Good morning, everyone. Good to see you all. I'm speaking from just north of the border from Chicago. Good to see you all up in Wisconsin. And I'm going to be talking about Bodhisattva politics today, as I did last week. Can you hear me okay? Can you see me okay? Yes. Go ahead. Okay, so, yeah, I'm going to be talking today about bodhisattva politics and particularly about ethical conduct in terms of that. So, for those who may not be Buddhist, bodhisattvas are beings, people, or other beings who are dedicated to

[01:02]

Freeing all beings. To relieving all beings of suffering. To supporting life. To... Hello, Joe. To including all beings. So... Bodhisattva practice is not at all separate from politics. Bodhisattva practice, including meditation, chanting, and... other practices, give us some glimpse, some sense, some taste of something deeper, of some ultimate or universal reality, of higher power, if you will. And so part of our practice is to commune with that, to sit upright and enjoy our breathing and to have some sense of something deeper, something ultimate, something universal.

[02:05]

But then our practice is to bring that into the world, to share that with the world. So the ultimate or the universal is not separatable from the nominal world and from our particular place and the particular people and beings around us and our particular society and how we express and share this sense of something deeper and universal some deep universal reality how does how is that expressed in our everyday activity but also in we could call it the realm of politics which just has to do with how we interact with with others the so-called others others are not separate from us so um How do we express that in the world? And so suffering is both personal and psychological.

[03:09]

When we do meditation, we become aware of our own personal raspings and desires and delusions and so forth. But also suffering is collective and communal. So we are part of the whole world, part of community. In Buddhism, we call that Sangha, which includes particular practice groups, but also the Sangha of all beings. How do we express that and share that? And so the realm of politics is also the realm of bodhisattva activity. And this has to do with values. And I would say that basic bodhisattva values are maybe the same or at least congruent with foundational American values and aspirational values.

[04:17]

This is true for all of us as citizens and for our government leaders. So this includes dedication to caring for others, to caring for ourselves, to taking care of the suffering of all beings. So again, I want to say how grateful I am to all of you working to get out the vote in Wisconsin today. Thank you. Thank you very much. It's very important. So dedication, inclusivity, compassion, empathy are all part of Bodhisattva values and I would say American values, foundational American values from our founders. So these are difficult times in so many ways. This is a crucial election. most important election of our lives.

[05:18]

And it's easy to feel overwhelmed. It's certainly available to feel hopeless. But that's not realistic. It's not realistic to feel hopeless. All our actions benefit and have effects We don't know the outcomes. We may know the outcome on election day. We may not know the outcome of the election until the inauguration day. But everything we do has effects, ripple effects. So going around door to door in Wisconsin, which is one of those swinging states, it's funny that there's seven states that will determine the election and 43 other states, including where I am in Illinois, almost don't matter. But our aspiration as Americans for our democracy is to include all beings.

[06:25]

This is foundational value. So in terms of bodhisattva practice, bodhisattva politics, I spoke last week to people in Milwaukee about bodhisattva figures. I'm going to be speaking today and Wednesday morning here about what's called in Sanskrit the paramitas, transcendent practices, practices of caring and transcendence. And there's one system of six in Buddhism and another system of ten. But I want to focus today on ethical conduct, which is one of those paramitas or transcendent practices and how that relates to bodhisattva politics and how that relates to what you are all doing in Wisconsin today. And again, I'm so grateful. Thank you so much. I know some of you are, as I am, a Soto Zen practitioner.

[07:27]

There are many different systems of precepts in Buddhism, and actually in all spiritual traditions there are values and precepts. But I'm going to talk about ethical conduct as one of the 16 Soto Zen precepts. And, again, the first is just to free all beings from suffering. This is the basic vow that's foundational to all of that. To liberate beings, to awaken beings, but that also means to relieve suffering. And we know that, again, that we all suffer ourselves, and in our society there's lots of suffering involved. The first of the 16 is to take refuge in Buddha, we say, which means to take refuge in awakening, in wokeness, as it's sometimes called in our country, to take refuge in being aware, paying attention, expressing that in our body-mind, in our activity.

[08:31]

So I'm just going to focus on a few of these 16 precepts as relevant to how we express our concern in the political realm. So the first of the 10 grave precepts is to not kill. In our tradition we say a student of Buddha, a student of awakening, does not kill. This also means to support life. So how do we bring life and vitality into our world? This is a crucial aspect of this election. Not killing also means to support others not to kill. This is difficult because we have wars and genocides and mass shootings and threats of deportation, and various kinds of killing.

[09:36]

So we also know that not killing is supporting life, and not killing is recognizing that there is killing. But our precept is to be concerned about this, about not killing. I'll say this again, but, excuse me for changing the page of my notes, but supporting life has many aspects. It means supporting the environment, supporting biodiversity, supporting response to difficulties in our environment, Another one of the 16 precepts is to benefit all beings. And this is an important precept in terms of American values.

[10:38]

In American values, it's aspirational to benefit all beings. Of course, we're all trying to encourage people to vote. today and in the next week. Voting originally in American values was for white men of property. For now, women are still allowed to vote. People of color are supposed to be able to vote. Honoring diversity is such an important value in bodhisattva politics, in Buddhist practice, to respect all beings, to welcome diversity, that we grow and learn from respecting others and listening to the differences and listening to different opinions.

[11:41]

So I think going door to door... as you're going to be doing later in Wisconsin, is not to get into arguments and persuade other people. It's to listen, but also to encourage people to enact these principles. So these precepts, there's so much to say. These precepts are non-dual, which means that they're not commandments or absolute rules. One of the precepts is about addiction. The way we say it in our tradition, a disciple of Buddha does not... hold on to substances or activities that are addictive does not encourage that for oneself or others. But these are not absolutes.

[12:43]

These are situational. We honor diversity. So for some people, for Good friends of mine who are in 12-step programs, one sip of alcohol would be dangerous, really harmful, calamitous even. For others of us, you know, having a glass of wine... once a week or a few times, several times a month, whatever. It's just convivial and supportive of social interaction. So it's different for different people. We have to honor differences. Part of supporting life is to honor diversity. And for our country, honoring diversity means welcoming different people, not trying to deport people who are different, not trying to... suppress the vote of people who don't agree with us. So this is difficult. It's very difficult in our country now and it's very important in this election.

[13:46]

How do we honor differences? How do we see that each person has their own situation, their own, and so to say, Dharma position, their own reality. And so to listen to other people's fears and concerns is part of honoring diversity. But we welcome everyone. That has been a foundational principle of American society too. the Statue of Liberty welcoming immigrants. So, again, these precepts are not commandments. There are questions and concerns and principles to bear in mind as we interact with others as we encourage people to vote. And again, thank you so much for all of you who are doing that today in Wisconsin.

[14:48]

Another one of our 10 grave precepts is not to harbor ill will. Not to turn dislike into hatred. Opposing hatred is a foundational principle both in Bodhisattva practice and Bodhisattva politics and in American values. We listen to others. And it's natural, it's part of our human consciousness that we have aversion, that we like some things and dislike others. But what we dislike is not something that we turn into ill will and hatred. How do we respect all beings? Respecting diversity is so important. So when we feel disagreement, it's not that we shouldn't feel angry. That's natural.

[15:50]

But how do we not turn it into campaigns of hatred? basic foundational principle for bodhisattva values and politics and also for American values. Another one of these principles So I'm going to talk a little bit more, but I want to have some discussion too. So welcome your perspectives. Another one of the ten grave precepts in bodhisattva practice is that a student of Buddha, a student of awakening, is not indulged in sexual misconduct. What does that mean? It means not being deceitful, it means not being cruelty, not being cruel. Right now there is a campaign of cruelty to women particularly, but also to people who are different ethnically, to depriving women of health care, reproductive rights and other health care.

[17:01]

There are politicians now, more locally than nationally, but maybe even in Congress, who want to take away the votes from women. This is a possibility, as well as depriving women of reproductive rights and depriving all of us of contraception and also opposing. So this relates to gender. opposing the rights of LBGT people. So in some ways this election is a choice between cruelty and compassion and caring. The politics of cruelty is very active In our country and in the world. And it's not something out there. It's part of what is available to human consciousness.

[18:06]

In some way, we all have the capacity to act cruelly, unconsciously maybe. or to not be aware of our cruelty to others. So how do we support people to vote so that we can encourage compassion rather than cruelty? That's really kind of the issue in this election. Racism on one side versus respecting diversity, respecting others, even if they're, you know, countries that we don't like or people people who are oppressed and trying to come to our country so um again i'm just very grateful personally to each of you who's there in wisconsin And to all the people who are encouraging others to vote, I've been taking as a practice to call friends in swing states and encourage them to vote.

[19:15]

But whatever happens. in this election and in the aftermath, which is likely to be, this election may last a couple of months until we know for sure who will be inaugurated, we will have to keep working on bodhisattva values and American values after the election. This isn't something where on November 5th it's all done. And part of bodhisattva practice and these transcendent practices is to keep going, to keep working for this. So we are following the work of many beings. Women's right to vote was a product not of some guide saying, oh, let them vote. It was just a little more than 100 years ago that after decades of women marching and calling for the vote and going to jail to calling for the vote, that finally women were allowed to vote.

[20:25]

And women's rights are now at stake in this election in many, many ways. So we have to keep working after the election. This bodhisattva politics, this work of supporting values, American values, awakening values is an ongoing practice. We are standing on the shoulders of many ancestors and we are working for beings in the future so that women and other people will have rights to health care and to vote. where you are in Wisconsin in 10 years and in 50 years and in 150 years. This is all important. And I have to say, there are lots of issues of difficulty in the world today.

[21:28]

And we all know them. There's discrimination against women and against people of other races or ethnicities. And I'm very mindful now of... wars and genocides in this world. So I'm a Buddhist priest and teacher now, but I'm also was raised Jewish. And as it happens, Six years ago, I believe today, there was a massacre, an anti-Semitic massacre, at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where I grew up, and I was bar mitzvahed at the Tree of Life. So, in terms of our values, American values and bodhisattva values, The genocide in the Mideast is just a total horror to me.

[22:35]

And opposing, so this is just my opinion, okay? You may disagree with me, and that's fine. But opposing the Israeli government's ethnic cleansing and genocide, which is just horrific and rampant, Now, right now, with weapons supplied by our government and our tax dollars is horrible. And support and opposing the Israeli government is not anti-Semitism. I've experienced anti-Semitism as a Jewish person, a Jewish Buddhist person. Anyway, so this is not an issue particularly in this election. but also I think whoever will be the next president will make a difference in terms of the possibility of changing that situation, which is a terrible situation in the Middle East and threatens to expand to horrific warfare throughout that region and in the world.

[23:45]

So how do we support positive change? Again, after the Civil War, black people were supposedly freed from slavery and given the right to vote. Some politicians now are saying that slavery was a good thing. And there are campaigns of suppressing the right to vote for people of color. So all of this is at issue in this election. And your going around to knock on doors and encourage people to vote is so important now. So I'm so grateful to all of you. I'm not able to be there in person for various reasons, but you are representing many, many people in terms of trying to encourage voters to go out and vote.

[24:59]

So I could keep babbling, but I want to hear your responses, your questions, your reflections, questions about any of this, about the realm of Bodhisattva politics. So thank you all for listening. Thank you all for what you're doing in Wisconsin. I'm so grateful. So questions. Rob, maybe you can call on people. Florence? Hi, Diane. Can you hear me? Yes, I can. Hi, Florence. Old friend. Yes. So here's my question for you. And I just think this is my first day here. So I'll be out canvassing this afternoon. I'm imagining knocking on a door and a young person's on the other side and says, bye. I can't vote for either candidate because I feel so passionately about what is happening in Gaza and how wrong it is and the way the Biden administration has

[26:10]

And I'm personally aware, speaking for myself, that Kamala Harris was one of the first major politicians to call for a ceasefire. But what would you say to that person who is in the spirit in some ways of what was happening in the 60s with the people that were opposing the Vietnam War, who say, I can't vote for a presidential candidate this year? Well, that's their right. But also, and just by the way, I can't be up there canvassing in Wisconsin today, but I did go door-to-door canvassing as a high school student back in the 60s in Pittsburgh, where I grew up, knocking on doors and talking about the Vietnam War and how horrible it was. So I've done that. Anyway, yeah, I would say in that situation, yes, I appreciate, this is my personal response.

[27:15]

I'm not speaking for Buddhism or anything else, but just myself, I would say, yes, I sympathize with your feelings about that. And yet, in so many ways, The results of this election will make a huge difference in our country and will make it more possible to have a change in the Mideast and in Gaza and in Lebanon and in the West Bank. And it's way too late. And there are so many children who have been slaughtered intentionally. So it's just horrible. But actually, I think the choice in this election will lead, may lead, I think will lead to a change in that situation in the Mideast and to trying to realistically pressure

[28:24]

in this case Israel, to stop committing genocide and ethnic cleansing. Of course, I deeply sympathize with the Israeli people who feel traumatized from centuries of persecution and the Holocaust, but there's another Holocaust happening now. As I said, as a Jewish person, I would say it does make a difference who we vote for, and I would encourage you to go and vote even if you feel the way you just expressed for it. I don't know if that's good enough. Yeah, go ahead. I was just thinking that actually one of the things one could say is that there's a good chance, if the Republicans are completely in power, that our ability to protest will be drastically limited, because that has happened in Republican-controlled states, for instance, in the Dakotas with Standing Rock, and that, you know, that right to protest

[29:30]

So maybe that would be one approach. That's completely true. One of the candidates, thank you, one of the candidates is respective and respects and listens to different people and different perspectives and wants to include everyone. And the other candidate has promised that they will bring in the military to attack protesters. So, um, uh, yeah, it's a clear choice. Yes. Thank you. That's, that's an important thing to say. Thank you. No, to help me get clear. So thank you. Bye. Good morning. Good morning. Along this line, I heard you talking about your Jewish heritage, and I think it applies in this situation that Florence just brought up. I remember in seminary there was a book called God as a Verb. I can't think of the name of the author right now.

[30:32]

I'll get it. Yes, Black Process Deluded. Yes, and I just remember being required to wrestle with God. to wrestle with issues that are not always clear. And I think meeting someone at the door with this question, this very question, which we've had as we've knocked on doors, is to respond with compassionate honesty. I hear you. I don't know the answer. Maybe our presidential candidates aren't perfect. But I feel like this candidate may be able to lead us to a place where we can, as we wrestle with God, find a way through a complicated situation that's compassionate for all people. And when I used to guide whitewater river rafts, and there was a slogan that said, paddle or die.

[31:42]

That if you're in the midst of this roiling white water with rocks and dangers that you could be tumped over upside down in the river or drown or be injured, that to do nothing led to much more danger. And to paddle was, even if it didn't solve every solution, was the first step towards survival and thriving. So that's a perspective of, because I wrestle with God. In essence, I can have compassion for people like the 45th president of the United States might spout. And then I start to go to bed last night and I hear his comments about Puerto Rico and racial put-downs. And I feel my blood start to boil and I'm wrestling with God to find that place of compassion for people who say terrible things.

[32:54]

Amen. Thank you. Yes. And from the perspective of Bodhisattva practice and Bodhisattva politics, those precepts of ethical conduct are not absolutes, as I said. Those are paddling. Those are questioning. Those are looking at each situation. So to demonize even politicians who we find... whose words we find abhorrent, is in some sense a violation of the precept to include all. We have to respect all, but also we have to take a stand for ethical conduct. And so, yeah, the metaphor of paddling in the white water is a good one. And again, to the person who says, I'm not going to vote for either candidate because of what's happening in the Mideast, there are still so many differences.

[34:02]

I think that's naive, actually. I wouldn't name-call that person as naive, but I would say that there are differences, huge, huge, huge differences in this election. And I've talked about some of them. So, you know, whether we respect the rights of women or not is at stake. Whether we respect the rights of people who are different from us or not is at stake. Whether we will be allowed to continue to help lobby and influence politicians to do what we think is right is at stake. It's just such a critical election. And there are things I... There are things about both candidates that I object to, or things that they've said, or don't say, or don't do, even if they say we should have a ceasefire. So this is difficult, and I sympathize with the...

[35:09]

people trying to encourage the vote in Wisconsin and Michigan also, where this is a big issue. And yet, it's so important to the whole future of humanity and the planet. I didn't even mention as an issue that's at stake, climate chaos, the climate damage that's happening, the destruction of our environment. That's a huge difference in this election. There's one candidate who says, drill, baby, drill. There's another who talks about, at least, and tries to encourage alternative energy systems. Yeah, the stakes couldn't be higher, and yet, of course, politics and bodhisattva practice or bodhisattva politics are aspirational. So Dr. King said he saw from the mountaintop a different world.

[36:14]

Anyway, please, yeah, so it's good that we're talking about this. This is a real issue, a real struggle. Other comments or questions or perspectives, please. Hi, I'm Vicki, and I'm from Oakland. And I'm struck by, as we are walking and canvassing, I'm struck by how many Trump signs are out in Waterton, a small town that we're canvassing in. And a few of the signs are there because they've been taken down or people are not wanting to create the discomfort from their neighbors who are more in the majority, it seems. And so I'm trying to work with how to be compassionate and not a no sign. Very good. A good solution that our leader here, Steve, in a local gun trap has a sticky solution that is for bugs getting on trees.

[37:28]

I'm sorry, I didn't hear the last part. Can't hear you. The solution that he puts on the sign. There's a chemical that he puts on the sign. On the Democratic sign, yes. It's a very specific. I'm sorry, I'm not hearing. So he's trying to protect the Democrat signs that the Republicans have been vandalizing by putting this on them that is uncomfortable for the people that they grab them. Right. And I'm very pleased about that. I find it hard to look at those Trump signs and say crimes and not that response internally to want to take them down.

[38:41]

I live here. I'm just responding to say that I live here in, you know, Waukesha County. And so there are many, many more Trump signs. And, um, So for all the years that I've lived here, I've started to, every time I pass a Trump sign, I say the short version of the meta prayer. May all beings be free and safe from harm. You know, you know, just a four line verse. And I, because I get so angry and they've been really ugly and vulgar ones, you know, and I, some of them are people I know, my next door neighbors, you know, although there's been a decrease this year, so that's fine. But I just, And then I really try to remind myself that truly transforming my anger into compassion in that moment is going to have an impact. You know, whether, I mean, I'm crazy to believe that, but it certainly helps transform me and lower my blood pressure and making me fearful and angry.

[39:42]

So, yeah, it's like the, you know, when you hear the bell, you know, you Your phone rang, the reminder to take a deep breath and turn inward. But that's what my practice has been. Now, you might not get a tie to do all four lines between each house and each sign, but it's really been my practice for the last couple of rounds of elections. But, you know, I think that the issue is that deleting a person is allowing a side of humanity to come out that is, It's rude, you know, when we go to some doors. And it's an implication to have that kind of behavior that we're wishing not to meet in the wrong way. Yes, thank you for all that. This is difficult.

[40:45]

And for the person from Oakland, I used to live there, and my sister still lives there. And I think Kamala Harris used to live there. Maybe she still does. Anyway, and I've been trying not to mention names of candidates or parties, as you may have noticed. I have a cousin in North Carolina who's a wonderful guy in a lot of ways and is supporting Trump. I know a Zen teacher who's an old friend who I believe is supporting Trump. Respecting diversity, respecting people from Mexico or South America who've been oppressed thanks to actions of our government, actually, and respecting people of different ethnicities, and acknowledging white privilege, to put it that way, and how white people are threatened by diversity, or some are, white supremacists are.

[41:58]

being Jewish I'm not considered white by white supremacists anyway it's all difficult and yet I think the foundation of a lot of this is a lot of these values is respect so to respect that particular fears and concerns and so forth which have been inflated by um But also, you know, people have legitimate concerns or their feelings and fears. And so how do we respect that at the same time that we oppose racism? We may oppose that candidate. It's really difficult, and it means taking a breath, and I can get really angry at some of the horrific things that are being said.

[43:02]

Poor Puerto Ricans. Last night at a rally in Madison Square Garden, they were... I forget what he called them. It was an island of garbage or something worse than that. Anyway, yeah, this is a difficult, difficult time. And how do we actually stand up for values of respect and... Getting people to vote, you know, the question Florence asked about the person who doesn't want to vote for either candidate. How do we respectfully, respectfully say, look at this and this and this difference, which are going to make huge differences. that's a response to that question. So going out and knocking on doors and just encouraging people to please vote and then engaging them if they say, well, I don't want to vote for anyone.

[44:08]

There are reasons to vote, very important reasons to vote. But it's difficult. So I really respect all of you who are there and who are going door to door. And I imagine that... I don't know if you're going to every door or if you're only going to... If you have a list of people who are potentially voting in the way that you would agree anyway, I'm not sure what the practice is that you're going to be doing. But what you're doing is... true bodhisattva practice, it's true spiritual practice, and it supports values of democracy. So again, I'm so grateful. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. But maybe we have time, Rob, for another one or two more comments. I'm not sure. Getting short on time because we have to pack and leave, but is there a final question?

[45:10]

I'd just like to make a comment. My name is Tom. I live in San Francisco. I think I crossed paths with you in Oakland a couple times, but I don't think we ever made acquaintances. But thank you so much. You are only the second leader of any sort that has referred to the genocide of Palestinians as the Holocaust. This is only the second time I've heard a person use that word, and the first time I've heard a Buddhist person use that word. So I want to really thank you and have great gratitude for you for your tremendous honesty and bravery to use the language that you're using. It's very profound, it's very honest, and it's very challenging. to even the liberal status quo.

[46:12]

So I want to give you great gratitude. Thank you so much. You're welcome so much, and as a Buddhist teacher, as a Bodhisattva tradition teacher, and as a person who's ethnically Jewish, I don't practice it anymore, although I could say that my political foundation was in the Passover Seders and values of freedom and slavery. the idea of, of, uh, never again, about the Holocaust that Jewish people say doesn't apply just to Jewish people any more than it applies just to American people or just to white people. So yes, what's happening in Gaza and the West Bank and Lebanon and it's spreading is a Holocaust for the Palestinian people and for Arab people. And it's genocide and it's ethnic cleansing very, very clearly.

[47:16]

And I oppose it as a Buddhist teacher, but also as a Jewish person. The Tree of Life massacre that happened six years ago, I think this week, maybe even today, was a high school classmate of mine was killed. The mother, the woman who lived across the street from me growing up, whose son I played with, was killed. Just gun violence is enough of a reason to vote one way or the other this year. So anyway, thank you all again very, very much. I'm so grateful to you all. And I will be here again Wednesday morning talking about Bodhisattva politics in terms of a different transcendent practice, the practice of patience and effort, actually two practices. So thank you. Have a good day. Thank you. Was there a closing chant?

[48:23]

Rob? Maybe there's no time for that. Thank you, Target. Have a good day. Take care, please. Before everybody leaves, I want to let you know that he who was training us on canvassing thought we would really appreciate this article by Heather Cox on fascism. And I wanted to pass these around.

[49:24]

These are from Steve. I thought he was very thoughtful in wanting to share this with you all.

[49:29]

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