The Dharma of Harriet Tubman | Spring Washam

1. Shift from Mind to Heart

When overwhelmed by complex suffering or seeking deeper understanding, shift awareness from the analytical mind to the heart, allowing it to grow in capacity to hold both suffering and joy, as true wisdom often resides ‘south of the neck’.

2. Act from Love, Not Hate

Engage in activism and stand up against injustice from a place of love and a desire for a just world, rather than guilt, shame, blame, or hatred, to ensure sustainable ‘soul force’ and foster genuine understanding.

3. Practice Non-Violent Persistence

In the face of injustice, practice non-violent persistence by consistently agitating and protesting without resorting to physical or psychological violence, relying on a long-term, unwavering commitment to truth.

4. Examine Mental Programs with Curiosity

Actively seek to identify and understand one’s own conditioning and mental programs (e.g., white supremacy, inferiority), approaching them with warmth and curiosity rather than denial, to liberate the mind and heart.

5. Transform Heartbreak into Action

When experiencing heartbreak due to injustice or suffering, channel that pain into motivation for justice and continued action, getting used to the discomfort while refusing to contract into fear.

6. Take Refuge in Impermanence

Recognize and take refuge in the truth of impermanence and constant change, understanding that there isn’t always solid ground, which can serve as a profound life teaching.

7. Evoke Ancestral Courage

Deliberately inject stories of courageous figures and ancestors (like Harriet Tubman) into one’s stream of consciousness, reading books and systematically contemplating their lives or evoking their spirit in meditation to draw strength and energetic help.

8. Be a Conscious ‘Conductor’

Be conscious of your role as a ‘conductor’ in life, actively leading yourself and others through challenging passages towards happiness, compassion, and care, and away from pain.

9. Allow Grief and Laughter

Engage in symbolic grief rituals (like building fires) during times of profound loss, and intentionally use humor and laughter to cope with heavy or difficult situations, preventing overwhelm.

10. Practice Deep Presence with Emotions

Practice being deeply present with all emotions as they arise, whether joy, sorrow, fear, or terror, allowing them to be fully expressed without judgment or suppression.

11. Educate on Systemic Oppression

Educate oneself and others on the complexity of systemic oppressive systems, understanding how they operate and how everyone participates, whether as oppressor or oppressed, to foster collective awareness.

12. Process Guilt and Zealotry

When waking up to one’s participation in harmful systems, allow for initial feelings of guilt and shame without getting stuck there, and avoid becoming a ‘zealot’ by integrating insights calmly and long-term.

13. Seek Reconciliation Support

Seek support groups or safe spaces for reconciliation and sharing when recognizing one’s participation in harmful systems, similar to an AA meeting, to process insights and past actions.

14. Extend Everyday Kindness

Practice everyday kindness and extend heartfelt care to others, even strangers, by being present and having genuine moments, especially during challenging times, to counteract aloofness.

15. Enroll in Dharma Course

Enroll in Spring Washam’s five-week online course, ‘The Dharma of Harriet Tubman,’ to learn meditation and mental practices for cultivating ferocity and warmth through Harriet Tubman’s stories.