This Black History Month, may we be inspired to draw on history, lineage, memory, and wisdom as a portal to groundedness amidst so much uncertainty, fear, and moment-to-moment turns of events. That is what I was reminded of when I sat with IMCW teacher Ayesha Ali this past Saturday at the LGBTIQA+ sangha, who taught on this timely theme. Imagining the incredible joys and sorrows people and peoples have experienced since time immemorial all over the world gives some perspective that our current moment is not new, but is part of the continuous unfolding that the Buddha identified. As Ayesha says, “Life is not this idea of human progress in a straight line. The Buddha taught us that it is a circle – samsara is a circle.”
Greed, hatred, and delusion are not going anywhere. No effort to extinguish them is ever truly over. If you find yourself, like I have, full of emotion as you watch the wheel of samsara turn yet again, may you be comforted by the many, many beings who have been here before. May their memory remind you of the lifetimes of practice at our backs, collectively from ancestors both blood and chosen, through lineage and culture. Rest up, ground down, and touch your heart and the earth. Let the teachings guide you, so your life can be a vessel to transform greed, hatred, and delusion – inside yourself and in the community where you live. And you might want to practice in community with amazing teachers like Ayesha. She is hosting the Heartwidth sangha this coming Sunday online.
by Em Morrison
