Diane Eshin Rizzetto - Deep Hope: Zen Guidance for Staying Steadfast When the World Seems Hopeless

E VERY DAY we receive news of cruelty and pain around the world. Its not easy to escape the knowledge of the suffering people are inflicting on other people, whether on our own block, in our own town, or across the world. The reality that we live in a world filled with danger and uncertainty seems to greet many of us when we wake each day. And the abundance of instant news and social media makes certain that we are immediately informed of the latest catastrophesbombings, killings, natural disasters, abusive and unstable governments, and on and on. Anger, divisiveness, cruelty, fear, and hopelessness seem to be at the forefront of human affairs around the world.

And yet, sitting with my cup of tea each morning as I read the newspaper, I am struck by the contradictory behavior among people. On the one hand, there is much evidence of violence and division, and, on the other hand, a disaster such as an earthquake, flood, or terrorist attack can kick us into an immediate response to help others. In a split second, all that seems to separate usskin color, religion, nationalityfalls away, and we give of ourselves completely as our awareness turns toward the present moment and what needs to be done. There is plenty of evidence that we are capable of turning our efforts to meet the reality of what is, of taking compassionate action because it is the right thing to do.

Yet, as we go about our daily lives, we can easily lose touch with this fundamental human capacity to bridge our perceived separations and connect with others, and thus we isolate ourselves, planting seeds of suffering for ourselves and others. And it seems the more terror and pain we experience, the stronger our fear and our desire to protect ourselves and our loved ones become. So, we may find that we become more selective about what and who we will let into our awareness. We may tend to hold back, hold in, and enclose ourselves in a tight circle of protection in the mistaken assumption that such a circumstance and state of mind make us safe. Sadly, we often dont even know were closing ourselves off from the richness of all that truly supports and sustains us. And because we do so, we open the path to fear, anger, despair, and hopelessness.

This book offers a different path, a different way to meet and engage in the reality of the world in which we live. It offers a path to reveal our deepest human capacity to give and receive, to patiently bear witness to whatever is arising in the moment, to take skillful action based on clarity and wisdom, to persevere with fortitude, and to rest in the silent stillness of each breath. In this way, it offers us not a path to deep hope, but a way to engage through deep hope.

Hope Is a Journey, Not a Destination

But what is hope itself? The most common assumption about hope is that it is a kind of optimism or belief that particular events and conditions will unfold in a way that results in a particular outcome. We may purposely cultivate a goal-oriented attitude, take action, and put forward determination and effort toward a specific end. Studies in medicine and psychology have shown that this type of hope may have some very positive effects on healing and recovery. Many of the world religions speak of having hope or not losing hope by holding firm to faith in the tradition, and many people find strength to carry on in this deep-seated faith and hope. Within the school of Zen Buddhism, however, hope is not encouraged because to focus on a particular future outcome turns us from fully realizing the present moment and thus leads to further suffering. My teacher, Charlotte Joko Beck, often advised her students to give up hope, for it only diminishes present reality.