Words Worth?

I am writing this a few days before the 2024 presidential election. Both candidates have descended into a war of words warning about the opposition. It is not about policies, it is about personality. I avoid discussing politics in these dharma journal posts because I do not wish to add to the noise. But, for just a moment, I will muse about what I find very amusing.

I find it funny how we humans insist that words can reveal truth. “Free from the game of words,” my teacher Lama Rinchen would say. He was talking about conveying the insights about awareness in the Buddhist tradition. I think this holds true for most anything. Communication is really helpful in gaining the skills necessary to secure food, water, shelter, and clothing. Everything else is a game of words, dedicated to giving us the illusion of control.

I realize how hypocritical (hypercritical?) I am because I use words all the time to teach about Buddhism and to convey all other sorts of nonsense. All the while I know it is impossible to share what is in my heart. My prayer is that the words that spew from my mouth or my laptop computer act as energetic symbols for the love I intend. We have to do something of value with our lives.

I will leave you with a more eloquent expression of words by the person we refer to as Chief Joseph (Hinmatóowyalahtq̓it) of the Nez Perce people. This was spoken in 1879 to a group including the president, congressmen, and other government officials.

“I believe much trouble and blood would be saved if we opened our hearts more. I will tell you in my way how the Indian sees things. The white man has more words to tell you how they look to him, but it does not require many words to speak the truth.”