Healing Personal & Collective Wounds

 

12.09.2022 HEALING PERSONAL & COLLECTIVE WOUNDS Noting that we live in a “time of global trauma,” Tara Brach writes in the January 2023 issue of Lion’s Roar that “we need practices that can evolve consciousness from ‘self vs. other’ and ‘us vs. them’ to ‘we’ practices that motivate us to act on behalf of our collective well-being.” Directly or indirectly, we can be affected by trauma on the individual, collective, generational, and even planetary levels. Thankfully, practitioners of Buddhism and mindfulness — one or the other, or both — are well-equipped with wisdom for becoming more aware of and sensitive to trauma of each level. “The spiritual path is often considered individual work,” Brach writes, “yet our inner personal practice is inseparable from our ways of engaging with our wider society. As awareness awakens, we realize our connectedness and oneness with all parts of life.” In that spirit, this Lion’s Roar Weekend Reader shares Brach’s article, plus two more fascinating perspectives on working with trauma. May these teachings help us to all awaken together. —Rod Meade Sperry, Digital Editorial Director, Lion’s Roar

Dharma for a Traumatized World The cause of our global suffering is forgetting that we belong to one another and to the earth. Tara Brach recommends four practices to nourish a sense of collective belonging. In this traumatized world, many people are coming to meditation classes asking, How can I navigate these difficult times? How can spiritual teachings and practices help me find healing, connection, and freedom?

The Trauma of an American Untouchable Arisika Razak shares her reflections on trauma, oppression, and healing the wounds of racism. Most Euro-Americans assume I’ve transcended the traumas of slavery. I hold several academic degrees, my son graduated from college, and my Euro-American spouse is also middle-class. But I am a dark-skinned Black woman, and at the end of the day I am still an “American Untouchable,” the term used by Isabel Wilkerson to describe those at the bottom of America’s racialized caste system.

Heal the Wounds and Trauma DaRa Williams, Devin Berry, Noliwe Alexander, and Rosetta Saunders share what they feel is the most helpful message Buddhism can offer in coming decades. As people of color in particular enter into the sanctuary of convert Buddhist communities, many are seeking refuge from the tumultuous political landscape and uptick of racial hatred that has gripped the psyche of our nation. This has catalyzed people to explore meditation practices as a way to alleviate both individual and collective trauma. In this light, we need to examine and clarify what is being taught in Buddhist communities today. Then we will have an understanding that allows for changing and including what needs to change to address societal suffering.

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