Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King: Civil Rights Leader...Bodhisattva

Today we remember, honor and celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Leader/Activist. He was and remains one of the most influential figures of our time as a country. Today's celebration coincides with the 86th day of the Walk for Peace, an expedition embarked upon from Fort Worth Texas by a group of Buddhist Monks and their dog, Aloka, who along with his fellow monks, have kidnapped the hearts of many Americans along their path.


They are walking to Washington DC. Juxtapose this walk, on this day, with what is currently happening in our country, and what I'm sensing into is an underlying desire for something different. https://www.tiktok.com/@walkforpeaceusa/video/7595740226887191821

In this instance, something different, is a tradition thousands of years old. One which the Civil Rights leaders of the 60's discovered, learned, trained in and implemented to great success. Practices of Mindfulness Meditation as a means of building a foundation of fortitude to endure the violence and oppression of the times, with non-violent action.

Inspired originally by Mahatma Gandhi in India, it was mentors of King's such as Howard Thurman



who had his own interpretations of the teachings of Gandhi from the east and taught these to Dr. King. With teaching and guidance from Bayard Rustin and Glenn Smiley, both Pacifists, Dr. King and the leaders of the Civil Rights movement were trained in these principles of non-violent resistance through Mindfulness practices. Jim Lawson, a prominent figure and leader in the movement, went to study Gandhi in India so he could come back and teach to students in Nashville via non-violent change workshops. He taught students such as John Lewis. 

In 1965, Thich Nhat Hanh, A buddhist monk and teacher from Vietnam, wrote to Dr. King hoping he would begin to speak out against the Vietnam War. The two of them developed a close relationship over the next couple of years. Thich Nhat Hanh saw Dr. King not only as a leader, but as someone with a much higher calling than that. The two had a couple of moments together during this time and in Geneva at a conference about Peace on Earth, Thich Nhat Hanh was able to share with Dr. King: "Martin, do you know something? In Vietnam they call you a bodhisattva, an enlightened being trying to awaken other living beings and help them move toward more compassion and understanding." 

I share this story and illuminate this relationship as a reminder of the power of interfaith movements. What we can learn when we're open to Wisdom from all traditions, from all communities, from all people...is boundless. 60 years after the Civil Rights Movement, The Walk for Peace is happening now, in a country infected with vitriol, anger, fear and violence. This story is paramount.  So much of what we SEE and certainly HEAR are the loud voices and dangerously untrue narratives of the minority, those who seek to destroy, murder and divide. We, the peaceful and compassionate majority, are slowly rising up. With each step on their walk, these monks unite us. Reminding us change doesn't need to be violent, or quick, or aggressive. Inspiring us through their physical suffering. Uniting our hearts in hope.  Teaching in silence. Seeking not to convert anyone to any sort of religion. Embodying peace. Thousands of hearts have been kidnapped by their journey. All captured without a word spoken and  without a harmful deed enacted. Just presence. Just peace. 

These are some of the darkest times I've ever experienced as an American. As I watch the monks journey, walking through the deep south, the origin of the Civil Rights Movement, is a juxtaposition not lost here.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~Dr. Martin Luther King. 

What is happening now is a reminder that the work for us as an Alliance of Change is only just beginning. Our leaders of Change from generations past, remind us of the methods needed for the struggle ahead. The forces of tyranny and oppression may seem too much at times...ever more our attention is needed on the importance of cultivating qualities of Equanimity and Fortitude. We must keep going!

What can I, what can we, as agents of change, ignite within? Who and where are the next generation of Bodhisattva's? Find a mirror. Take a long look. Don't forget to smile, Take a big breath in...exhale slowly. I can do this. You can do this. One foot in front of the other. 

 "Be the change you seek in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

I love you, Keep Going!!! 

~Kirk Hinkleman