An Appropriate Response – The Four Dignities
I Ka Pono Community Garden in Kamuela, Hawaii, 1997
A Zen master was asked about the essential teaching of Zen and he replied, “An appropriate response.”
Today, faced with a looming environmental crisis of massive proportions, social injustices and a growing white-nationalist movement with strong authoritarian and anti-democratic impulses, what is an appropriate response?
NOT KNOWING
There is no easy or right answer here, but it’s important to be able to sincerely ask the question and let it work on us. In my tradition we value the three tenets of a Zen Peacemaker as a way to approach this question. We begin with not knowing. We begin by letting go of our assumptions, expectations, judgments and opinions. And most importantly, we let go of whatever outcome we think should take place. This allows us a way in; a way to be with the question with patience and openness. And as Shunryu Suzuki said, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few.” As we will see, the qualities embodied in the Four Dignities and the Six Paramitas will be invaluable on our journey.
BEARING WITNESS
If we have the courage to open to not knowing, then what follows is the second tenet of bearing witness which is where much of our work will take place. This will require more courage. Grief is likely to arise as we witness the many ways that our earth’s living ecosystems are dying and being destroyed. Feelings of overwhelm, despair and outrage can stop us before we begin. But let’s be clear. These feelings are not the end of the journey. They are just the beginning.
LOVING ACTION
If we have the determination to stay with these first two practices then what follows is a response–an appropriate response that is connected more accurately to the situation at hand. The responses will be as varied and diverse as humanity itself. There is no one response that is right or wrong.
MY STORY
I want to tell you how I learned about this through my own practice. In 1996, at the end of a 7-day interfaith bearing witness retreat with the Zen Peacemakers in Auschwitz, Poland we all gathered for a final meeting. Bernie Glassman Roshi asked us what we would do now. How could I answer that question? It would take me years to find the answer.
I returned from Europe to the Big Island of Hawaii, my home at the time. It was alive in me when I woke up each day and it was present with me when I went to sleep at night. Slowly an answer began to emerge. I had experienced so much darkness and death at Auschwitz. I wanted to be close to life. I wanted to nurture seeds and grow something. I didn’t want to protest anything or march and carry signs.I wanted to retrieve an intimate relationship to mother earth which was missing in my life.
I decided the best way to do this would be to start a community garden. The garden should be in the center of our town of Waimea (Kamuela) to help strengthen and nourish my community.
Parker School was located in the center of Waimea and had a large piece of land that was un-used and overgrown. I went to their board of directors and made a proposal to let our Zen Center of Hawaii create a community garden on their property. And to my surprise, they said yes.
It took us months just to clear the land but eventually a beautiful garden emerged called I Ka Pono which in Hawaiian means cultivate the goodness. For the next three years I had my hands in the earth almost every day. We had a farmers market there every weekend that sold produce to the community to help support the project. We fulfilled our mission:
To model sustainable agriculture by practicing bio-intensive farming.
To celebrate biological and cultural diversity.
To nurture and support our community.
After three years, I discovered I had answered Bernie’s question. I discovered a sense of place and an intimate, alive relationship with mother earth.
FOUR DIGNITIES
In the Buddhist tradition, the path of the Bodhisattva is well laid out. In the Shambhala teachings Chogyam Trungpa spoke of this as the path of a spiritual warrior. Part of this practice uses four metaphors known as the Four Dignities. These are the Tiger of Meekness, the Snow Lion of Perkiness, the Garuda of Outrageousness and the Dragon of Inscrutability. These four metaphors can help guide us in discerning an appropriate response.
In Mahayana Buddhism the traditional qualities and practices of a Bodhisattva are known as the six paramitas1 of generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation and wisdom. These resonate and interweave with the teachings on the Four Dignities.
While a common stereotype of the Bodhisattva might be a person who is peaceful and kind, which is certainly true, we could also re-imagine such a person as a spiritual warrior, able to stand up to situations that might require active non-violent resistance or advocating for saner policies that contribute to the earth’s wellness or work to increase social justice.
In these times of uncertainty, fear, and disruption we need these teachings more than ever. They are advanced Buddhist teachings. They require that the practitioner see through the illusion of ego. And it goes without saying that appreciating one’s unconditional worthiness and a steady diet of meditation are foundational.
I will address each of these Four Dignities with a separate article for each accompanied by a painting I have done for each.
The Zen Life & Meditation Center, Chicago teaches the six paramitas as the path and practice of a Bodhisattva in the Zen Life Series.
Roshi Robert Joshin Althouse is the Abbot of the Zen Life & Meditation Center. He has been teaching for over 30 years and practicing for 50 years. He is also an artist and painter. He’s been doing digital paintings on his computer for the last 10 years. You can view his work at his site for Robert Althouse Fine Arts at www.althouseart.com.