Support Relief Efforts for India through Global Community

Yoga Gives Back (YGB) is pleased to announce A GLOBAL GATHERING FOR INDIA, https://yogagivesback.org/benefit-for-india/ a virtual charity event streaming live June 25 – 27, 2021. This global fundraising event will feature 80+ artists and teachers from 20+ countries coming together to raise over $100,000 to support women and children in India during this COVID-19 crisis and its aftermath.

The prestigious chant and world musician line-up for A GLOBAL GATHERING FOR INDIA includes Grammy-nominated artists: Belinda Carlisle, Krishna Das, Donna De Lory, Deva Premal and Miten, Jai Uttal, Manose, Dave Stringer plus C.C.White Soul Kirtan, Nina Rao, Girish, Jahnavi Harrison, Sacred Earth, The Maharaj Trio, Wah!, DJ Drez and Marti Nikko, Sheela Bringi, Wavy Gravy, David Newman, Joseph Pepe Danza, SHIVARASA, Radhika Vekaria, Edo Kahn, Punnu Wasu, Joss Jaffe, Sheila Nicholls, Nikki Slade, Govindas and Radha, Suzanne Sterling, Joey Lugassy, Daphne Tse, Yoshi Aono, Petros, Sean Johnson, Shervin Boolarian, Meenakshi and Ron (Swaha), Adam Bauer, Kevin James, Jack Harrison, Clayton Horton, among others.

The event will also include chant, meditation, spiritual, astrological, and Yoga sessions led by esteemed teachers across multiple disciplines, among them  David Lynch, Jack Kornfield, Trudy Goodman, Shiva Rea, Seane Corn, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Ana Forrest and Jose Calarco, Debra Silverman, Nadine McNeil, Akira Watamoto, Danny Paradise, Paul Dallaghan, Dena Kingsberg, Ronan Tang, Teresa Herrera, Cristi Christensen, Nubia Texeira, David Kim, Katy Appleton, Tryphena Chia, Maneesh Kalra, Bobsy Gaia, Eoin Finn, Insiya Rasiwala, Gwyn Williams and Riley Skye.

Join us June 25 through 27 at this historic event! Donate and Support:  https://yogagivesback.org/benefit-for-india/

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

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Our Current Challenge: Reflecting on Applying the Lessons of Yoga to the Events of 2020

To say the least, 2020 has been a roller coaster. The global pandemic was unexpected. It brought our country, and our world to a screeching pause. In the blink of an eye, our neighbors became both people to physically avoid, as well as our emotional lifelines. Tragically, many have lost family and friends to COVID-19 and the terms “hero” and “front line workers” took on new meanings. We quickly learned to live with masks of protection as well as a six feet of space between us.

In the midst of the global health crisis, another tragedy has come to light and the senseless killing of George Floyd became the straw that broke the camel’s back in a long line of atrocities committed by those who hate others based on the color of their skin. The evils of slavery still have a resounding echo and with each generation, we have to look at our role in how we have contributed to either the healing or the hurting of the racial divide.

Maya Angelou wrote, “The plague of racism is insidious, entering into our minds as smoothly and quietly and invisibly as floating airborne microbes enter into our bodies to find lifelong purchase in our bloodstreams.” These words are both haunting and accurate as we bear the burden of two separate plagues, one that is primarily physical, and another that is spiritual. COVID-19 named for the corona virus of 2019 has an all too familiar graphic of a red cell with several spikey crowns. Racism is the name for the ugliness that has plagued our country for centuries, and still has not been cured.

The two plagues have familiar images that we have seen daily. We have been bombarded with images of the red cell that bears many crowns, and even our children are familiar with the image. The spikey crown gets lodged in the hair-like structures of the lungs and makes it hard to breathe. The ugliness of racism is something that we feel in the same physical area of the body, the level of the emotional heart center, and it also led to the heartbreaking words of George Floyd saying, “I can’t breathe.”

Breath as Prayer, Breath as Life

As Yoga practitioners, our breath is our prayer, it is with us throughout our lives and we dance with the inhalation and exhalation in many different ways. In the lessons of yoga, we have been taught different types of breathing techniques, and have learned that the breath is not only our life line, but helps to regulate all of our systems. When there is no breath, there is no life. On May 25, 2020, the world witnessed as George Floyd’s breath left his body and it replayed through all of our familiar cultural platforms, from YouTube to TikTok. It is human nature to want to share, and video is a powerful medium, which can also go “viral.”

In Yogic philosophy, we are taught that we cannot control our circumstances, only our reaction to our circumstances. 2020 has been a year of many opportunities to learn this lesson again and again. We have no control over a global pandemic, nor did we have control over the four police officers that participated in George Floyd’s murder. In these instances, it can feel like controlling our reaction is not possible. Our grief, anxiety, and anger is so profound, that we have taken to the streets to say “no more.” Our reactions are evolving into conscious acts of activism as we step up and serve the whole.

This year, 2020 has been called “the great awakening.” We are waking up to the fact that we have to start thinking about others in a profound way. As Yogis we have a responsibility to serve one another on the path of karma yoga (the discipline of selfless action). Our actions create a ripple effect and when we move from “me” to “we” in a mature and tangible way, we have an opportunity to empower others through the lessons of yoga.

Our hearts hurt for the people that have lost their breath to COVID-19 and to the ugliness of racism. By helping to take care of each other’s hearts, we help take a step forward into a new chapter in human history. Each of us has a different skill set, each of us has different soul gifts to share. Whether you are teaching pranayama to help soothe a student’s frazzled nervous system, or protesting injustice in this world, your voice is needed. The importance of the breath is not just physical or technique driven, it is a gift to remember the simultaneous strength and fragility of life.

The two plagues have brought us back to the teachings of yoga.

• Nothing is permanent.
• We cannot control external circumstances.
• Service to one another is the path.
• Breath is life.
• We are all connected.

As we move forward into this new reality, each one of us has a role. When we lift one another we are in fact lifting ourselves. May we all care for one another and learn the lessons of the two plagues with grace and strength, even when grief and anger make it hard to breathe. COVID-19 has taught us that our breath is a gift and that we are all one. George Floyd’s death taught us that our breath is a gift and that we are all one. Now is the time for us to learn the lessons of yoga and bring them forward into a new chapter.

Desi Bartlett

Desi Bartlett MS, CPT, has been teaching health and wellness for more than 20 years. Originally from Chicago, she has a degree in kinesiology and her master’s degree in corporate fitness. Desi holds advanced certifications in Yoga, personal training, group fitness, and is a certified pre- and post-natal fitness specialist.

desibartlett.com

The post Lessons of Yoga & the Two Plagues of 2020 appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Kara Love Project Raises Funds for Wellness

Love, music, community and a whole lot of dancing marked the heartfelt and harmonious tenor of The Kara Love Project’s third annual Backyard Music Fundraiser. The event was held at the home of Lily and David Dulan. Lily Dulan, founder of The Kara Love Project (KLP), Maggie Lin, event coordinator, and volunteers orchestrated a beautiful evening of artists, musicians, and community to celebrate life and improve the lives of others. In October, 2019, more than 200 people from New York to Los Angeles gathered to support KLP as it raised awareness and support of its new Wellness Initiative — health and wellness programming that nurtures community and connection for children, adults, seniors and marginalized individuals locally and globally. As guests came together to show support for KLP, they also grooved to the legendary Ace of Cups, 1960’s all-female rock band along with other notable musicians, setting the stage for an evening of love, hope and positivity.

Background of the Backyard Music Fundraisers

In 2007, Lily and David lost their two-month-old daughter Kara Meyer Dulan to SIDS. Lily founded The Kara Love Project (KLP) in Kara’s memory, honoring her life with a foundation that promotes conscious giving and positive action for underserved and marginalized individuals and communities locally and around the globe. Over the past few years, the KLP Backyard Music Fundraiser has supported organizations such as The Unatti Foundation for Girls, The Dillon Henry Foundation’s Congo Peace School, Venice Arts, and Camp Brave Tails.

Supporting Music, Movement, and Meditation for Seniors

KLP teamed up with Spring Gross to help her give her Music, Movement, and Meditation program (Y.U.M.M.Y. Time) to communities that need it the most. Through KLP’s support, Spring and a team of qualified and charismatic facilitators deliver a weekly dose of musical medicine, meditation, yoga, and community to senior and adult residents of underserved nursing home facilities in Los Angeles. Over the past six months, this engaging, full-sensory program has enriched the lives of more than 150 seniors and adults in LA county.

According to gerontology expert Dr. Connie Corley, “the KLP Wellness Initiative is a landmark program that is changing the paradigm of senior care.” Lily said, “Seniors can be a forgotten audience and yet have so much to contribute to the fabric of our society. KLP wanted to find a way to have a healthy, lasting impact on seniors who are marginalized for whatever reason.”

The evening ushered in KLP’s Wellness Initiative with a video showcasing Spring Gross’ Music, Movement and Meditation program, followed by stellar musical performances by Joey Lugassy, Spring Gross, and the legendary Ace of Cups all-women rock group from the late 60s Haight-Ashbury. Denise Kaufman from Ace of Cups has been a personal mentor to Lily and a source of inspiration to many by the way she leads her life and work as a community leader and yoga teacher.

With a further nod to the past and focus on the present, the crowd was honored with a special guest appearance by Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills & Nash who, along with his wife Kristen and son Chris Stills, presented a service award to Ace of Cups for their generations of community good works. friendship and action.

Joey Lugassy, Lily Dulan, and Spring Groove

In fact, their backyard is where artist and musician Joey Lugassy and Micheline Berry wed and where Lily and Denise Kaufman’s (Ace of Cups) friendship took root nearly a decade ago. Lily is so grateful for Denise’s ongoing support and KLP was thrilled to partner with her and the Ace of Cups on their fundraiser.

Kara Love Project and the Wellness Initiatives

The brightly colored posters at the event featured those of all ages and cultures — images of smiling children and older adults tell the story of happiness, healing and hope. “We’re honored The Kara Love Project is touching a wide range of people young and old,” says Lily. “The aim of our Wellness Initiative is to make accessible the universal healing tools that help so many of us on the conscious path move through life with more, soul grace and dignity.”

Lily Dulan and the Name Work

Lily, an MFT Psychotherapist and Heart of Yoga Teacher, is looking forward to integrating additional Wellness Initiatives into the KLP fold over the next year.  The Name Work is a method Lily developed to uncover the powerful qualities in a name to help people move through grief, loss, pain and suffering of all kinds. Lily has delivered her Name Work program to KLP’s community partners Venice Arts and Camp Brave Trails and has presented her work at professional conferences and on a variety of podcasts and radio shows in the field of healing. Also on the horizon, KLP has partnered with Maggie Lin, founder of the national non-profit Foster Nation. Plans are forthcoming to bring wellness and healing tools to foster youth who are matriculating out of the system. Lily is also working on a book about her Name Work method which is contracted to launch in early 2021.

Because of the generosity of their supporters, KLP will be expanding their Music, Movement, and Mediation program to three additional low-income senior facilities in 2020 and will acquire more instruments so that all of the participants can join if desired.

Learn More about Kara Love Project and Spring Groove

Learn more at: thekaraloveproject.org.

Learn more about Spring Groove and Y.U.M.M.Y Time: Your Ultimate Music Meditation Yoga Time, a Music, Movement, and Meditation Program at: springgroove.com/y-u-m-m-y-time.

Julie Lear contributed to the writing of this article with Shelley Karpaty

Photos by The Kara Love Project & Spring Groove

Shelley Karpaty

Shelley Karpaty is a yogi living in the Bay Area where she brings her spirit into writing, recruiting and career coaching. Medium: medium.com/@skarpaty and Instagram @shelleykarpaty

www.medium.com/@skarpaty 

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The Tzu Chi Thousands of Helping Hands Charity Art Performance raises funds for this faith-based organization’s global acts of compassion.

The worldwide nonprofit spiritual organization Tzu Chi spreads a mission and a message.

In Southern California and beyond, the worldwide nonprofit organization Tzu Chi spreads the message that giving awakens kindness and love in our hearts. Master Cheng Yen is the founder and leader of the Tzu Chi Buddhist charity organization.
 
Over the past five decades, Tzu Chi has dedicated itself to the missions of disaster relief, charity, medicine, education, and humanistic culture. The focus of these is to offer material aid and psychological support to those in need, spiritual and moral guidance through education, in addition to protecting the environment and providing international disaster relief.
 
Wherever Tzu Chi goes, good health, peace and love follow closely. As part of their worldwide mission, they are hosting a series of inspiring evenings through the Charity Art Performance Tour. The tour will be coming to LA on October 1.
 
In Chinese, tzu means compassion, and chi relief. Tzu Chi’s mission includes eight categories called One step, eight footprints. Its mobile food pantry travels to impoverished communities in California weekly, benefiting 20,000 families annually.
 
Around 900 inmates have received spiritual support through books, magazines, and over 1,200 letters that were answered, offering guidance towards a meaningful life of helping others. A Tzu Chi principle is that illness, while creating pain, can become the root of poverty as well, which is why the organization makes it part of its mission to offer quality and free medical care.
 

The Compassionate History of Tzu Chi

The organization was founded when the devoted Buddhist nun, Dharma Master Cheng Yen, was moved by the pain and misery she saw around her. She made a powerful commitment to help the poor and relieve suffering.
 
She collaborated with five other female disciples and thirty housewives. In order to fund their work, the disciples made and sold baby shoes while the housewives set aside some of the money that they had for food. Their mandate: to help the poor and ill with love, joy, compassion.
 
The footprint of Tzu Chi’s work at the forefront of disaster relief and poverty reduction has spread throughout the world, reaching 94 countries. They have over 10 million volunteers and supporters worldwide, the volunteers serving with steadfast dedication, grateful for the opportunity to provide relief that people can always count on.
 

 

Sharing Charity through Art

In advance of the Thousands of Helping Hands Charity Art Performance Tour, we sat down with the Tzu Chi’s CEO, Dr. Han Huang, to learn more about this inspiring organization, its vision, and initiatives.
 
LA YOGA: We understand that businessman Stephen Huang was inspired to bring the work of Tzu Chi to the United States in part by Taiwan-based Master Cheng Yen‘s emphasis on work and self-sufficiency as part of a spiritual organization. This is demonstrated in how the organization was founded and operates, the fact that she built six hospitals in Taiwan, and spreads the message of service.
 
Tzu Chi: Yes, yes. I think most people are pretty amazed by that.
 
LA YOGA: Was Master Cheng Yen’s commitment to medical care inspired in part by what drew her to the dharma, her mother’s surgery, personal challenges, and her father’s death?
 
TC: We have to go back 50 plus years ago, when she, well there are a few things, a few reasons that she really wanted to set up the foundation. One of them is that she went to a local hospital, it was a hospital, but the scale was in no way comparable to what we have here.
 
She saw some sort of blood on the floor and then she asked around, “What happened? Why is there blood on the floor?” And then, this lady told her “There is a lady, she had a difficult time to deliver the baby.” There are some residents in the mountains in Taiwan, and it’s difficult for them to travel so they are carried down the mountain.
 
But then this lady had a hard time delivering her baby and she didn’t have the money to pay the required deposit, so the hospital refused to take care of her. Then they had to hand carry her back, which means that she would just die with the baby.
 
Master Cheng Yen heard this story and she was so shocked, and she asked, “How could this happen?” But it was a policy of the hospital at the time, and pretty much in all of Taiwan. She was afflicted with grief and sensed the importance of financial support in times of critical need. This incident turned into the catalyst that prompted her to set up a charity.
 
Master Cheng Yen established the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. Her dedication and determination to change medical care and her commitment to medical care is what drew her to the dharma.
 
Some other experiences that strengthened her commitment include when she witnessed the suffering of sickness and pain while caring for her debilitated brother in the hospital for months. When her mother needed a risky operation, she prayed and offered to give up years of her own life in exchange for her mother’s health. Her mother recovered without surgery.
 
Master Cheng Yen’s spiritual calling intensified when her father died and she was left bereaved and full of questions about the meaning of life. The shock and trauma of her father’s death marked a turning point in her life. She began to search for the truths behind life and death, and often visited a Buddhist temple in her hometown to study the Buddhist sutras and to seek answers to her questions.
 
After her father’s death, she ran away from home to become a Buddhist nun, needing to expand the love for her family to all of humanity. The conditions there were harsh, but her commitment to the Dharma only grew stronger.  Her auspicious first contact with Buddha Dharma at this crucial moment offered the wisdom and guidance she was seeking.
 

Tzu Chi Spreads the Dharma through Compassionate Action

LA YOGA: It sounds like these experiences strengthened her resolve to focus on healthcare as a means of reducing suffering and making a difference. It looks like healthcare is one of the missions of Tzu Chi in the US. What are some of the ways in which this commitment is implemented?
 
Tzu Chi: In 1993 we had the first clinic, a free clinic in Alhambra, not far from where we are speaking now in El Monte. If patients can prove that their monthly income is below the federal poverty line, they are qualified to receive free medical and dental care. We decided to do a health fair in San Bernardino.
 
From that we expanded and we developed a portable unit for dental care. We developed a dental bus with two dental chairs, X-rays, everything that a dentist would need. You could even do some light surgery in the van. This progressed from supporting a Dental Van to offering a Vision Van with same-day glasses.
 
We have a program called See 2 Succeed which is a collaboration of community partners such as, Kaiser Permanente, CalViva Health, Health Net, Eye-Q Center, and many more. Tzu Chi’s Vision Mobile Clinic is serving 10 school districts in Fresno County with the support of community grants and in-kind support.
 
LA YOGA: What are some of the reasons why people volunteer for Tzu Chi and do you have any stories about the impact of this work on the volunteers themselves?
 
Tzu Chi: I think they volunteer for the Foundation because we are a faith-based foundation. There is a philosophy behind volunteering. Our volunteers came here to Tzu Chi not just to help; they also want to learn and improve their lives. Some of our volunteers, volunteer with their kids from when they are in primary school until they are teenagers.
 
The work they do has an impact on their own lives. For example, a group traveled across the border to Tijuana to volunteer for our health fair, and when they came back their attitude completely changed. Now they appreciate everything they have.
 
LA YOGA: Oh they’re in gratitude.
 
Tzu Chi: Yes, and the parents are very happy about it because somehow through this opportunity of volunteering the kids learn that the most important thing is to really appreciate everything that you have. The kids especially learn this through volunteer work.
 
LA YOGA: We understand that Tzu Chi USA began by mobilizing volunteers, then hosting tea parties where they could share their thoughts, experiences, and joy of volunteering. The events quickly inspired the creation of additional chapters gaining supporters.
 
Today, Tzu Chi USA has more than 60 service centers, with over 100,000 volunteers working to make a difference in their communities. It sounds like the movement has gained traction with the Chinese and Taiwanese communities in the US. How is Tzu Chi reaching beyond their roots to connect with a wide variety of people?
 
Tzu Chi: Yes, that’s a very good question. That’s the thing that I am trying to work on now. I think every foundation has its history, its story to being with. But I think it’s time that we should think about how we invite more people to participate.
 
We want to reach out to people who are looking for a philosophy, message, and work that involves the mind, body, and spirit. We are spreading our vision and message through publications such as LA Yoga  and other media and talk radio, sharing the spirit of Tzu Chi, which inspires the heart, encourages putting compassion into action, and advocates giving as a way of life.
 

 
LA YOGA: In addition to the initiatives such as the Back To School Kick- Off, what are some other Southern California-based programs run by Tzu Chi?
 
Tzu Chi: Some of the other Southern California-based programs run by Tzu Chi include individual aid cases, disaster relief, Happy Campus Program, mobile food pantries, free medical services,  job referrals, charity distributions, character education, and scholarships. There is a lot of variety in the work that we do.
 
LA YOGA: You mentioned being a faith-based organization and one focused on body, mind, and spirit. What are some of the teachings that are integral to the organization and the mission?
 
Tzu Chi: Gratitude, Respect and Love. Especially Love.
 
We are a foundation based on love, and encourage people to take care of others, and to give without asking for anything in return.
 
LA YOGA: Does Master Cheng Yen share dharma teachings with her students and members of the organization?
 
Tzu Chi: Yes. Every day in the morning, she offers a sutra teaching. You can listen online here.
 
You can watch Tzu Chi Teachings related to the spirit of gratitude here.
 
LA YOGA: Is there any emphasis placed on a daily or personal practice? How is the charity work influenced by the dharma teachings?
 
Tzu Chi: It is a daily practice. Here is a typical example how our charity work is influenced by dharma, say when we do disaster relief. We will give those impacted some blankets typically because the weather is cold, and then we give them some kind of emergency financial aid, ($300 or $500 depending on the size of the family), and perhaps a hot meal, or some kind of easy to eat nutritious food.
 
But the manner in which we offer this aid is integral to our practice. The typical way our volunteers deliver items to people is to hand things to them with a 90 degree bow. Through this gesture, we want demonstrate our respect.
 
We want to show that people care, we care. We want to send the message to people not to give up because a lot of people care, we don’t even know who you are but we’re here! We want to give the message, “Don’t give up, just keep going, we know that you are suffering and we do what we can do to help. The point is you, don’t give up, because we don’t give up, so you don’t give up, just keep going, you’ll be fine.” Hopefully by doing that we encourage and inspire people.
 

 

Tzu Chi’s Thousands of Helping Hands Charity Art Performance

LA YOGA: Los Angeles hosts the Charity Arts Performance on October 1. What is the connection of the upcoming  Charity Art Performance series with the mission of the organization?
 
Tzu Chi: The Thousands of Helping Hands Charity Art Performance features the astonishing artistry of the world-renowned China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe ( CDPPAT )
 

 
Tzu Chi: They may be visually, hearing, or physically impaired, but they’re able to move, dance, keep a rhythm, and do so much more because of how they inspire others. The message here is that “Everybody can contribute.” Hopefully this can serve as an inspiration to everyone.
 
The world can use more helping hands to join together and do good deeds on behalf of those in need in their communities and beyond.
 
Right now, Tzu Chi has truly taken the suffering resulting from Hurricane Harvey to heart. We mobilized an extensive disaster relief mission for this catastrophe, which has begun, and will continue for some time.
 

 
But then Hurricane Irma appeared on the horizon. Our mission will simply embrace this disaster as well.
 
When it comes to love, there are no boundaries, no limits, and no obstacles that can’t be overcome. That’s what every Tzu Chi volunteer believes and practices daily. In a way, we’re planting seeds of compassion in each aid recipient too – because we have seen how those who receive unconditional love, are then motivated to give and to pass it on to others. It’s a beautiful thing, it really is.
 

 
Let’s come together and do more for society! May these two hands that we each possess, and our activities, help others. It feels great, and what greater meaning is there to life, than that – being of benefit to others.
 
LA YOGA: We are inspired by the mission and work of Tzu Chi. Please support this work by attending the Charity Art Performance to celebrate and support.
 
To learn more about the Tzu Chi Foundation click here.
 

 

Staff Writer Lakshmi

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Finding Compassion in a SoCal Gym

At the SoCal gym’s steam room that day, Jesse’s bright eyes, easy smile, and gregarious demeanor made me feel immediately at ease. You may know what I’m talking about when I speak of how some people strike you with their internal brightness.
 
“Best part of any workout, isn’t it?” he said, reaching out to shake my hand, “My name’s Jesse.”
 
“No doubt about it, Jesse. I’m Benjy.”
 
“There’s always something about coming in here that feels like it reconnects me,” Jesse said. “I can let the rest of my world fall away for a while.” The openness of his tone made me feel even more grateful that he had come in at that moment.
 
“Absolutely! Especially now. . . I just got back from the desert, near Joshua Tree, and the moisture is a godsend!”
 
“Oh yeah – I know what you mean . . . I spent a lot of time out that way,” Jesse replied. “Twentynine Palms, actually.”
 
“What were you doing there?”
 
“I was in the Marines,” Jesse went on, “and I guess you could say it helped me get ready . . .” He paused for a moment, “I served two tours of duty in Iraq. Came back when I was wounded.” His eyes briefly reflected a level of pain that was outside the realm of anything I had ever experienced.
 
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Jesse.” Somehow I wished that I could find a deeper way to reach out to him.
 
He looked away for a moment then looking me straight in the eye, he said, “In many ways it was a gift to me -– put me on the path I’m meant to be on.” I nodded, even though it was nearly impossible for me to see how being wounded in battle could ever be experienced as a gift.
 
“I’m grateful, because it inspired me to reach out in ways I’ve always wanted to. You see, I’m a Catholic, a Christian who was raised to believe that we are all here to serve this world in the best way we can.” Threads of my own life – my Quaker upbringing, my love of Hanuman and the selfless service that he represents, and deep desire to serve the world through kirtan and music – wove themselves into a sense of kinship and connection with this man I had just met.
 
“When I got back, I became aware that many wounded soldiers were suffering far more from PTSD than their physical wounds,” he said. “Most of the time, therapists working with them were getting nowhere. These soldiers knew that the psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers had no idea what they had actually been through, and in many cases, their efforts seemed to do more harm than good. Many of these guys who had been like my brothers on the battlefield, were acting out like crazy . . . drinking, shooting up, winding up in jail for battery . . .”
 
He paused, “I knew these guys would listen to me, because I had been there.”
 
Jesse went on to tell me how he was now spending 20 hours each week communing with his “Battleground Brothers” on top of his full-time job. He made it clear that it didn’t feel like an option for him to do otherwise. The paradoxical blessing of his suffering revealed itself in his unique gift for connecting with veterans whose mental health prognoses appeared hopeless.
 
Humbled, I said, “I can’t thank you enough for making that choice, Jesse. Wow . . . you inspire me . . .” I trailed off, not finding adequate words.
 
He shrugged, “Looking out for each other doesn’t stop when the shooting stops. It’s just another part of my duty, nothing more. I know they’d do the same for me.”
 
We stared into the steam; it was the kind of easy silence usually reserved for time shared with close friends. “Well, Benjy, it’s been great talking with you,” he said. “I’ve got a friend in the hospital waiting for me.” Taking my hand in a brotherly handshake, he flashed the same easy smile that started our unexpected communion.
 
“Take good care of yourself. Thanks again, brother.”
 

The Heart of Hanuman

I realized that the compassion I had just seen was the heart of Hanuman — this commitment to selfless service — in a Catholic Marine. Here was a man whose life circumstances could hardly have been more different from mine, who reminded me that extreme hardship becomes a blessing when we use our experience of such pain to help others find their way through it.
 
The door closed behind him, leaving me alone with an epiphany. Had we met otherwise, I might never have heard his story. My own preconceived ideas about what Marines are like would have kept me from receiving an utterly timeless lesson in what it really means to live as a karma yogi and be committed to skillful action in everyday life.
 
As we navigate these times – when so many of us have become deeply polarized along political or cosmological lines – may we be given the ability to cultivate compassion, and may we have the courage, wisdom, and gentle strength to open our hearts, open our minds, and open ourselves to the infinite possibilities of what we can give one another in service.
 

Benjy Wertheimer

An award-winning musician, composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist equally accomplished on tabla, percussion, esraj, guitar, and keyboards, Benjy Wertheimer has performed and recorded with such artists as Krishna Das, Deva Premal and Miten, Jai Uttal, Walter Becker of Steely Dan, virtuoso guitarist Michael Mandrell, tabla master Zakir Hussain, and renowned bamboo flute master G. S. Sachdev.

He has also opened for such well-known artists as Carlos Santana, Paul Winter, and Narada Michael Walden. Benjy is a founding member of the internationally acclaimed world fusion ensemble Ancient Future.

He began his musical studies at age five, starting with piano and later violin, flamenco guitar, and Afro-Cuban percussion. Benjy has been a student of Indian classical music for over 35 years, sitting with some of the greatest masters of that tradition, including Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain, Ali Akbar Khan and Z. M. Dagar. Along with the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart, he was a contributing composer and member of the Zakir Hussain Rhythm Experience.

Trained in audio engineering at San Francisco State University, Benjy is also very much in demand as a producer, engineer and studio session musician. For over five years, Benjy scored music for the internationally syndicated NBC series Santa Barbara, and his CD Circle of Fire went to #1 on the international New Age radio charts.

Making his home in Portland, Oregon, he now tours internationally in the kirtan group Shantala (with his wife Heather) and as part of the kirtan “supergroup” The Hanumen.

www.benjymusic.com

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