Lighting Up The World, One Lawyer At A Time

Hi everyone,

It's June Cohen,

And this is Wake Up Call 348.

As I mentioned last week,

We're coming to the end of the Dhammapada.

There are 26 chapters in all,

And last week we looked at Chapter 24,

And so this is Chapter 25,

And it's called Bhikkhus.

So a bhikkhu is a Buddhist monk,

And a Buddhist nun is called a bhikkhuni.

And I don't know of a neutral gender for bhikkhu or bhikkhuni.

I do know that the historical Buddha welcomed women into the mindfulness community,

The practice community,

And also welcomed all castes.

So in India 2600 years ago,

This was a very radical act,

And yeah,

We've been talking about diversity,

Equity,

Inclusion,

And belonging in the legal community for a while,

But we're really just starting to look more deeply at what that means,

What true belonging really means in the law.

And it's good to know that,

You know,

At least at the very beginning,

The mindfulness community seems to have been intentionally inclusive.

So Chapter 25,

Bhikkhu or bhikkhus outlines the character traits to be cultivated in a monastic mindfulness community.

And in one way of thinking,

Maybe it's not relevant,

But to me,

Quite a number of them seem relevant to a life in the law.

For example,

In terms of devotion to the practice,

I was watching a show and the prosecutor was portrayed,

And I thought not inaccurately,

As someone who works a lot and is totally devoted to her craft,

Her mission,

So although she's no nun,

The singularity and the devotion with which we're also invited or maybe required to practice law is not so different than the devotion invited of a bhikkhu.

So given this seeming parallel,

I thought,

You know,

Why not change the word bhikkhu to lawyer or attorney in some of the Chapter 25 verses,

Right?

And just see how it sounds.

So the chapter begins with a kind of overview.

And here are the first few verses I think could be relevant for us.

Restraint of the eye is good.

Good is restraint of the ear.

Restraint of the nose is good.

Good is restraint of the tongue.

Restraint of the body is good.

Good is restraint of speech.

Restraint of the mind is good.

Good is restraint in all circumstances.

Restraint in all circumstances.

The lawyer is released from all suffering.

So that fits,

Right?

We're at our best when we're not being seduced by anything we see or hear or touch or taste,

By sense pleasures,

Even,

Or I should say,

Especially,

You know,

The anticipation of a big fee,

Some kind of accolade.

We're really at our best when we restrain ourselves and contemplate the problem in front of us and consider all sides thoughtfully and with a quiet mind.

Here's the next verse I like for us.

Again,

Substituting attorney for bhikkhu.

Sweet is the speech of an attorney who restrains their mouth,

Speaks insightfully,

Is not conceited,

And illuminates the teaching and the goal.

So I don't want to say that I was ever accused of being sweet as an attorney or even if I wanted to be sweet,

But how about palatable or appealing or pleasant or kind?

Or if we said appealing is the speech of an attorney who,

Again,

Restrains,

In this case,

Their mouth,

Right?

For sure,

When we restrain ourselves from saying anything unkind,

Even while we're being fierce,

I think our words will be more easefully received and digested.

And how about speaks insightfully,

Is not conceited,

And illuminates the teaching and the goal.

And it seems like our words will also be received with greater ease and maybe even as more persuasive if we speak insightfully.

I mean,

Why not always do that if we can?

And if we're not conceited,

I mean,

In my experience,

The minute I ventured into or even unconsciously slid into an attitude of conceit,

I lost my audience.

I still do,

Or I lost a friend.

And finally,

Illuminates the teaching and the goal.

I think in the verse,

This refers to suffering and the end of suffering,

Right,

The teaching and the goal,

Which is both teaching and goal,

But it could also refer to the fact that as lawyers,

We have the job or the invitation to shed light on the issues and how they may be causing suffering,

And then propose a path or paths that lead to less suffering and even to the end of suffering in the circumstances.

Here's another verse in chapter 25.

Don't be negligent.

Don't let your mind whirl about in sensual desire.

Don't be negligent and swallow a molten iron ball and then be burnt,

Cry out,

This is suffering.

So we do do this,

Or at least I do this.

You know,

I let my mind wander into sensual desire,

Wanting something or wanting some attainment,

You know,

The wanting of which does begin to burn a hole in me.

And it stops when or if I can remember,

Oh,

This wanting,

You know,

This is suffering.

So the verse is suggesting that a bhikkhu and maybe also a lawyer too can catch this early,

Right,

Before it begins to burn us.

Or how about the starting point for an insightful attorney,

It says bhikkhu,

But attorney is contentment,

Restraint according to the rules of law,

And associating with good spiritual attorneys who live purely and untiringly.

If one is friendly by habit and skillful in conduct,

One will have much delight and bring an end to suffering.

Yeah,

I love this for us,

Right,

Contentment.

Can we at least occasionally say to ourselves,

Our clients,

Our partners,

You know,

We have enough,

Enough cases,

Our draw is big enough,

Right,

And feel truly content?

You know,

I think we can.

I know lawyers who feel that way.

I see some of you here on this call who I think feel that way.

And then associate with good spiritual attorneys,

We're doing that.

We're doing that here together.

And then being friendly by habit and skillful in conduct.

I visited my daughter in grad school up in Portland,

Oregon.

She's studying to be a therapist.

And we were talking about the importance of saying only kind things,

Not just to others,

But also about others,

You know,

Committing to being friendly to and about others as a kind of skill set.

And as a bonus,

Because in my experience,

This tends to be the result,

You know,

When I do that,

I become someone whom others feel that they can trust.

So we were talking about it in the context of being a therapist,

But I think it applies equally in the context of being a lawyer,

Being friendly by habit and skillful in conduct,

You know,

Committing to be friendly to and about others.

And becoming someone who is viewed as kind of experienced as trustworthy.

And then lastly,

This is the last one I'll share with you from this chapter.

One's self indeed is one's own protector.

One does indeed make one's own destiny.

Engaged in the teachings of mindfulness,

But also of law.

Even a young lawyer lights up this world like the moon set free from a cloud.

Yeah.

So we do have this choice,

Right?

We're here cultivating these qualities of mind,

These qualities of heart.

We do get to choose whether we're going to cultivate them or not cultivate them.

And we can become our own protector.

We can make our own destiny,

Become that person who is perceived,

Felt as trustworthy and kind and engaged in the teachings.

Even a young lawyer,

But all of us,

Right?

Can light up the world like the moon set free from a cloud.

So maybe you are that lawyer.

Maybe we are all those lawyers lighting up the world.

And what a lovely image for our profession.

So let's sit together.

So finding a comfortable posture that will support you for the next 10 minutes,

Where you can come to stillness,

Kind of relaxed stillness,

That's also awake,

Alert,

Settling into the present moment.

Whatever you're noticing,

Bringing the attention to the breath,

Gentle but committed attention.

And whatever you're noticing,

Whatever is arising,

Whether it's sensations in the body or sounds in the room or thoughts in the mind or emotions in the mind,

In the heart.

Can you see these as just arising and passing away,

Nothing personal?

Can you even relate to whatever is arising with a kind of warmth,

A kindness,

Welcoming,

Whatever is here?

And relaxed and kind attention to your own experience,

Being friendly by habit,

Friendly to your own experience so that that attitude of mind,

Attitude of heart can become more of a default mode out in the world.

Www.

Mooji.

Org In my experience,

The level of friendliness with which I am able to meet my own experience is the measure of friendliness I can meet the experiences in the world,

My friends,

My family,

My colleagues,

All of you.

Www.

Mooji.

Org And to the extent that that friendliness isn't available,

Can we meet that too with friendliness?

Oh,

Friendliness just isn't here right now.

And that's okay too.

Can that be okay too?

Maybe just taking the last few seconds of our sit together to be grateful to yourself for the practice,

For your willingness to practice.

Thank you everyone for coming to the Wake Up Call today.

Have a great Thursday.

Be safe.

Have a good weekend.

I'll see you next week.