An Open Letter from Buddhist and Yoga Teachers and Leaders in Support of the Occupy Movement

Well, folks, I’ve been occupied by the Occupy movement lately and haven’t devoted much time to posting on Jizo. I am so grateful that Michael Stone and Ethan Nichtern took the initiative to write a powerful letter connecting the dots between yoga and dharma practice and the Occupy movement.  Here’s an excerpt:

This movement has given voice to a near-universal frustration with the economic and political disenfranchisement of so many. It offers a needed counterbalance to a system that saps the life energy of the overwhelming majority –– the so-called 99% –– generating vast profits for a tiny handful, without maximizing the true potential for widespread wealth creation in our society. While our practice challenges us to cultivate compassion for 100% of human beings without villifying an “enemy,” our practice also calls on us to challenge a system that causes such clear harm and imbalance.

We share in the thoughtful calls to address massive unemployment, climate change, the erosion of social safety nets, decaying infrastructures, social and education programs, and workers’ wages, rights, and benefits.

I was honored to be invited to sign the letter, along with other dharma practitioners I respect and love such as Roshi Joan Halifax, Sharon Salzberg, Acharya Fleet Maull, Rev. angel Kyodo williams, Sarah Weintraub, and more.

You can read the complete letter here: http://occupysamsara.org/

And I’ll be back with more good stuff soon. May you and all beings be free from suffering.