Note: This is an excerpt of “BUDDHIST LEADERS CONDEMN CHILD SEPARATION AT US-MEXICO BORDER” – Read the full article in Tricycle Magazine, June 2018
Buddhist teachers explain why they joined the more than 200 others who signed a petition calling for an end to the “morally unconscionable” policy.
This week more than 200 Western Buddhist leaders signed a petition condemning the new policy as “morally unconscionable.” It reads:
Whatever the legal status of those attempting to enter the US, separating children from their parents is a contravention of basic human rights. Parents seeking asylum make long, dangerous, and arduous journeys in an attempt to find safety and well-being for their precious children. Ripping these vulnerable children from their parents is cruel, inhumane, and against the principles of compassion and mercy espoused by all religious traditions.
The document goes on to point out how damaging early-childhood trauma can be and urges proponents of the rule to visit detention centers and see the suffering firsthand. “It is difficult to conceive that anyone having compassion for our world’s children and their families, and who witnesses such pain and anguish for themselves could continue to uphold such a practice,” it says.
Rev. Grace Schireson, Central Valley Zen Founder and Zen teacher Stanford University:
This issue is beyond politics for me. I am a clinical psychologist, as well as a Zen priest; I have firsthand experience in treating children suffering from this kind of loss. This is a lasting trauma. I believe we must do everything possible to shorten the time these children are separated, and we need to sponsor uniting the families (a plan for which the government has not yet implemented).
Buddhists need to communicate with one another in order to encourage phone calls to Congress, advocate donations, and plan protests. Even though Buddhism advocates non-violence, non-harming, acceptance, and compassion, this does not mean we should be a welcome mat for cruelty and tyranny.
