible resource to combine contemplation and activism. Burnout is rampant among activists and contemplative practices could help build compassion and resilience. In her wonderful post, Building Community is Hard, Keeping it is Harder, Adriana DiFazio writes about the emotional awareness it takes to build and maintain beloved community.
I often find that transformative justice practices are only helpful when the participants are emotionally regulated and self-aware enough to engage. How do we put these practices into action when our personal emotional and interpersonal skills are underdeveloped? …we need spiritual and embodiment practices that soften our sense of self and nurture a culture of care. - Adriana DiFazio
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship, currently on pause, is one organization with a rich history that blended contemplative practice with engagement with the current moment. I attended several of their wonderful offerings during Harvard's Buddhism and Race Conference. Their model is:
Block: resisting harm and injustice
Build: cultivating relationships, communities, and new structures
Be: contemplative practices for resilience and liberation
I’m not at all interested in stoking aggression and hatred, which is an understandable temptation in this fraught season. In my experience blending contemplative skills and practice with social engagement has helped me find balance, relate more compassionately, and stay in connection with my deeper intentions. It seems to me it could help ensure the work is sustainable and the means are in alignment with the intended end.
Some people say they need a separation between their activism and their contemplative practice - and I recognize there are many kinds of needs. Voicing my need at this moment feels like sending out a signal flare. This was how the Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness was born. I voiced a need and happily others responded, “Me too!” I’m wondering if there are others nearby feeling the way I do.
As we move further into the personal and political the rest is paywalled. Please reach out if you have a financial barrier but would really like to read on.