Calming the Fearful Mind: A Zen Response to Terrorism

Meditation is no longer the work of individuals; meditation in our time should be a collective practice.

Only listen to and speak with people who nourish love and understanding in you, unless you are speaking with someone with the sole purpose of helping them to transform their suffering and violence.

It is not about "doing" something, it's about "being" something-being peace, being hope, being solid-every action will come out of that, because peace, stability, and freedom always seek a way to express themselves in action.

When you already have the energy of mindfulness in you born from your daily practice, you have enough calm and insight to recognize, embrace, look deeply at, and understand your suffering.

We all have to suffer less in order to restore some kind of balancewithin ourselves. Only then can we engage in meaningful and effective efforts to build peace in the world.

Appropriate political and social solutions can only arise when suffering is acknowledged and understood.

Priority to speak would be given to those whose voices are not already represented in the decision-making process, such as schoolteachers, spiritual leaders, doctors, parents, union and nonunion workers, business people, artists, writers, children, social workers, experienced mediators, psychologists, and nurses.

The Buddha is still helping us 2,6oo years later.

Ifyou do not knowhowto take care of your fear, anger, and despair, if you do not know how to calm yourself, how can you negotiate peace?

Right Understanding involves understanding suffering and seeing what governments could do to make social justice, mutual respect, and tolerance a reality.