Practice Response to the Shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church

From Guiding Teacher Sosan Flynn

I'd like to invite us to pause for a moment to honor the victims of the horrific gun violence that took place at Annunciation Catholic Church this past week. Let us receive our grief, anger, fear, and all the feelings that are arising. Let us mourn those who have died, pray for those who are injured, and bear witness with those who are traumatized by this violence, including ourselves. 

In our Zen Buddhist practice, we are invited to receive all that arises, breathe and connect with our bodies, realize there is a vast, wide ocean of interconnection in which all this happens, and then take up our Bodhisattva vows to free all beings from suffering. 

I also want to echo the words of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said on Wednesday: "Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community or any other community out there has lost their sense of common humanity. We should not be operating out of a place of hate for anyone. We should be operating from a place of our love for kids. Kids died today."

I invite us all to find ways for our compassion to arise and lead us to actions that can end harm.