(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Sylvia and Donald introduce John Namkung, a practitioner of the Wednesday community at Spirit Rock. John reflects on why he decided to help the refugees. He presents photos and videos of his experiences in the accompanying PowerPoint presentation.

Donald Rothberg, Sylvia Boorstein: Being with the Syrian Refugees in Greece -- A Presentation by John Namkung

My greatest joy is giving the gift of love and hope through the dharma, knowing it is possible for humans to transform their hearts.  These dharma gifts include paying attention, practicing clarity and kindness and addressing the suffering of the world--which, of course, includes ourselves.

Right now I'm most enthusiastic about the first gift, paying attention, because it makes every part of our lives better.  Paying attention allows us to become more clear,  and each moment of clarity is a gift to ourselves and those around us.  Clarity keeps us from contributing to more suffering.  The gift of clarity and kindness also supports a peaceful heart, which allows us to address the suffering in the world with love.  When we practice clarity, we offer the possibility for humans to live in a different way.  But a peaceful heart is only the beginning.  We also have to take action,  go out and directly address the suffering with peace in our hearts.

As a parent, grandparent and a psychotherapist, I teach out of the stories of my life and the lives of those around me.  I am especially touched by personal narrative, accounts of spiritual journeys, and how these become vehicles for connecting with the dharma.  I believe in revealing my own story so that others are more at ease to reveal theirs.  Truth talking is a way out of suffering.  Discovering how our hearts and minds work and creating a dialogue supports right speech practice.  This is an on-going primary practice that we can do all the time.  My hope is that I encourage people how to pay attention and to tell the truth by example.

Religion & Spirituality

Buddhism

My greatest joy is giving the gift of love and hope through the dharma, knowing it is possible for humans to transform their hearts. These dharma gifts include paying attention, practicing clarity and kindness and addressing the suffering of the world--which, of course, includes ourselves. Right now I'm most enthusiastic about the first gift, paying attention, because it makes every part of our lives better. Paying attention allows us to become more clear, and each moment of clarity is a gift to ourselves and those around us. Clarity keeps us from contributing to more suffering. The gift of clarity and kindness also supports a peaceful heart, which allows us to address the suffering in the world with love. When we practice clarity, we offer the possibility for humans to live in a different way. But a peaceful heart is only the beginning. We also have to take action, go out and directly address the suffering with peace in our hearts. As a parent, grandparent and a psychotherapist, I teach out of the stories of my life and the lives of those around me. I am especially touched by personal narrative, accounts of spiritual journeys, and how these become vehicles for connecting with the dharma. I believe in revealing my own story so that others are more at ease to reveal theirs. Truth talking is a way out of suffering. Discovering how our hearts and minds work and creating a dialogue supports right speech practice. This is an on-going primary practice that we can do all the time. My hope is that I encourage people how to pay attention and to tell the truth by example.

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Donald Rothberg, Sylvia Boorstein: Being with the Syrian Refugees in Greece -- A Presentation by John Namkung

Donald Rothberg, Sylvia Boorstein: Being with the Syrian Refugees in Greece -- A Presentation by John Namkung