Dec 2014 The pain of injustice after the shooting death of an unarmed young black man and the legal verdict echoes so many similar incidents in the United States over a long history of racism and violence in our country. The verdict and its meaning is somehow unsurprising and heartbreaking. And heartbreaking in how unsurprising it is.

The dharma lens that can perhaps help is the Four Noble Truths. There is dukkha — pain, suffering, unsatisfactoriness in individual experience and in society. There is a cause for this, so let us explore this and try to address the root causes of racism, violence, militarism, and fear. Hatred and delusion manifest in many ways, and there are many ways to work on the individual, organizational, systemic and societal levels.

Let us hold ourselves and others with much compassion. Let us give ourselves a moment to feel the pain before rushing on. May we learn to love and respect each other and ourselves. May we move towards justice with radical love. May we apply our energy to creating change in this unjust system.