Warning: Shalini PhD is speaking with spiritual authority they do not hold. They are inflating their credentials or implying credentials they do not have in order to build a customer base. Not only is that incredibly unethical, but it is incredibly dangerous. They refer to themselves as a Dharma teacher, but they are not. They leverage their PhD to imply authority but their PhD is in Marketing, not religion or ethics, mental health or spiritual care. Mindfulness facilitation certifications and academic credentials in unrelated fields do not substitute for dharma formation or trauma-informed spiritual or mental health training.
Concerns about validity, authority, and scope in teaching matter, and I take them seriously. For clarity, I want to correct a few factual inaccuracies.
I do not claim to be an ordained Buddhist teacher or to hold authorization in a Buddhist lineage. I have not presented myself as such. I identify as a certified mindfulness teacher, and my credentials are listed transparently so readers can decide for themselves.
In my cultural context, dharma is not a protected title. In Indian traditions, dharma refers broadly to ethical living, responsibility, and right relationship. Teaching mindfulness and ethical reflection is often described as teaching dharma—without implying ordination or spiritual authority.
My work draws from certified MBSR training, Search Inside Yourself, Vipassana practice (Goenka, Goldstein, Salzberg, Brach), and dharmic teachings including the Bhagavad Gita, alongside research in psychology and systems thinking. I also learned a lot from Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings on interbeing. Teaching ethical reflection, mindful awareness, and helping people live according to values is considered teaching dharma in Indian contexts.
I do not provide trauma therapy, spiritual direction, or clinical mental health care, and I do not claim to. I teach mindfulness, ethical reflection, and systems awareness in accessible ways.
Disagreement with my framing is welcome. Misrepresentation of my credentials or intentions is not. I trust readers to review my work and decide for themselves whether it resonates.
I will not be engaging further in personal accusations on this thread.
If you have been directly impacted by violence, displacement, fear, or loss — whether in Israel/Palestine or in any other place shaped by conflict — I’d like to invite you into a different kind of conversation here.
The intention of this invitation is simple: to create a space where people can be heard, and where others can listen — and to see what becomes possible when we share and receive human experience without judgment or blame.
Please share something from your own lived experience that you feel has not truly been heard or understood — not to persuade, defend, or assign blame, but simply to bear witness.
You might speak about:
– a fear you live with
– a loss that changed you
– something you wish others understood about your daily reality
– a grief that feels invisible
– a hope that feels fragile or hard to name
I ask that we speak from “I”, and refrain from explaining why others are wrong or who is to blame. This isn’t about agreement or conclusions. It’s about listening to human experience without interruption.
If you’re reading rather than sharing, I invite you to listen without correcting, debating, or responding — simply to witness.
Thank you to anyone willing to speak vulnerably in this way and to those listening.
Thank you for your thoughtful post sharing your experience around interbeing and what dharma teachers can uniquely offer. I am most fortunate that the Sangha I interact with the most, Upaya Zen Center led by Roshi Joan Halifax, is a real gem in their undertaking of socially engaged Buddhism. They do not shy away from the difficult issues in the world, and they speak directly and openly about them.
I listened to Vince Fakhoury Horn's podcast and he really opened my eyes as to how mum many prominent dharma teachers have been around the topic of Gaza. I follow many of the teachers he mentions and realized I have been left feeling confused as to their lack of support around this particular issue. The podcast certainly shed some light on that for me.
I appreciate being encouraged to be curious about topics I might not have explored otherwise. 🙏
Thank you for your perspective and reminding us about Roshi Joan Halifax and her work in socially engaged Buddhism. I will do some more research to bring her perspective along with other resources to show up mindfully and heartfully for situations involving suffering.
I too follow many of the teachers he mentioned. I was hoping to shed some light about the complexity of this issue in my experience and how we can show up. This was a statement from Insight meditation center about this: https://www.dharma.org/reflections-on-middle-east/
I may not have time today to share other perspectives of teachers but wanted to share this one as you brought up the teachers we follow.
Israel has a strong and growing community of Dharma teachers and students, and some teachers lead the protests against our own right-winged government which does have some extreme parties due to the democratic system here. These are loud ministers, but they don't have that much influence.
Israeli Dharma teachers lead humanitarian fund-raising for people in Gaza, though only those whome they know personally, as peaceful people.
Yuval Noah Harrari inspires me as well, and I pray for peace in the region.
My own son's house exploded by an Iranian missile. Luckily, he was in a shelter and his life was saved.
Each building here in Israel has a bomb-proof shelter, and we ran to the shelter several times every night, for months, shaking when bombs hit close.
Hamas had enough cement to build hundreds of kilometers of tunnels , tens of meters under ground for their army and to keep hostages under ground, but not one shelter for their babies and young children, counting on Israel's conscience. And still, under terrible circumstances, our soldiers did what they could, not to harm innocent people. Where ever that was not the case, we still have a strong, western, free, justice system and each case is investigated and brought to court.
Our soldiers are not mind washed. They are ordinary people - sons, fathers, daughters, mothers, brothers and sisters drafted to defend a tiny tiny country. Our tiny country though, is very strong, liberal, innovative, with leading scientists and strong will to live life fully. Our science and technology oriented country is why we were able to develop defensive anti missile rockets. Still, some very heavy missiles exploded on numerous civil buildings in several cities here.
I'm sorry for every innocent life taken, and as a buddhist follower, I am sorry for the souls of those people endangering their own families and wishing to annihilate us in the name of religion and hate.
Gaza children were their shelter. They said this several times, the tunnels being dug and accessed through schools, hospitals and mosks.
Save Gaza from Hammas. Not from Israel (many Gazans are just too afraid to say that, but some do say it).
Thank you — deeply — for sharing your experience with such honesty and vulnerability. Your son's house destroyed by a missile. Running to shelters, shaking, night after night. And still — holding sorrow for every innocent life taken.
I hope your voices, real experiences, reach leaders who can understand this complexity and take appropriate action for peace building in the region. No article or news report can replace what you've shared here.
I'm happy to hear that Yuval Noah Harari inspires you too. And I'm moved to learn that Israeli dharma teachers are leading humanitarian efforts for people in Gaza they know personally. That's interbeing in action — even amid unimaginable pain.
With your permission, I would like to share your words more widely — as a note on Substack — so others can hear directly from someone living this reality. Please let me know if that's okay.
Thank you for showing up in this conversation. Your voice matters. And I pray alongside you for peace in the region.
Thank you for this. Listening to both sides and taking both sides into account, is quite rare these days.
I read some American Dharma teachers' letters being completely one sided against Israel.
I must add that the Holocaust (where most of my family was anihilated), is not the source of our fears.
It is radical, fundamental, Islam. Those leaders that are willing to sacrifice their own people's children's lives to make Islam the only religion in the world. Those leaders that live wealthy (billionaire-worth!) lives out of Gaza.
It is the familiar story of power, money and ego. That is their motivation.
There is good and there is evil. Save Palestinian children from being brainwashed by these extreme, hateful people ruling them with terror, within Gaza.
Here in Israel, we must fight our own extremists. But our basic motivation remains peace, prosperity for all and liberal acceptance of all religions, genders and ways of life.
Thank you so much for sharing your lived experience, fears, and motivations as an Israeli living in the region. Your voice matters deeply in this conversation — hearing directly from people living there is so much more important than any of us talking about it from afar.
With the time I have, it's hard to read everything about this conflict. And even if I could, no amount of reading can replace the direct experiences of people who are there — living it, fearing for their families, navigating impossible complexity every day.
If you're willing, I'd love to ask:
Is there anything else you'd want mindfulness practitioners and changemakers to know about the reality in your region — things that might not come through in the news or in the polarized debates we see from the outside? Or are there balanced sources of news or resources you would like to share with us.
And — while I know it's not your job to tell us what to do — if there's anything I can do to support you at this time, please share here or message me directly. I mean that sincerely.
The Resolution I Proposed to Address the Israel Gaza Conflict (Rejected, March 2024)
For those interested, here is the full alternative resolution I drafted for the Amherst Town Council. It was rejected — there was no room for language that acknowledged both Palestinian rights and Israeli fears. I share it not as a perfect document, but as an example of what I tried.
PROPOSED RESOLUTION TO ADDRESS THE ISRAEL GAZA CONFLICT
Recognizing the long and complex history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and acknowledging the suffering of all individuals affected by ongoing violence, the Amherst Town Council understands that we don't have the expertise to guide international policy, but it is our responsibility to clearly communicate our statement of collective intentions as a town to state, national, and international leadership. We are calling for a renewed international commitment to peaceful solutions based on international law. We are also encouraging Amherst residents to educate themselves about the complexities of this conflict and to engage in respectful dialogue to better understand the diverse perspectives and lived experiences of people who are suffering because of this conflict.
Whereas, Israelis have the right to defend themselves from terrorist attacks and feel safe;
Whereas, Palestinians have the right to live in peace on land that they can defend, govern, and thrive on;
Whereas, an invasion of Gaza is a humanitarian and moral catastrophe, which has been exacerbated because Hamas' military and infrastructure is embedded in civilian areas;
Whereas, we mourn the death of over 1,200 Israelis and 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza;
Whereas, the current war in the Middle East has also directly impacted residents in Amherst;
Whereas, many of our Amherst neighbors are mourning the loss of friends and family, checking on loved ones in the region, all while feeling isolated and afraid;
Whereas, many residents throughout Amherst already live in heightened anxiety due to increasingly high levels of antisemitism and Islamophobia in Massachusetts and the United States, which is being amplified by the conflict;
Whereas, as with many issues, the Amherst community has a diversity of opinions regarding the Middle East war and the broader conflict in the area;
Whereas, regardless of political differences, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to preventing overseas conflicts from dividing communities or harming residents at home;
Whereas, only through mutual understanding and empathy can we support community harmony both at home and abroad;
BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Amherst Town Council call on all parties to stop killing and harming civilians, to allow unfettered entry and delivery of humanitarian aid and goods into and throughout Gaza, as directed to do so by the International Court of Justice, the unconditional release of all civilian people taken hostage on October 7, and a peace settlement that ensures enduring safety for all Israelis and Palestinians;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we acknowledge the legitimate needs of Israeli and Palestinian people to live with dignity and security;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Amherst Town Council urges the United States government to:
Review its military and economic aid to ensure it aligns with human rights principles, promotes regional stability, and encourages adherence to human rights principles;
Increase support for organizations working on conflict resolution, dialogue, and peacebuilding initiatives that address the causes and conditions for conflict in the region;
Engage in constructive diplomacy with all parties to the conflict, promoting dialogue and understanding;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we extend our support to all the broken-hearted and vulnerable members of our Amherst community who are directly affected by this ongoing crisis, reaffirm our commitment to the safety of all members of our community, and pledge to join with others seeking just and peaceful solutions;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Amherst Town Council encourages Amherst residents to:
Educate themselves about the complexities of the conflict and engage in respectful dialogue with people holding diverse perspectives;
Support organizations working on peacebuilding and humanitarian aid;
Advocate for policies that promote peace, justice, and the safety of all Israelis and Palestinians.
Thank you for taking the time to write this. Thank you for trusting me/us with your experience.
I am so sorry for the suffering of your people — and for the way that suffering has been compounded by silencing.
Thank you for sharing the history that so many don't know — the massacres, the centuries of oppression under Ottoman and Arab rule, the erasure of Mizrahi Jews from the story. I will share what you've written. These voices belong in the conversation, and I'm grateful you trusted me with yours.
I wasn't sure if my writing was being heard. I wasn't sure if it was worth the time, the pushback, the misreadings. But I knew I had to say it. And now, hearing from you, I'm glad I did. I will continue to.
Your voice matters. Please keep speaking.
May our exchange and our prayers ripple out to bring peace for all beings _/\_
Thank you for taking the time to share this with me. I'm so sorry.
This is painful and dehumanizing and coming from someone trained in Thich Nhat Hanh's tradition makes it all the more heartbreaking.
My intention is to create space for people to speak from lived experience without being attacked, silenced, or reduced to a symbol. To be clear, I am not here to decide whose history or narrative is "right." But I do hope we can listen to each other and learn from that and take skillful actions that benefit all beings.
I'm about to share an invitation in this thread for people to speak from their own experience — in "I" language, without blame — simply to be witnessed. If you feel moved, you would be very welcome to share. And if you'd prefer to share privately, my door is open.
I was out of town and missed a lot of this painful conversation. But I just want to check in with you as extended sangha siblings—I am in the same lineage as you.
Shalini is speaking with spiritual authority they do not hold. There are a lot of incredible teachers in the Suzuki Roshi lineage whose silence I am criticizing, but who I would still send someone in need of care and support. People who your pain and grief and anger will be safe with. But Shalini ain’t it.
I appreciate that it means a lot to be validated, but this stranger on the internet is inflating their credentials or implying credentials they do not have in order to build a customer base. Not only is that incredibly unethical, but it is incredibly dangerous.
They have referred to themselves as a Dharma teacher, but they are not. They leverage their PhD to imply authority but their PhD is in Marketing, not religion or ethics.
Mindfulness facilitation certifications and academic credentials in unrelated fields do not substitute for dharma formation or trauma-informed spiritual or mental health training.
I’m probably the last person you want to talk to but if you’d like any help finding a dharma teacher in your lineage, I’m happy to offer some recommendations.
Thank you for speaking up. You're absolutely right:
What must stop immediately:
-The genocide in Gaza
-The occupation
-Settlement expansion
-U.S. weapons sales funding this violence
No debate about that.
I appreciate you raising the Mizrahi question. You may be right that identities are constructed - and the 850,000 Jews who left/were expelled from Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, etc. between 1948-1970s are real people with real displacement. Whether we call them "Mizrahi" or "Arab Jews" or something else - where they go matters for any solution.
My intention and prayer is to create a space here where we can:
-Agree: Genocide must stop NOW
-Listen deeply: To Palestinian voices, Israeli voices, all who are affected
-Ask with genuine curiosity: How do we get from this horror to actual liberation?
Can we hold both? The urgency of stopping the violence AND the complexity of sustainable solutions?
I'm learning. I don't have all the answers. But I want this to be a space where we can ask hard questions without accusing each other of bad faith.
What are your thoughts on how we move from "this must end" to "here's how it ends"?
Warning: Shalini PhD is speaking with spiritual authority they do not hold. They are inflating their credentials or implying credentials they do not have in order to build a customer base. Not only is that incredibly unethical, but it is incredibly dangerous. They refer to themselves as a Dharma teacher, but they are not. They leverage their PhD to imply authority but their PhD is in Marketing, not religion or ethics, mental health or spiritual care. Mindfulness facilitation certifications and academic credentials in unrelated fields do not substitute for dharma formation or trauma-informed spiritual or mental health training.
Concerns about validity, authority, and scope in teaching matter, and I take them seriously. For clarity, I want to correct a few factual inaccuracies.
I do not claim to be an ordained Buddhist teacher or to hold authorization in a Buddhist lineage. I have not presented myself as such. I identify as a certified mindfulness teacher, and my credentials are listed transparently so readers can decide for themselves.
In my cultural context, dharma is not a protected title. In Indian traditions, dharma refers broadly to ethical living, responsibility, and right relationship. Teaching mindfulness and ethical reflection is often described as teaching dharma—without implying ordination or spiritual authority.
My work draws from certified MBSR training, Search Inside Yourself, Vipassana practice (Goenka, Goldstein, Salzberg, Brach), and dharmic teachings including the Bhagavad Gita, alongside research in psychology and systems thinking. I also learned a lot from Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings on interbeing. Teaching ethical reflection, mindful awareness, and helping people live according to values is considered teaching dharma in Indian contexts.
I do not provide trauma therapy, spiritual direction, or clinical mental health care, and I do not claim to. I teach mindfulness, ethical reflection, and systems awareness in accessible ways.
Disagreement with my framing is welcome. Misrepresentation of my credentials or intentions is not. I trust readers to review my work and decide for themselves whether it resonates.
I will not be engaging further in personal accusations on this thread.
An Invitation to Speak From Lived Experience
If you have been directly impacted by violence, displacement, fear, or loss — whether in Israel/Palestine or in any other place shaped by conflict — I’d like to invite you into a different kind of conversation here.
The intention of this invitation is simple: to create a space where people can be heard, and where others can listen — and to see what becomes possible when we share and receive human experience without judgment or blame.
Please share something from your own lived experience that you feel has not truly been heard or understood — not to persuade, defend, or assign blame, but simply to bear witness.
You might speak about:
– a fear you live with
– a loss that changed you
– something you wish others understood about your daily reality
– a grief that feels invisible
– a hope that feels fragile or hard to name
I ask that we speak from “I”, and refrain from explaining why others are wrong or who is to blame. This isn’t about agreement or conclusions. It’s about listening to human experience without interruption.
If you’re reading rather than sharing, I invite you to listen without correcting, debating, or responding — simply to witness.
Thank you to anyone willing to speak vulnerably in this way and to those listening.
Below are perspectives from different teachers in the mindfulness world:
The Plum Village Community (Thich Nhat Hanh's tradition) 2023: Message to International Plum Village Community for Peace in the Middle East https://plumvillage.uk/message-to-international-plum-village-community-for-peace-in-the-middle-east/
Maia Duerr 2023: The Koan of Gaza: Not Turning Away 2023: https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/the-koan-of-gaza-not-turning-away/
This was a statement from Insight Meditation Society 2024: Reflections from IMS on the Middle East
https://www.dharma.org/reflections-on-middle-east/
Tara Brach 2024: What is Love Asking from Us? Reflections on Gaza and the Bodhisattva Path: https://www.tarabrach.com/blog-reflections-gaza-bodhisattva-path/
Tara Brach 2025: Compassion In Action: Supporting Palestinians in Gaza: https://www.tarabrach.com/supporting-palestinians-in-gaza/
Thank you for your thoughtful post sharing your experience around interbeing and what dharma teachers can uniquely offer. I am most fortunate that the Sangha I interact with the most, Upaya Zen Center led by Roshi Joan Halifax, is a real gem in their undertaking of socially engaged Buddhism. They do not shy away from the difficult issues in the world, and they speak directly and openly about them.
I listened to Vince Fakhoury Horn's podcast and he really opened my eyes as to how mum many prominent dharma teachers have been around the topic of Gaza. I follow many of the teachers he mentions and realized I have been left feeling confused as to their lack of support around this particular issue. The podcast certainly shed some light on that for me.
I appreciate being encouraged to be curious about topics I might not have explored otherwise. 🙏
Thank you for your perspective and reminding us about Roshi Joan Halifax and her work in socially engaged Buddhism. I will do some more research to bring her perspective along with other resources to show up mindfully and heartfully for situations involving suffering.
I too follow many of the teachers he mentioned. I was hoping to shed some light about the complexity of this issue in my experience and how we can show up. This was a statement from Insight meditation center about this: https://www.dharma.org/reflections-on-middle-east/
I may not have time today to share other perspectives of teachers but wanted to share this one as you brought up the teachers we follow.
Thanks for your quick reply 🙏
Israel has a strong and growing community of Dharma teachers and students, and some teachers lead the protests against our own right-winged government which does have some extreme parties due to the democratic system here. These are loud ministers, but they don't have that much influence.
Israeli Dharma teachers lead humanitarian fund-raising for people in Gaza, though only those whome they know personally, as peaceful people.
Yuval Noah Harrari inspires me as well, and I pray for peace in the region.
My own son's house exploded by an Iranian missile. Luckily, he was in a shelter and his life was saved.
Each building here in Israel has a bomb-proof shelter, and we ran to the shelter several times every night, for months, shaking when bombs hit close.
Hamas had enough cement to build hundreds of kilometers of tunnels , tens of meters under ground for their army and to keep hostages under ground, but not one shelter for their babies and young children, counting on Israel's conscience. And still, under terrible circumstances, our soldiers did what they could, not to harm innocent people. Where ever that was not the case, we still have a strong, western, free, justice system and each case is investigated and brought to court.
Our soldiers are not mind washed. They are ordinary people - sons, fathers, daughters, mothers, brothers and sisters drafted to defend a tiny tiny country. Our tiny country though, is very strong, liberal, innovative, with leading scientists and strong will to live life fully. Our science and technology oriented country is why we were able to develop defensive anti missile rockets. Still, some very heavy missiles exploded on numerous civil buildings in several cities here.
I'm sorry for every innocent life taken, and as a buddhist follower, I am sorry for the souls of those people endangering their own families and wishing to annihilate us in the name of religion and hate.
Gaza children were their shelter. They said this several times, the tunnels being dug and accessed through schools, hospitals and mosks.
Save Gaza from Hammas. Not from Israel (many Gazans are just too afraid to say that, but some do say it).
Yours, Dahlia
Dear Dahlia,
Thank you — deeply — for sharing your experience with such honesty and vulnerability. Your son's house destroyed by a missile. Running to shelters, shaking, night after night. And still — holding sorrow for every innocent life taken.
I hope your voices, real experiences, reach leaders who can understand this complexity and take appropriate action for peace building in the region. No article or news report can replace what you've shared here.
I'm happy to hear that Yuval Noah Harari inspires you too. And I'm moved to learn that Israeli dharma teachers are leading humanitarian efforts for people in Gaza they know personally. That's interbeing in action — even amid unimaginable pain.
With your permission, I would like to share your words more widely — as a note on Substack — so others can hear directly from someone living this reality. Please let me know if that's okay.
Thank you for showing up in this conversation. Your voice matters. And I pray alongside you for peace in the region.
With gratitude,
Shalini
Dear Shalini, yes please share.
Thank you, again, for your wise and courageous approach 🙏
Praying for a better future,
Dahlia
🙏
Thank you for this. Listening to both sides and taking both sides into account, is quite rare these days.
I read some American Dharma teachers' letters being completely one sided against Israel.
I must add that the Holocaust (where most of my family was anihilated), is not the source of our fears.
It is radical, fundamental, Islam. Those leaders that are willing to sacrifice their own people's children's lives to make Islam the only religion in the world. Those leaders that live wealthy (billionaire-worth!) lives out of Gaza.
It is the familiar story of power, money and ego. That is their motivation.
There is good and there is evil. Save Palestinian children from being brainwashed by these extreme, hateful people ruling them with terror, within Gaza.
Here in Israel, we must fight our own extremists. But our basic motivation remains peace, prosperity for all and liberal acceptance of all religions, genders and ways of life.
You are welcome to visit and see for yourself.
Thank you so much for sharing your lived experience, fears, and motivations as an Israeli living in the region. Your voice matters deeply in this conversation — hearing directly from people living there is so much more important than any of us talking about it from afar.
With the time I have, it's hard to read everything about this conflict. And even if I could, no amount of reading can replace the direct experiences of people who are there — living it, fearing for their families, navigating impossible complexity every day.
If you're willing, I'd love to ask:
Is there anything else you'd want mindfulness practitioners and changemakers to know about the reality in your region — things that might not come through in the news or in the polarized debates we see from the outside? Or are there balanced sources of news or resources you would like to share with us.
And — while I know it's not your job to tell us what to do — if there's anything I can do to support you at this time, please share here or message me directly. I mean that sincerely.
The Resolution I Proposed to Address the Israel Gaza Conflict (Rejected, March 2024)
For those interested, here is the full alternative resolution I drafted for the Amherst Town Council. It was rejected — there was no room for language that acknowledged both Palestinian rights and Israeli fears. I share it not as a perfect document, but as an example of what I tried.
PROPOSED RESOLUTION TO ADDRESS THE ISRAEL GAZA CONFLICT
Recognizing the long and complex history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and acknowledging the suffering of all individuals affected by ongoing violence, the Amherst Town Council understands that we don't have the expertise to guide international policy, but it is our responsibility to clearly communicate our statement of collective intentions as a town to state, national, and international leadership. We are calling for a renewed international commitment to peaceful solutions based on international law. We are also encouraging Amherst residents to educate themselves about the complexities of this conflict and to engage in respectful dialogue to better understand the diverse perspectives and lived experiences of people who are suffering because of this conflict.
Whereas, Israelis have the right to defend themselves from terrorist attacks and feel safe;
Whereas, Palestinians have the right to live in peace on land that they can defend, govern, and thrive on;
Whereas, an invasion of Gaza is a humanitarian and moral catastrophe, which has been exacerbated because Hamas' military and infrastructure is embedded in civilian areas;
Whereas, we mourn the death of over 1,200 Israelis and 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza;
Whereas, the current war in the Middle East has also directly impacted residents in Amherst;
Whereas, many of our Amherst neighbors are mourning the loss of friends and family, checking on loved ones in the region, all while feeling isolated and afraid;
Whereas, many residents throughout Amherst already live in heightened anxiety due to increasingly high levels of antisemitism and Islamophobia in Massachusetts and the United States, which is being amplified by the conflict;
Whereas, as with many issues, the Amherst community has a diversity of opinions regarding the Middle East war and the broader conflict in the area;
Whereas, regardless of political differences, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to preventing overseas conflicts from dividing communities or harming residents at home;
Whereas, only through mutual understanding and empathy can we support community harmony both at home and abroad;
BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Amherst Town Council call on all parties to stop killing and harming civilians, to allow unfettered entry and delivery of humanitarian aid and goods into and throughout Gaza, as directed to do so by the International Court of Justice, the unconditional release of all civilian people taken hostage on October 7, and a peace settlement that ensures enduring safety for all Israelis and Palestinians;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we acknowledge the legitimate needs of Israeli and Palestinian people to live with dignity and security;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Amherst Town Council urges the United States government to:
Review its military and economic aid to ensure it aligns with human rights principles, promotes regional stability, and encourages adherence to human rights principles;
Increase support for organizations working on conflict resolution, dialogue, and peacebuilding initiatives that address the causes and conditions for conflict in the region;
Engage in constructive diplomacy with all parties to the conflict, promoting dialogue and understanding;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we extend our support to all the broken-hearted and vulnerable members of our Amherst community who are directly affected by this ongoing crisis, reaffirm our commitment to the safety of all members of our community, and pledge to join with others seeking just and peaceful solutions;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Amherst Town Council encourages Amherst residents to:
Educate themselves about the complexities of the conflict and engage in respectful dialogue with people holding diverse perspectives;
Support organizations working on peacebuilding and humanitarian aid;
Advocate for policies that promote peace, justice, and the safety of all Israelis and Palestinians.
Thank you for sharing the resources to further our understanding about the history of the region from the perspective of Jews.
Thank you for taking the time to write this. Thank you for trusting me/us with your experience.
I am so sorry for the suffering of your people — and for the way that suffering has been compounded by silencing.
Thank you for sharing the history that so many don't know — the massacres, the centuries of oppression under Ottoman and Arab rule, the erasure of Mizrahi Jews from the story. I will share what you've written. These voices belong in the conversation, and I'm grateful you trusted me with yours.
I wasn't sure if my writing was being heard. I wasn't sure if it was worth the time, the pushback, the misreadings. But I knew I had to say it. And now, hearing from you, I'm glad I did. I will continue to.
Your voice matters. Please keep speaking.
May our exchange and our prayers ripple out to bring peace for all beings _/\_
Thank you for taking the time to share this with me. I'm so sorry.
This is painful and dehumanizing and coming from someone trained in Thich Nhat Hanh's tradition makes it all the more heartbreaking.
My intention is to create space for people to speak from lived experience without being attacked, silenced, or reduced to a symbol. To be clear, I am not here to decide whose history or narrative is "right." But I do hope we can listen to each other and learn from that and take skillful actions that benefit all beings.
I'm about to share an invitation in this thread for people to speak from their own experience — in "I" language, without blame — simply to be witnessed. If you feel moved, you would be very welcome to share. And if you'd prefer to share privately, my door is open.
Thank you for trusting me with this.
Hi Sobelone,
I was out of town and missed a lot of this painful conversation. But I just want to check in with you as extended sangha siblings—I am in the same lineage as you.
Shalini is speaking with spiritual authority they do not hold. There are a lot of incredible teachers in the Suzuki Roshi lineage whose silence I am criticizing, but who I would still send someone in need of care and support. People who your pain and grief and anger will be safe with. But Shalini ain’t it.
I appreciate that it means a lot to be validated, but this stranger on the internet is inflating their credentials or implying credentials they do not have in order to build a customer base. Not only is that incredibly unethical, but it is incredibly dangerous.
They have referred to themselves as a Dharma teacher, but they are not. They leverage their PhD to imply authority but their PhD is in Marketing, not religion or ethics.
Mindfulness facilitation certifications and academic credentials in unrelated fields do not substitute for dharma formation or trauma-informed spiritual or mental health training.
I’m probably the last person you want to talk to but if you’d like any help finding a dharma teacher in your lineage, I’m happy to offer some recommendations.
Gassho,
Alexandra
Drew, thank you for being here. I honor your decision to step back and redirect your energy to the non-online parts of life — that sounds like wisdom.
Happy Chanukah to you and your loved ones.
A fellow practitioner in Israel shared this guided candle meditation with me, and I want to pass it along to you: https://insighttimer.com/skeinon/guided-meditations/guided-candle-meditation-2
Thank you for speaking up. You're absolutely right:
What must stop immediately:
-The genocide in Gaza
-The occupation
-Settlement expansion
-U.S. weapons sales funding this violence
No debate about that.
I appreciate you raising the Mizrahi question. You may be right that identities are constructed - and the 850,000 Jews who left/were expelled from Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, etc. between 1948-1970s are real people with real displacement. Whether we call them "Mizrahi" or "Arab Jews" or something else - where they go matters for any solution.
My intention and prayer is to create a space here where we can:
-Agree: Genocide must stop NOW
-Listen deeply: To Palestinian voices, Israeli voices, all who are affected
-Ask with genuine curiosity: How do we get from this horror to actual liberation?
Can we hold both? The urgency of stopping the violence AND the complexity of sustainable solutions?
I'm learning. I don't have all the answers. But I want this to be a space where we can ask hard questions without accusing each other of bad faith.
What are your thoughts on how we move from "this must end" to "here's how it ends"?