Yoga and Lessons from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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Amen, Pope Leo.
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Last month, I wrote about the transformative life-work of the great yogi, Mahatma Gandhi. No doubt, his practice of non-violent resistance probably started out like a tiny redwood tree seed. But through his persistent and consistent practices over many years, it grew into something akin to a redwood tree – the tallest tree in the world. His example was so great and mighty, that it had a tremendous influence on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gandhi’s teachings and practices guided Dr. King as he sought to bring about changes that would right many of the wrongs of racial injustice that were infecting our collective lives here in America for far too many years.
Earlier this month on May 2nd I read this guest essay in the NY Times Opinion section by Jonathan Eig: For Those Who Wish to Fight Back but Don’t Know How. It talks about Dr. King’s beliefs, moral values, and actions, and offers suggestions for strategies we might be able employ now to meet this moment’s injustices – injustices that can be compared to what Dr. King lived through.
That the essay came out on the day of my 66th birthday was a gift in and of itself! And coincidentally, as it turns out I went to see Redwood on Broadway that night and learned more than I previously knew about this remarkable tree. For example, did you know that a redwood tree’s roots are actually quite shallow, but it’s roots are connected with those of the nearby redwood trees and collectively they form a foundation so strong that it allows for each redwood tree to grow to astounding heights – the tallest is 380 feet!
Dr. King was aware of the interconnected nature of all beings when he wrote these famous words from his Letter from Birmingham Jail:
“I am in Birmingham because injustice is here,” he wrote. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”
Similarly, in yoga literature, the metaphor of Indra’s Net reminds us that we are all jewels in this vast universe of awareness and each of us are connected to every other jewel in the universe. And like any net, when you pull at one part of it, it is felt at all other parts – perhaps quite minutely, but felt nonetheless. So, any actions we take that can help move the needle forward in correcting injustices will be felt somewhere out there. It might be felt only minutely at first, but like Dr. King’s efforts, as it gathers other “jewels” to take action, the net effect grows greater and greater until it reaches a tipping point where there is enough of a pull for systemic change to happen.
This particular paragraph in Jonathan Eig’s guest essay contained several ideas and strategies that are part of yogic and Buddhist philosophy and thus struck a chord within me:
“What would Dr. King do today? In his sermons, speeches and essays, he gave us the answer. He told us that while elected officials may try to divide us by stoking resentment and rage, we shouldn’t let them. He reminded us of our essential goodness and encouraged us to trust and rely on the goodness of others. He told us not to expect immediate results. We often forget, in telling Dr. King’s story today, how many of his organized protests were judged failures in their time, from Albany, Ga., to Chicago. Even his efforts in Birmingham were faltering for weeks, with participation falling off and media interest fading, until the city’s youth joined the protests and reinvigorated the movement.”
Buddhist teachings and practices intend to remind us of our essential goodness. And also – though probably more difficult to realize – that all of us are essentially good. Yes, this includes our “enemies.” And this is why Dr. King advocated for “non-violent” resistance, even in the face of violence. Non-violence in yoga is the practice of “ahimsa” or non-harming. In yoga, it is the very first step on the path towards Self-Realization. It would be safe to say that Dr. King was likely a very highly “Realized” individual. But perhaps even more important to Dr. King was that by acting non-violently he was acting with love. He truly did understand that love and hatred are inherent in all beings and he, like Mahatma Gandhi, worked on himself to try to harness the power of his innate love in order to do good in the world and at the same time suppress his innate hatred in order to not undermine his life-work.
Jonathan Eig also points out that many of Dr. King’s efforts appeared to be failures in the early stages. Perhaps while experiencing these failures, Dr. King was consciously also practicing the lessons imparted by these important verses from the Bhagavad Gita – ones that I have shared many times before:
You have control over actions alone, never over its fruits. Live not for the fruits of action, nor attach yourself to inaction. Established in Yoga, O Arjuna, perform actions having abandoned attachment and having become balanced in success and failure, for balance of mind is called Yoga.
-- Krishna speaking to Arjuna in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad-Gita, verses 47 and 48
Or, as I read somewhere some time ago, more succinctly here the Bhagavad Gita is advising us to:
Perform your actions in the world skillfully and lovingly, yet know that you are not entitled to the fruits of those actions.
In my own life, this is a reminder to me to just try and do my best to act skillfully with love out in the world. It’s a reminder to me to let the results be what they are going to be. And most importantly it reminds me that in order to be effective I have to hold onto my physical and mental balance – my equanimity. And one way to achieve this feeling of equanimity is by letting go of worrying how things are going to turn out.
I actually tried to live this lesson in my own life recently when I was helping a family member who is experiencing health related challenges. I’m sure you’d agree that it is never easy to help other people who are in difficult situations – perhaps especially if the person is a family member. But I kept reminding myself that the results of my actions are none of my business really. Rather, I tried to focus on just taking the most loving and skillful actions I could think of to take.
In a far greater way, Dr. King took the most loving and skillful actions he could think of to take. Sadly, he didn’t live long enough on this earth to see many of the profound and positive changes his actions resulted in creating, but I am certain he is smiling from heaven!
So, the lessons I’ve learned from the Bhagavad Gita and Dr. King’s example that may be helpful to everyone are:
The goal is not necessarily to get what we want, but rather the goal is to take action, daily. Getting what we want depends on outside factors. Taking actions daily depends on inside factors, and we can control those.
We can get paralyzed into inaction out of fear that we may not get the desired outcome we wish for. We have inklings and ideas of what actions we should and could take, but we can get stopped in our tracks out of fear that they may lead nowhere. Letting go of the fruits of our actions can help us overcome our fear of acting.
So, as you take whatever skillful actions you can think of to fight injustices near and far, I hope that yoga and Buddhist teachings as well as the life example of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. can inspire you to keep moving forward each day. Here again is Jonathan Eig’s essay to assist you along your way.
And as I finished by saying last month, I know full well that this is not easy work. And because of that, I again humbly bow down to your courage.
May you be happy, …
May you be healthy, …
May you act skillfully and with love out in the world, ...
May you act with equanimity, …
May whatever the results of your actions are somehow benefit All Beings Everywhere.
Aloha and Metta,
Paul Keoni Chun
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These sights in May helped me to maintain my equanimity.
While not exactly a redwood tree, this tree I found in Central Park fit the bill just fine. Tree-hugging is good for the soul.
After all those showers, hooray for May flowers!
Photo credits:
Pope Leo’s words from an unknown source.
All other photos shot by Paul Keoni Chun.