War and Peace (Episode #24)

Welcome to episode 24 of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives.

In this episode, the presenters, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and journalist Jo Confino, talk about how to find peace in ourselves and to encourage peace in the world during times of war. They remember Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, who himself  lived through a conflict – the Vietnam War – yet found a way to peace, and to become an activist for transformation.

They also discuss inherited war traumas; the importance of maintaining compassion and balance during these times; the limits of compassion; going beyond our ‘roles’ and ‘labels’; chanelling anger; practicing when we feel ‘on the edge’; racism and discrimination; coming back to our humanity; cultivating love, peace, and nonviolence,  every day. And: can we bear arms without hatred? 

Brother Phap Huu shares his own family’s experience of the war in Vietnam and, subsequently, as refugees; Thay’s creation of a nonviolent movement in wartime; and surprising insights from a retreat for Palestinians and Israelis in Plum Village.He also delves into recognizing the thoughts that manifest during wartime; taking refuge in the energy and wisdom of the practice; coming back to our human nature during hard times; nonviolence as a way, not a tool; grounding and moderation; becoming a refuge for those who are suffering; teaching the awareness of interbeing; and how to not drown in our own despair.

Jo considers the difficulty of transforming our feelings about the war through practice (such as not becoming consumed by the news, not taking sides, being equanimous); inherited war trauma; the transformational power of vulnerability; and the perils of hierarchies.

The episode ends with a chant on peace recited by Brother Phap Huu.

Co-produced by the Plum Village App:https://plumvillage.app/

And Global Optimism:https://globaloptimism.com/ 

With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/ 

List of resources 

‘The Five Earth Touchings’https://plumvillage.org/key-practice-texts/the-five-earth-touchings/Thich Nhat Hanh On…: ‘Peace between Palestinians and Israelis’https://plumvillage.org/articles/peace-between-palestinians-and-israelis/Sister Chan Khonghttps://plumvillage.org/about/sister-chan-khong/ 

Avalokiteśvarahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalokite%C5%9Bvara 

Martin Luther King Jr.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr. 

Countdown Summithttps://countdown.ted.com/events 

Sutras: ‘Discourse on the 5 Ways of Putting an End to Anger’https://plumvillage.org/library/sutras/discourse-on-the-five-ways-of-putting-an-end-to-anger/

Quotes

“When there’s war, we have to face the beast of war, and that is violence, that is hatred, discrimination, greed, and death.”

“Wherever there is darkness, light is also there. And this is the deep teaching in Buddhism: nonduality. It’s very easy to get caught in the right and the left, the above and the below, the good and the bad, the dark and the light. It doesn’t mean that we ignore it, but we know that if there is the right, there is also the left. If there is war, there is peace somewhere.”

“Man is not our enemy. It is ignorance, it is fear, it is destruction.”

“Nonviolence is not a tool. Nonviolence is a way.”

“We believe in using deep listening and compassionate speech for reconciliation, as a way forward instead of using the army; the army, the guns, the bombs, it doesn’t bring peace.” 

“You have to have the peace inside of you in order for the peace outside to manifest.”

“Grounding is very important at this time. You can be a refuge for the ones who are suffering