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The Dude and the Zen Master Talk Peace [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-10-23  

The Dude and the Zen Master Talk Peace

A friend reminded me of the Zen master and social activist Bernie Glassman and the Zen Peacemakers (https://zenpeacemakers.org) the other day. So I went over my notes on

The Dude and the Zen Master , a conversation between Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman (NY: Blue Rider Press, 2012 ISBN 978-0-399-16164-3)

Here are some of the ideas that still speak to me:

(page 8) [BG] I was an aeronautical engineer and mathematician in my early years, but mostly I've taught Zen Buddhism, and that's where we both met. Not just in meditation which is what most people think of when they hear Zen, but the Zen of action, of living freely in the world without causing harm, of relieving our own suffering and the suffering of others.

(129) [BG] For me, being at peace means I'm interconnected.

(130) [BG] I'm Buddhist, but as you know, I'm also Jewish. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. Many people know that word, but what they may not know is that the root of shalom is shalem, which means whole. To make something shalem, to make peace, is to make whole. There's a Jewish mystical tradition that at the time of the Creation, God's light filled a cup, but the light was so strong that the cup shattered into fragments scattered throughout the universe. And the role of the righteous person, the mensch, is to bring the fragments back and connect them to restore the cup. That's what I mean by peace. For me, peace means whole.

257-258) [JB] Buddhist Five Remembrances

I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.

I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health.

I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.

All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

from _Plum Village Chanting Book_ by Thich Nhat Hanh

(178) [BG] I have lots of hope. Expectation is the bummer; that's where I get into trouble. As long as hope is without expectation or attachment, there's no problem.

More of my notes at http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2023/10/quotes-from-dude-and-zen-master.html

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