Roshi Joan Halifax joins Raghu to talk about anger and the integration of justice and love.
What do we do with the anger incited by social injustice? Roshi Joan talks about equanimity and the role that our perspective of anger plays in the integration of justice and love.
Show Notes
Integration of Justice and Love (Opening) – The presidential election and inauguration may be over, but its effects are growing every day. Roshi Joan Halifax shares where she was at on Election Day and her feelings about the fallout of that evening. She talks about how her feelings towards the current political situation have energized her to mobilize herself and work for the integration of justice and love.
“We are living in a world where our ability to perceive what is true, just in terms of everyday facts, is being eroded by our attention being fragmented; by our media; by our digital devices; by an alt-fact world.”
Wisdom in Anger (18:00) – What do we do with the anger incited by social injustice and how do we take action without anger? Raghu gets a much different answer than he expected from Roshi Joan. We have to understand our anger in perspective and she shows us just how we can do that.
“The seed of wisdom in anger is clear discernment.”
Our Polarization (28:50) – Raghu shares a dialog between himself and a long time Ram Dass student around polarization. Roshi Joan and Raghu talk about the division generated by our political environment and the kinds of interactions they have had recently.
Empathy (38:00) – Raghu shares an excerpt from an interview with Roshi Joan about empathy and not becoming overwhelmed by bad news. She talks about how we can empathize with an unprincipled other and normalize otherwise impermissible behavior.
“Empathy is the experience of resonance; it is being somatically, affectively, and cognitively with another. The other doesn’t necessarily have to be a good person.”
Equanimity (45:45) – Raghu and Roshi Joan talk about what it takes to meet our challenges with equanimity. She shares her experiences working in the prison system and the lessons that it taught her.
“Equanimity is grounded in the experience of letting go. The world in and around us is constantly changing. One moment your brother is alive; the next moment he is dead in a car accident. One morning you feel a lump in your breast, and your life changes in a way that you cannot avoid. One afternoon the doctor says that you have inoperable cancer with three months to live. The following year, free of cancer, you are putting your life together again.” – Equanimity: The Fourth Abode
If you do not already subscribe, check out Roshi Joan on the Be Here Now Network Guest Podcast page.
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Image via Bruce Rolff