IPV Statement on the Murder of George Floyd

Be a light unto yourself; betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth.
          ~ The Buddha
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
          ~ June Jordan

The killing of George Floyd has had a crushing impact on our hearts, both on its own and as one in a long line of acts of police violence against black people in this country. Indeed, it occurred very close on the heels of the police killing of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia.  We stand in solidarity with those who are rising up to say that state violence against people of color must end. We resonate deeply with the grief and clarity being expressed now by so many across our country. 

The Buddha said “hold fast to the truth,” the dharma.  In this moment of global crisis, we are called upon to face the truth of racism individually and in community. We recognize racism and white supremacy have a long legacy in this country. Let us further draw on the steadiness of mind and the expansiveness of heart that we cultivate in our practice to take compassionate, discerning, decisive action against racism. It is crucial that we reject complacency and indifference in the face of violence and that we understand there are many ways to root out systemic racism and its impacts.  At the bottom of this email is a non-inclusive list of possible actions. We cite these not to endorse any particular action but to point to the many possibilities available to us, and to illustrate that, as dharma practitioners, in each moment, we have a choice to make about whether and how to take action. Each of us can look into our hearts and decide on any appropriate action based on the conditions of our lives.

To ground our intentions in the dharma, we encourage you to attend two upcoming IPV offerings:

• This Tuesday from 8:30 to 10:00 pm EST Insight Pioneer Valley will hold its first in a weekly series of joint offerings with Minneapolis’s Common Ground Meditation Center (feel free to attend this late evening event and leave early if necessary). The joint offering is entitled “The Dharma Among Us” and features teachers from across the country. This Tuesday, IPV teacher Devin Berry will co-lead, with a talk focusing on compassionate action.  Zoom link.
• In her Wednesday night dharma talk from 7:00 to 8:30 pm, IPV teacher Jean Esther will focus on The Noble Eightfold Path Factor of Wise Action. Zoom Link. Password: 242. 

We are also offering small, peer-led discussion groups on the topic of how sangha members might bring their dharma practice into conversation with anti-racist political action and awareness.  If you are interested in participating in one of these groups, you can sign up here.
 
We leave you with a poem by Ross Gay quoted below, which illustrates the benefit of the good actions taken by those we have lost that continue to reverberate through our lives. In the days ahead, let us find refuge in our wholesome actions and those of many others.

With Metta,
Trellis Stepter, Board President
Tara Mulay, Interim Guiding Teacher
The Beloved Community Builders Committee of the Board of Insight Pioneer Valley

A Small Needful Fact
Is that Eric Garner worked
for some time for the Parks and Rec.
Horticultural Department, which means,
perhaps, that with his very large hands,
perhaps, in all likelihood,
he put gently into the earth
some plants which, most likely,
some of them, in all likelihood,
continue to grow, continue
to do what such plants do, like house
and feed small and necessary creatures,
like being pleasant to touch and smell,
like converting sunlight
into food, like making it easier
for us to breathe.

~Ross Gay 

More information...

• Out Now, Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, and Arise for Social Justice in Springfield are urging the city to adopt 'Police Liability Insurance' as a condition of employment to weed out violent police. You can learn more and sign the petition here.
• Organizations, such as Insight Meditation Society, have made their intentions and positions clear. Read their letter now.
• Movement for Black Lives provides updates on actions available by texting ‘ActionNOW’ to 90975.
• Opportunities to provide community care for those protesting, for example, include supporting Minnesota Freedom Fund or North Star Health Collective, and for those incarcerated during Covid-19. Learn more at Community Justice Exchange.
• Black Lives Matter will hold a demonstration in Northampton on June 6 (in a safe, social distancing manner). Click to see the Facebook event.
• 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice.​
• On June 2, 2020, EmbraceRace is holding a webinar on talking about race with your children.