Pavement: Reflections on Mercy, Activism, and Doing "Nothing" for Peace
by Lin Jensen
Wisdom Publications 03/07 Paperback $12.95
ISBN 0861715225
Book Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
In
the fall of 2004 with the war in Iraq entering its second year, Lin
Jensen began sitting daily peace vigils on the sidewalks of his
hometown, Chico, California. The 75-year-old author is a retired
teacher and Buddhist who loves the sacred fool tradition and the Taoist
way of nondoing. He discovers, "Peace, as it turned out, was less a
matter of something you do than one of something you are."
He also learns, "Like mercy or kindness, peace was a consequence of its
own presence and not something of my willful devising." It is something
that requires adjustment to changing circumstances. Sitting on his
meditation cushion, Jensen opens to what shows up and learns a lot
about himself, his neighbors, and the nature of nonviolence.
The author is shocked at the feelings of anger, judgment, and
disappointment that surface as he sits at knee-level on the sidewalk.
Some of this results from his dismay and grief over the violence and
brutality America has wrought in Iraq where so many innocent civilians
have died, and some it comes from the toxic responses of strangers who
hurl insults at him. Jensen tries to practice equanimity, but it is
difficult. He tries to mine the meaning out of each experience. He even
discovers how a dog who joins him for a while outside a natural foods
store can be a Dharma teacher.
Looking at the hubcaps of cars passing in front of him, Jensen
wonders how many of his fellow citizens realize the high cost of the
war which, in part, is being waged for oil. Looking at a child left for
a while in his care by her mother, he wonders how many Americans feel
responsible for the care of future generations of children in Iraq and
other trouble spots in the world.
Jensen rejects his country's claim that it is acting on his behalf
in Iraq, and he is deeply disappointed that America exports violence
around the globe instead of peace and kindness. His daily peace vigil
makes perfect sense to him as the right thing to do, and he concludes:
"To allow a war to be waged on your behalf without protest is to be
complicit in the tragic consequences war exacts from those who are its
innocent victims. Indifference kills every bit as much as does malice."
This is a truly inspirational book. It is a powerful testament to
the connection between spiritual practice and the yearning for peace.
Reviews copyright 1998 - 2007 by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, SpiritualityandPractice.com.
