Don't Let This Crisis Go To Waste | Roshi Joan Halifax
Roshi Joan Halifax, a Buddhist teacher and pioneer in end-of-life care, discusses how the pandemic is a global wake-up call. She encourages using this crisis to reflect on what truly matters, individually and culturally, adopting a "strong back, soft front" approach.
Deep Dive Analysis
19 Topic Outline
Introduction to Roshi Joan Halifax and the Crisis as a Wake-Up Call
Observations on the World and the Global Charnel Ground
The Pandemic as a Global Rite of Passage: Separation and Threshold
The Centrality of Love and Care in Crisis
Defining Love: Practical Care and Social Responsibility
The Teaching of 'Strong Back, Soft Front'
Challenging Preferential Mind and Rehumanizing Others
The Opportunity to Reshape Society and Overcome the Separate Self
Distinction Between Hope and Optimism in Facing Uncertainty
Turning Toward Suffering and Developing Moral Character
Privilege, Responsibility, and Inspiring Role Models
Barriers to Love: Greed, Anger, Ignorance, and the Illusion of Separate Self
The Truth of Interconnectedness and Impermanence
The Gift of Uncertainty and Learning from the Mess
Addressing Societal Injustices and the Call for Revolution
Navigating Discomfort with Uncertainty and the Value of Community
The Role of Meditation in Secular Spirituality and Cultivating Care
Compassion for All Beings, Including Those Who Have Caused Harm
Embracing Cessation and the 'Return' Phase of a Rite of Passage
8 Key Concepts
Global Charnel Ground
Roshi Joan describes the current pandemic as a 'global charnel ground,' a place of intense suffering and death, which also presents an opportunity for deep reflection and transformation, similar to ancient spiritual sites where practitioners confront mortality.
Rite of Passage (Arnold van Gennep)
A three-phase process of transformation for individuals and cultures. The first phase is 'separation' (withdrawal from ordinary life, solitude), followed by the 'threshold experience' (being 'betwixt and between' two worlds, a period of thrashing and dissolution), and finally 'return' (bringing learned gifts back to society).
Not Knowing / Radical Uncertainty
A core teaching from Glassman Roshi, emphasizing the ability to live and uphold oneself in the midst of profound insecurity and unpredictability, recognizing that our 'prediction machines' are not operating. This state opens individuals to wisdom and surprise.
Strong Back, Soft Front
A somatic image used to teach meditation, representing the interrelationship between equanimity and compassion. 'Strong back' signifies the capacity to uphold oneself with fundamental equanimity, while 'soft front' implies openness and tenderness toward suffering and the world.
Hope vs. Optimism
Roshi Joan distinguishes these: an optimist believes everything will turn out okay and thus may do nothing, while a pessimist believes all will go to hell and also does nothing. A hopeful person sees the truth of uncertainty and the possibility of positive outcomes, motivating them to work for a better world.
Radical Non-separateness / Interconnectedness
A fundamental Buddhist realization that one is not separate from any being or thing. This understanding breaks down the illusion of a separate self, revealing how actions impact the whole and fostering a sense of shared existence and responsibility.
Mono no aware (slender sadness)
A Japanese term describing the poignant awareness of the impermanence of things, particularly beauty. It encompasses both the appreciation of beauty and the gentle sadness that it will inevitably pass, highlighting the transient nature of existence and the function of grief.
Cessation
From a Buddhist perspective, cessation refers to both physical and mental stopping. It's about being commanded to stop external drivenness and turn inward, looking at what life is truly about, which is not to create more suffering, but to engender greater good.
10 Questions Answered
Roshi Joan views the pandemic as a 'global charnel ground' and a global rite of passage, forcing humanity into a period of separation and a 'threshold experience' where old ways dissolve and new possibilities emerge.
Love, according to Roshi Joan, is a quality of practical care, extending from using hand sanitizer and toilet paper to social and environmental responsibility, all stemming from a tenderness that recognizes interconnectedness.
Roshi Joan suggests the 'strong back, soft front' approach: a strong back represents grounded equanimity to uphold oneself, while a soft front signifies openness and tenderness toward suffering.
An optimist believes things will turn out well without effort, and a pessimist believes things will go badly, leading to inaction. A hopeful person acknowledges uncertainty but works for positive outcomes, seeing the possibility of the best.
While privileged individuals have more luxury to explore inwardly, Roshi Joan notes that even those at high risk, like Nelson Mandela or Malala, have demonstrated resilience and service, turning suffering into a source of strength and action.
The main block is the energy we put into defending and defining a separate self-identity, driven by greed, anger (both fear-based), and ignorance, which obscures the truth of interconnectedness.
Uncertainty forces us to drop into wisdom and be open to surprise, as our 'prediction machines' fail. Impermanence, especially when confronted with death, teaches us to treasure and appreciate the present moment, even if it's difficult.
Deep meditation practice can lead to a breakdown of the sense of self and other, fostering the realization of radical non-separateness and interconnectedness, which helps to shift feelings toward kindness and love for the world.
Roshi Joan states that stigmatizing all white males is no better than stigmatizing any other group. Instead, individuals should be viewed in their totality, and the focus should be on addressing the human suffering and delusion that leads to harmful acts.
Roshi Joan suggests embracing 'cessation,' both physical and mental stopping, which is a command to turn inward. This allows us to reflect on what life is truly about, leading to acts of compassion from a perspective of stopping, rather than external drivenness.
26 Actionable Insights
1. Cultivate Strong Back, Soft Front
Develop inner strength and equanimity to uphold yourself in difficult conditions, combined with an open, compassionate heart that cares for all beings equally.
2. Practice Radical Non-Separateness
Engage in meditation and use everyday experiences to break down the sense of a separate self, realizing profound interconnectedness with all beings and things.
3. Embrace Impermanence & Present
Understand that everything is transient and that attempts to create absolute security lead to suffering. Instead, care for, respect, and appreciate the present moment, even when it is difficult.
4. Turn Inward During Crisis
Use times of forced withdrawal or crisis as an opportunity to look inwardly, examine your mind, heart, values, and integrity, and reflect on life’s true purpose.
5. Address Your Inner Voice
Become aware of the nonstop ‘inner voice’ and use meditation as an antidote to systematically observe powerful emotions, random thoughts, and unhelpful urges, thereby gaining freedom from being controlled by them.
6. Cultivate Love & Care
Develop ’love’ as an evolutionarily wired capacity to care, similar to mindfulness, and integrate both for an upward spiral of personal growth.
7. Practice Brahma Viharas
Engage in the cultivation of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity through meditation phrases to foster unselfish motivation and open up to the world with greater kindness.
8. Learn from Systemic Breakdowns
Recognize that when systems break down (like during a pandemic), learning from these breakdowns can lead to a reorganization process at a much higher order for society.
9. Cultivate Hope, Not Optimism
Develop hope by acknowledging the truth of uncertainty and the possibility that anything, including the best, could happen, which motivates action.
10. Rehumanize Objectified Individuals
Practice seeing individuals who have been objectified or polarized (e.g., politicians, criminals) as human beings, separating the person from their harmful actions or suffering.
11. Shift to Suffering Perspective
Change your perspective from judging things as ‘good and evil’ to understanding them in terms of ‘suffering and not suffering’ to foster deeper understanding and compassion.
12. Leverage Privilege for Growth
If in a position of privilege, make the most of a crisis to explore inwardly and be generous outwardly, recognizing the expectation to give back proportionally.
13. Engage in Small Acts of Service
For those able to shelter safely, engage in intimate acts of service such as cooking for the homeless, creating cards for isolated elderly, and practicing good hygiene for others’ safety.
14. Address Societal Injustices
Acknowledge and actively address visible societal injustices (racism, classism, ageism, sexism) at both individual and systemic levels, viewing this as a call for revolutionary change.
15. Lean Into Discomfort & Be Useful
When experiencing discomfort (e.g., from uncertainty), lean into it, investigate it with openness, and use the recognition of shared discomfort as an opportunity to be useful to others.
16. Embrace Cessation (Stop)
During times of forced pause, embrace both physical and mental ‘stopping’ (cessation), using this perspective to engage in acts of compassion and service, and to live less externally.
17. Reflect on Crisis Lessons
Reflect deeply on lessons learned during the crisis to inform future actions regarding the economy, environment, gender parity, child abuse, race, and poverty, aiming to end structural violence.
18. Commit to New Values
Wake up amidst difficult conditions and commit to values that prevent repeating past mistakes, actively working to bring grace, kindness, and justice into the world during the ‘return’ phase.
19. Support Voter Registration & Education
Use available resources to actively support voter registration and education.
20. Engage with Local Community
Actively engage with and appreciate neighbors and local community connections, especially during times of isolation, to foster stronger bonds.
21. Avoid Group Stigmatization
Avoid stigmatizing entire groups of people (e.g., all white males, all politicians); instead, view each individual in their totality, beyond group labels.
22. Work to Rectify Patriarchy
If identifying as a privileged white male, recognize the need to work twice as hard to rectify the damage caused by patriarchy.
23. Introduce Practice with 10% Happier
When introducing meditation or similar practices, focus on immediate, tangible benefits like calmness and focus as an accessible entry point.
24. Sustain Practice for Motivation
Maintain a meditation practice, even for short durations, to observe how motivations evolve, leading to a natural desire to act kindly and reduce self-preoccupation.
25. Consult Experts for Safety
Consult experts like epidemiologists and clinicians for guidance on safety measures during a crisis, and be prepared to implement strict isolation if risks are high.
26. Practice Basic Hygiene as Care
Consistently practice basic hygiene, such as hand washing and using hand sanitizer, viewing these actions as acts of care for oneself and the wider community.
7 Key Quotes
I feel like I was born to be in the middle of this mess. You know, it's a kind of charnel ground, a global charnel ground.
Roshi Joan Halifax
Equanimity is to care for all beings equally.
Taratuku (quoted by Roshi Joan Halifax)
The state of mind that was entered in order to rape or kill, that, too, is suffering.
Roshi Joan Halifax
A hopeful person is a person that sees the truth of uncertainty and the possibility that anything could happen, including the best.
Roshi Joan Halifax
Grief is love that has nowhere to go.
A student (quoted by Roshi Joan Halifax)
Our racism, our classism, our ageism, our sexism is out of the closet.
Roshi Joan Halifax
Anything can happen at any time.
Joseph Goldstein (quoted by Dan Harris)