Acknowledgement Practice for Palestine, Israel, Lebanon,
and the Levant
Here is a suggested dedication that you can use in your own practice. It can be used before or after meditation, after chanting, or on its own.
Feel free to make a copy and edit it to fit your own needs and beliefs. If you make edits, please do not cite Clouds in Water as the source of this acknowledgement practice.
*updated October 1, 2025: It is important to acknowledge that there is a genocide against Palestine occurring. This genocide is being carried out by State of Israel, and the US is complicit. This October marks two years of this unimaginable violence and death. An estimated over 80,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip.*
It is vital that we understand how our bodhisattva vow to liberate all beings is not separate from this genocide. Our vows compel us to turn toward reality, and nourish ourselves with the Dharma, so that we may meet grief and rage as bodhisattvas themselves, allowing us to respond with appropriate, compassionate action. This includes truth-telling, actively dismantling anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism, and acknowledging the deepening grief and fear of SWANA and Jewish folks worldwide.
Please reach out to us if you would like to know more about how Clouds has been engaging in community process around Palestine and Israel: info@cloudsinwater.org
We dedicate our study and practice to the peace, well being, and safe passage of every person in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, and the Levant.
We uplift the sanctity of life and mourn all of those lost in this conflict. We hold in our heart-minds the ongoing devastation and genocide against Palestinians and the extension of violence into Lebanon and Syria, and we allow our hearts to break open. We center the ancient and intergenerational wounds of Palestinian people, and people of the Levant. We simultaneously acknowledge the deep wounds and trauma of Jewish people throughout history. We grieve the death and fear experienced in Israel on October 7, 2023, and we do not turn away from it. We meet grief, fear, rage, and all of our strong emotions as Dharma gates and guides. We practice healing in community so that our grief and trauma does not get used as weapons by national and geopolitical forces. We turn toward one another and we activate our practice as a meeting ground and a refuge.
We dedicate our study and practice to the people of the Levant and across the globe who have died–and are dying–in the long years of this terrible struggle with global systems of oppression. We dedicate our study and practice to the wisdom, patience, and loving-kindness of all world leaders so that they may exercise courage and collective care in their actions. And to Muslim, Jewish, Southwest Asian, and North African (SWANA) people across the globe who are living with increasing fear and deepening grief.
May they, together with all beings, realize the end of suffering.
We are all connected. Our suffering and our liberation are inextricably intertwined with the suffering of the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Israel,and the greater SWANA region. We dedicate ourselves, with our bodies, speech, and minds, to continue to investigate ways to reduce and end violence and warfare, and the suffering it has caused. May our practice ground us in identifying and taking appropriate actions to end violence and promote peace. May we work together for the liberation of all beings. May we find refuge, steadfastness, and courage in the Buddha Way.
We welcome reflections and feedback on this Acknowledgement Practice. Please feel free to fill out this google form, which will remain active through January 1, 2026.
Additional resources:
Practice Suggestions for Turbulent Times
Prayer For One Who Brings Chaos
*This prayer is not for the benefit of abusers, but to protect the heart-mind of awakening for the one praying. It can be dangerous medicine if we don't consider why and how we use it. This prayer is not for the practice of resignation, apologetics or for establishing false equivalencies. This prayer is for someone who understands that we cannot rename as 'conflict' what is actually oppression and we cannot rename as 'disagreement' what is actually systemic violence rooted in self-interest.