We Didn’t Suffer – The Practice Works!

Our Head Teacher Soryu Forall constantly points out how our modern way of life is killing all life on our planet, and that as a culture we refuse to seriously face this; for this reason he often describes modern society as a global suicide cult. Soryu has said that one reason to practice in the midst of the existential risk we face is that even if we don't succeed in stopping the destruction of life on earth, and we ourselves are killed by this global cult, with the practice you won't suffer as much. In fact, you may be able to die proud of your life, not suffering at all.

This teaching became clear to me in 2024, when I and others who have trained at the Monastic Academy were on a tour teaching the Dharma across the United States. When we reached the Pacific Northwest, a woman living in the area named Hannah began calling people and saying we were evil and harmful. Furthermore, she sent messages to us directly with personal threats.

We hosted a public event in Oregon. We were afraid she would show up, since she had contacted us and threatened us directly, saying she would “do whatever it takes” to get rid of us.  Earlier that day, Hannah posted online that she was seeking “spiritual jedis” to join her at an event that evening; she wrote, “Needing support as I cut spiritual ties.”

But we gathered our courage and continued to prepare to serve those who had come for the event. I led interpersonal meditation as one of the activities. Our guests were glad they came, and we ended the evening in good spirits.

The next morning, as we drove our van away from the venue, we suddenly lost control of it, and almost collided with an oncoming truck. The right front tire and left back tire were slashed. This is a tactic designed to injure or kill the passengers in a vehicle, because the tire slashing isn’t perceived until the vehicle is moving, at which point it rocks violently out of control. One who uses this technique risks the lives of those in the vehicle, of others driving on the road, and of pedestrians nearby. Due to our mindfulness, we were able to avoid hitting the truck, despite the swerving of the van. Hannah’s post was, by that point, deleted.

We saw and understood the risk to our lives. Someone had tried to kill us, without concern for possible collateral damage. We decided to continue our travels and share our offerings in the spirit of friendship and generosity.

As we reviewed the events we were amazed to see that Soryu was correct; someone in the cult of modernity tried to kill us, an event that would traumatize most people. But we didn’t suffer – the practice works!