Meditation Practitioners and Teachers Launch Petition to End Violence in Palestine

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Meditation Practitioners and Teachers Launch Petition to End Violence in Palestine

By Justin Whitaker
October 29, 2024

A meditation practitioner from the Netherlands and founder of the 30NOW online meditation platform, Dirk Wolbers, has launched an online petition inviting meditation practitioners and teachers inspired by Buddhism to “actively speak out against injustice and violence” in Palestine. (Voice of Buddhism) The petition, which went live on 22 October, is the latest from the Buddhist community, after a petition from November 2023 started by Soto Zen priest Hozan Alan Senauke garnered more than 4,500 signatures.*

Wolbers’s petition has 198 signatories as of this writing. Among them is the widely revered American Buddhist monk, translator, and humanitarian activist Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi. In sharing the petition, Bodhi wrote in a social media post:

As I have often stated, Israel’s military decimation of Gaza (and now the West Bank and Lebanon) is the most compelling moral crisis of our time. Our hearts cry out for a halt to the carnage, for an end to the siege and starvation of Gaza, for the release of the hostages, and for a process to emerge that will enable Jews and Palestinians in the region to peacefully coexist. Below is an appeal from Buddhist practitioners and others inspired by Buddhism calling for an end to the violence. If you share my desire for peace in the region, please sign this appeal. Thank you. (Facebook)

The full petition statement reads:

We, meditation practitioners and teachers who feel deeply connected and inspired by Buddhism, can no longer remain silent about the unprecedented destruction and immense human suffering being inflicted upon the Palestinian population by the Israeli government, with the deliberate or tacit support of the West.

The lack of explicit attention and response within the Buddhist community to this humanitarian crisis is alarming and stands in stark contrast to the fundamental Buddhist values we uphold. Our tradition teaches us to walk the path of compassion (karuna), actively striving to alleviate the suffering of all beings. Non-violence (ahimsa) is a core principle that calls upon us to reject and prevent all forms of violence and oppression.

Moreover, the Noble Eightfold Path emphasizes the importance of right speech (samma vaca) and right action (samma kammanta). This means we must have the courage to name injustice and act against oppression without shrinking back out of fear or complacency, but with a strong back and a soft heart. By remaining silent in the face of such large-scale violence, we betray these principles and undermine our own integrity as practitioners.

In the current troubling dynamics, it seems that some consciously choose neutrality. However, from a Buddhist perspective, true equanimity (upekkha) does not mean ignoring injustice or remaining passive toward the suffering of others. Embracing neutrality in times of injustice can, in fact, contribute to maintaining the status quo and be seen as tacit approval of the aggressor’s actions.

It is sometimes of crucial importance to explicitly name the perpetrator of the suffering—in this case, the Israeli government—to effectively stand up against injustice. This does not mean we ignore the suffering caused by other parties. However, given the disproportionate nature of the current situation, it is necessary, from compassion (karuna) and wisdom (panna), to call upon Israel to end the serious human rights violations and the decades-long oppression of the Palestinians.

It is our ethical duty to stand up against injustice and make our voices heard. By doing so, we not only become visible but also honor the Buddhist values that guide us, helping to shape a world rooted in compassion, justice, and peace.

We call upon everyone to sign this declaration and actively speak out against injustice and violence.

Israel’s attacks on Gaza began after the 7 October 2023 Hamas assault in Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 Israelis.

Official sources say that the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 43,000 people, with children, women, and the elderly representing 60 per cent of the dead who have been identified. The World Health Organization and human rights groups suggest that the death toll is likely even higher. This is in part due to the fact that 90 per cent of the population has been displaced by Israel’s invasion and bombing campaign, causing family members to become separated and lose contact with one another.

* American Buddhists Issue Petition Urging President Biden to Call for a Ceasefire in Gaza (BDG)

Justin Whitaker

Dr. Justin Whitaker is a Senior Correspondent for Buddhistdoor Global (BDG). Previously, he was a visiting instructor at Hong Kong University's Centre for Buddhist Studies. He holds a PhD from the University of London, where his work on comparative philosophy focused on early Buddhist ideas and the ethics of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). He is the author of “Reflecting on Meditation’s Ethics: Ignatian ‘Spiritual Exercises’ and Buddhist ‘Mettā-Bhāvanā’,” (Journal of Inter-Religious Studies, 2014) and co-author with Douglass Smith of "Reading the Buddha as a Philosopher" (Philosophy East and West, 2016) and "Ethics, Meditation, and Wisdom" in the Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Ethics, 2018. He currently lives in Missoula, Montana with his wife, daughter, and their cat after an exciting two years living in Hong Kong. His column, Western Dharma, is published occasionally.

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