COMPASSION

DAY 77, LETTER 77

By Karma Lekshe Tsomo

“Will you find constructive solutions to help relieve suffering in the world?”

Dear President Trump, Vice President Pence, Members of the Trump Administration and the 115th Congress,

As a Buddhist scholar and practitioner, I would like to share some wisdom from my religious heritage with those who have been elected to lead our nation as public servants.

Love and compassion are universal values cherished by people around the world. The Buddha taught these values as antidotes to destructive emotions and behavior. Cultivating inner peace is a powerful way to overcome anger, jealousy, pride, and selfishness. We begin by generating lovingkindness toward ourselves, and then expand these feelings to others: neighbors, colleagues, enemies, and gradually the whole world.

Shantideva (685–763), a Bengali Buddhist scholar, taught: “All happiness comes from cherishing others. All misery comes from cherishing oneself.”

The Questions of King Milinda is a dialogue between a Buddhist monk named Nagasena and a second-century BCE Indo-Greek king named Menander (Milinda) I. The text depicts an ideal Buddhist ruler who practiced the values of nonviolence, justice, and compassion and thus created a peaceful, harmonious, prosperous society. As a consequence, naturally he was beloved by all.

One need not be a world leader to put this Buddhist wisdom into practice. My experience teaching meditation in U.S. prisons over the years has shown that those who are incarcerated also respond well to meditations on compassion, especially when the practice of generating compassion develops gradually, starting with oneself.

A leader who embodies these virtues will be remembered fondly for ages to come. Will you be remembered as a wise and compassionate leader? Will you find constructive solutions to help relieve suffering in the world? We hope we can count on you.