Grandma's army

An essential ingredient for survival is a sense of humour – in particular the ability to laugh at oneself. I doubt if this was an issue which was discussed with the Tibetan Buddhists at their historic meeting with the Jewish delegation, although the Dalai Lama apparently had a ready wit. Jewish humor is unique, not only because it pokes fun at our short­comings and weaknesses, but because it reflects upon the history of our people. The following is an example illustrating the Jewish instinct of survival: “A Jew in Russia falls into a lake, and, not knowing how to swim, he frantically screams, “Help, save me!” But his calls are totally ignored by all present, including a number of soldiers standing nearby. In des­peration, the Jew yells out, “Down with the czar!” At that moment, the soldiers immediately jump in, yank the Jew out of the water, and haul him off to prison.”   To stay alive, in spite of all forms of oppression, has been one of the major concerns of the Je...

  After all the atrocities the Chinese government has perpetrated, the Dalai Lama still refers to the Chinese as his “so-called enemy". His religious perspective is an inspiring example   of a religious perspective carried over into the political world of conflict and violence. Personally, his ready wit, his engagement with ideas, his deep receptivity – his simple ability to stop for a moment and take things in – are all elements of his power. The Jewish visitors learned that humility can be powerful, that receptivity can be dominating, and that kindness can be challenging. Lastly, the power of what the Buddhists call “a quiet mind”. While meditating, they try to overcome negative aspects of themselves by visualization. There is a tremendous variety of things that they can visualize - to help overcome negative qualities, develop good qualities, and become more realistic.   One of their key positive qualities is compassion, which is oriented toward the nature, cause, a...

We are at present almost at the end of   three weeks of mourning in which the Jewish people recall the many tragedies they suffered - culminating in the loss of the first and second Temples, and exile. The Temple was   the focus of national identity and the unifying   spiritual centre of the ancient Jewish nation.   It was the repository of the Holy Scriptures and other national literature and the meeting place of the Sanhedrin, the highest court of Jewish law during Roman times. When it was destroyed - and the people who were not killed were exiled and dispersed - what could possibly   sustain them as a Jewish nation? Altogether the Jews were exiled from their land for almost 2,000 years. Especially in this period of mourning, the parallels to another exiled people were brought to my mind. The Chinese have a lot to answer for. I am not talking about the coronavirus, but of the great national tragedy which befell Tibet. It began with the occu...