A police officer meets Buddhist Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh
So I had quite a bit of shoulder pain, building on the anger shaped by my experiences, including as a police officer. During the retreat, I had extreme doubts that Thay’s teachings could be integrated into the life and work of an officer. And I was sure that if anyone at the retreat found out I was a cop, I would be convicted.
Thay convinced me that part of a police officer’s skill set was the ability to use both the gentle compassion of understanding and the fierce compassion of setting limits to protect others, including using force to intervene as people physically harm each other. For a police officer, wisdom means being able to discern when gentle compassion is needed and when intense compassion is needed.
I know that it is possible to want to be kind and compassionate as a police officer, and that that way the job is safer and more satisfying. When I returned to work after my first retreat, I couldn’t understand why everyone seemed to have become friendlier in my absence – including the people I arrested.
The crisis in contemporary policing
It pains me to see the unnecessary use of force, especially deadly force, and the racism that takes place in policing in this country. The good news is that the extent of it is finally coming to light and hopefully will no longer be tolerated.
This crisis in policing involves unnecessary use of force, racial profiling, militarization of police forces, lack of trust between communities and police forces, lack of strategies to address trauma and emotional health of police officers, unconscious and unspoken organizational arrangements in the Police. culture, and a lack of informal safety nets for people across the country.
It is often difficult for us to recognize that our hearts may no longer vibrate in response to the suffering of others.
In our police departments we hear loud internal cries that we are losing the “war.” In the 80s and 90s it was the War on Drugs. Since September 11, it has been the war on terror. The problem is that we are not at war. We protect and serve our neighbors and fellow citizens. (Of course, police officers often see people at their worst. People don’t usually call us when things are going well. When was the last time you were happy to see one of us in your rearview mirror or in your home?)
Many of the tragedies now coming to light in policing are the result of the fact that as police officers we simply cannot see what is really in front of us: a suffering human being in need of help.
Without the tools of conscious awareness, cynicism and an armored heart are almost an inevitable consequence of a police officer’s job. It is often difficult for us to recognize, admit, or remember that our hearts may no longer vibrate in response to the suffering of others.
What Buddhist meditation offers police officers
As a police officer, I discovered that Buddhist philosophy provided me with an ethical framework that offered protection. It also gave me the opportunity to be a better curator of my own ‘museum of suffering’, and to do the work with a more open and tender heart.
It was Thay who left this question for me. First he asked me:
“Who else would we want to carry a gun, other than someone who does it mindfully?”
He then said that carrying a gun can be an act of love if done with understanding and compassion.
Once I was able to view my work through the lens of kindness and compassion, I rarely regretted the action I took. I am convinced that when a police officer begins with a commitment to non-aggression and prevention of harm, the weapon and badge become symbols of skill, rather than symbols of authority and power.
How the community can help
It’s lonely out there. Those of us who are committed to nonviolence and work in professions that sometimes require the use of violence need your support.
It is also important to remember that police officers need support in seeing with compassionate eyes. Without our encouragement, a police officer’s initial desire to alleviate suffering will languish.
The compassion that allows us to be with the families of the victims of these tragedies comes relatively easily to most of us. The compassion it takes to be with the officer and the family of the officer who pulled the trigger is much more challenging.
Cornel West said, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” We can only work for justice from a deep understanding of our interdependence and our care for each other.
Mindfulness meditation for peace and justice
As part of my Buddhist teacher ordination ceremony in 2008, Thay and I exchanged gathas, or practice poems. I composed one for him and he composed one for me. Because of his enormous influence on me as a police officer, I composed the following poem for him:
As I breathe in, I know that mindfulness is the path to peace.
As I breathe out, I know that peace is the path to mindfulness.
As I breathe in, I know that peace is the path to justice.
As I breathe out, I know that justice is the path to peace.
As I breathe in, I know it is my duty to provide safety and protection to all beings.
As I exhale, I am humbled and honored by my duty as a peace officer.
As I breathe in, I choose mindfulness as my armor and compassion as my weapon.
As I breathe out, I strive to bring love and understanding to all those I serve.
Written by Cherri Maples, co-founder of the Mindfulness & Justice Center