It was John Muir who said,
When one tugs at a single thing in nature,
They find it attached to the rest of the world.
So today is the 4th of July,
Independence Day in the United States,
And this is the first time that I have ever taught a class on this day.
And as I was reflecting on the meaning of this day in our country,
I have to admit that I have been conflicted about our independence as a nation and as a people.
When I was young,
I remember planning a year-long trip around Europe,
And I left the country on Independence Day as kind of a rebellious act.
And ironically,
I am usually traveling internationally on this day.
It's been quite intentional,
Actually.
Our independence as a nation is fraught with problems,
As you know.
And I can easily get looped into righteous thinking around economic inequality and social inequality,
Environmental degradation,
And social justice.
Like some part of me needs to get on my soapbox and educate everyone on how it all starts with the delusion that we are separate,
Independent beings.
So I'm glad for mindfulness.
It keeps me out of trouble.
So independence.
What dharma can be learned here?
What truth can we hold up to the light?
As Thomas Jefferson said,
What truth is self-evident?
All people are created equal.
That's undeniable and true.
We are all endowed with Buddha nature.
There is no possible discrimination that can be made,
Whether you're a man or a woman or unidentified.
This color or that color,
We're all endowed with Buddha nature.
And from this self-evident truth comes the right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We're all endowed with the freedom to follow the pursuits of happiness in both a material way,
Which our culture has taken on with zeal and a spiritual way.
The path of awakening is the pursuit of this happiness.
So why is it that we just can't enjoy the natural gifts that we have?
We all have Buddha nature,
But we still have a path to follow and we all have to put forward effort.
Even Benjamin Franklin said in the formation of the Declaration of Independence that the pursuit of these rights depends on our own energy.
One of the primary things that we learn in practice is about interdependence,
Not independence.
The understanding is there is no separation between our body and the earth.
Nothing independent,
Like John Muir points out.
Our very life is a result of being in relation to others.
We've been born and thrown into a world that was not of our own making,
Dropped into histories that were not of our own choosing,
Not of our own making,
But ours to navigate skillfully.
It was Mahatma Gandhi who said,
Those who say that spirituality has nothing to do with politics do not understand what spirituality really means.
And as I reflect on the Declaration of Independence and our path,
Our path of awakening,
It seems to me that the king that ruled the world our path of awakening,
It seems to me that the king that we're trying to become independent from is the king of ignorance,
Our own delusion,
Our ego that says we're separate.
This is the king we're seeking freedom from.
And the path of practice is turning away from that loyalty,
Turning away from the loyalty to this egoic self.
Instead of working for the king and investing in consumption and acquisition,
Something we could say is an incredible tax on our soul.
Something we could say is an incredible tax on our soul,
On our well-being and our happiness.
We turn away from that loyalty.
You could say that Paul Revere is the messenger of mindfulness.
So if we stick to this Declaration of Independence analogy,
We could see Paul Revere saying the British are coming.
It's simply they're coming,
They're coming.
This greed,
This aversion,
This delusion,
They're coming,
Or they're actually here.
So it takes effort just to turn and see this.
So in this path,
There is a whole teaching emphasizing inner growth and development.
They're called the Perfections or the Paramis in Sanskrit,
The Paramitas.
And these are 10 strengths that are particular to the development of our daily life,
In our daily life.
And the fourth one,
The fourth Paramita on this Fourth of July is what I'd like to leave you with.
The fourth one is wise effort.
Turning away from the kingdom of our ego and delusion.
That's the work of a warrior,
A true patriot,
I think.
What we're supporting is much larger than some border that defines country.
What we're supporting is seeing each other as ourselves.
Seeing all living beings and the very earth.
That lives and breathes us as one.
So we bring as much joy and truth and love to it all.
Because when we can do that,
When we can do that authentically,
We are,
As our founding fathers have said,
Placing our firm reliance on the protection of divine providence.
Trusting the path that is unfolding.
So happy Fourth Paramita.
May you live well on this day.
Thank you for your kind attention.
