Kannon or Avalokiteśvara, is the regarder of the cries of the world.
During my pp in 2004, we chanted chapter 25 of the lotus sutra (saddarma pundarika sutra in sanskrit) during noon service. This was our pp study text. This ancient work (trans originally, approx 230 CE) is a foundational text in Mahayana Buddhism.
I have been thinking about what it means to hear the cries of the world, to listen to the cries of the world. There’s listening and there’s deep listening, according to some.
I think its useful to think about Bodhisattva archetypes in the current context. What would it mean to engage in hearing the cries, deep listening to the cries of the world. So often we simplify our attention to listening to cries of poverty, despair, and those less fortunate than ourselves. But. What about deep listening to those the large percentage of people who voted for, and support Donald Trump?
Sociologist Arlie Hochschild in an interview with Krista Tippet, schools us in deep listening. This is listening to that which we might rather not hear. Personally, I voted for and support Democratic initiatives, not the illegal economy of Trump. Nonetheless, his supporters, coalesced around fear, loathing seeded by racism reflect changes in the US economy, culture and politics over a 40+ year period.
So… how to listen.