Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘Cultural humility is about looking deeper and discovering the complexity of our cultural inheritance, the values we learned about ourselves and about others. It’s discovering what we’ve internalized and embodied from our families of origins, how we grew up, and our cultural traditions, social identities, life circumstances, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Cultural humility means uncovering the ways in which that cultural inheritance impacts how we see ourselves and relate to others. Consider the messages and mixed messages you received while growing up, and still receive, about gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, or other distinguishing characteristics of identity. Where did those messages come from? Books, movies, media, family, friends, institutions—school, church, work—the totality of our personal experiences and stories heard and unheard. What was the feeling tone of the messages and mixed messages? What are the physical, mental, or emotional reactions stored in the body now? How might these messages and mixed messages affect the relationships we have or have had with people? And with ourself?..

Fortunately, Buddhism teaches that whatever has been constructed can be deconstructed. Social constructs are ultimately empty, yet they can cause great suffering. It’s not easy to see unconscious social biases, to see what we don’t see. Moreover, the socially constructed hierarchy can seem very solid and cause much harm, as we remain unaware. When one begins to look closer and uncover unconscious beliefs—the roots of prejudice, the foundation of an unjust social construct—one often feels shame, blame, or guilt. While no one likes to feel shame, blame, or guilt, we need to be willing to feel it so we can go beyond it. Only then can the journey of uncovering our hidden beliefs, painful as it may be, become the very ground for creating community, the deep interconnections that can heal human divides and ultimately heal the planet.’ (from Lion’s Roar)

The fourth post in this Saturday series.