What is Victory Over War? A Peek into a View of Kasungship

Kasung trident

Details about the Khyung Dzong Regimental Dön Season Annual Maneuvers beginning on January 29 are on the calendar.

When I began exploring Buddhism and meditation over 20 years ago, I kind of hoped that the dharma would give me a free pass: no more conflict and the discomfort it brings. I hoped that enlightenment would come easily in the form of being free from my pain, always full of kindness for others, and maybe the ability to sail through life on a cloud of perfect bliss and wisdom without ever fucking up or freaking out when something went sideways. Victory over war, I thought, meant that I would be immune to or free from conflict. Obviously, I was wrong.

I can confidently say that turning your mind to the dharma, engaging in your life from a view of basic goodness and enlightened society, is not like becoming a non-stick frying pan. Rather, it’s more like becoming a frying pan that deeply feels the burn of the fire, the sizzle of the egg, and soapsuds that wash it clean. You also become a frying pan that begin to see that life sticks to you, and it’s your attempts to run away from, fight or deny the stickiness of life that is the source of much (all?) of your suffering. There is no magic Teflon. There is no escape from life or death. This is where true victory over war begins.

Victory over war means making peace with your life and all the struggles and conflicts it brings. It also means making peace with yourself, the basically good and imperfect sweetheart who is confused and wise, grumpy and kind, anxious and patient. Contradictions. We deepen our practice of victory over war by embracing both sides. Victory over war means no more enemies. No more enemies. We are constantly at war with this or that, hoping that each vanquished foe will bring us one step closer to the peace we yearn for. We are fools, because we are all in this together, and each time I stab you with my knife or my words, I stab us all. Can you see your enemy as a human being tormented by samsara? Can you see yourself the same way? When you begin to wake from the nightmare of dualism and aggression, confusion will begin to dawn as wisdom, and conflict with transform into sacred opportunities to heal.

I want to end on a note of humbleness. Victory over war is not easy, because habits of duality and the aggression that stems from dualism run deep. Let’s be kind and gentle. Let’s be brave. Let’s be ordinary and spare ourselves the self-aggression of self-improvement. Victory over war is not about doing it better or becoming better. It’s about beginning to appreciate the interconnectedness that is more basic than dualism and aggression, the basic goodness that is already here. We are surrounded by reality. Let’s surrender to this truth, give up the fight, and see what happens next.

–Dan Rubin, PsyD, Rusung of the Portland Shambhala Center

Leave a Reply