When the Buddha attained awakening he felt truly alone in nuanced understanding. How could he help others to understand what he had seen?
He began at the beginning, with the origin of suffering. To help a world filled with materialism and violence, we must first see how we ourselves create and perpetuate suffering. With that awareness of how we cause harm to ourselves and others, we gain insight into skillful ways we could help others.
In this gathering we will explore bringing dharma practice into broader life situations including social issues. One of the most effective tools in social action is non-violence. From the Buddha to Gandhi and Dr King nonviolent action has been used to great effect.
Compassionate social action is an opportunity for growth and deeper understanding. It begins at home, and in our very heart. As the Zen adage goes, as the person, so the state and as the state, the world.