it is not a binary world

Each of us has to find our way in meeting the challenges that we are facing today: a divided nation, an unprecedented pandemic and the continuum of structural racism. The nature of experience is spectral yet we tend to notice extremes in our meditation practice and in the world. How do we meet division with wise action without falling into the pattern of binarism? What is binarism and how can we begin to notice how it creeps into our perceptions of our inner and outer worlds? We will explore how this familiar pattern can affect experience and how widening our contextual lens can help to deconstruct the pattern. Many resources will be highlighted to help us locate ourselves within the larger social context so that we can contribute in wise ways that are within the foundations of our spiritual path. The task of self-educating ourselves will be emphasized because it is key to understanding how we can take wise action effectively without becoming overwhelmed. We will review mindfulness buttressed by clear comprehension as the primary support system for our individual explorations and discoveries. An interesting strategy in dealing with binarism in post-colonial theory is finding a thirdspace that weakens the power of certainty contained within the simplistic nature of the binary relationship itself.

useful terms

It is helpful to begin to see what binarism is and how it operates in language and in our reactivity. Chances are if you are experiencing the habits of binarism on the cushion, they are also happening in your life through your attitudes. The definition of binarism (noun) is a mode of thought predicated on seemingly stable oppositions that is seen in post-structuralist analysis as an inadequate approach to areas of difference (google definition). This is very similar to a term that emerged out of Cartesian thought at the dawn of modernism in philosophy: dualism. Dualism is the division of something conceptually into two opposed or contrasted aspects, or the state of being so divided. For example, "a dualism between man and nature” (google definition). The influence of cartesian dualism on science was significant and had subsequent effects on all subjective experience as it tried to define experience in quantifiable vs qualitative terms. The clarity of quantitative assessment left little room for subjective nuance and qualitative experience (like all of the senses!). Clarity and certainty help us understand the world but are limiting when we cling to them. The realm of the extremes creates separation which does not support the idea of the interconnectedness of all things. We have to be careful here because there are aspects of binarism that are super useful. For example, when first learning a skill, seeing the extremes is key to setting you on the right track: learning to balance on one leg, learning to ride a bike, learning what is or is not mind wandering in meditation. But as we learn the skills, nuances begin to emerge that can help us see that we are moving in the direction needed to develop the skill.

Some common binarisms are black/white, big/small, male/female, mind/matter, east/west, right/wrong, good/bad, on/off, and self/other. We tend to be drawn to the extremes because of their seeming clarity and certainty. There is also the difficulty of language and difficulty of describing nuance. There is comfort in recognition. Our brains tend to simplify everything into concepts which leaves out the possibility of gradation and spectral readings. Ruth King calls these perceptual knots. They are like knots that have to be untied with care. Cultural and religious needs have also concretized binary readings in order for ideologies to be reinforced. Take marriage relative to the male/female binary and, of course, the major reinforcer of structural racism: white needs black in order to exist as a dominant power (Robin DiAngelo and others).

**Josef Albers** and the relative nature of colors. In both of these adjacent images, the smaller squares are the same color despite the appearance of difference from the influence of the adjacent colors. More HERE

This brings to mind other terms that are helpful: context, relativity, spectral and gradation. Borrowing some of these terms from color theory, they can help us unpack our qualitative experiences to reveal the relative and interdependent nature of all phenomena and how context affects our perception. Josef Albers extensively explored colors. One of his most famous techniques is to show how our perception of a certain color changes based on the context within which it is being viewed. See the examples above. The square of color in the center in each of the compositions is exactly the same color but our perception changes drastically due to the context in which it resides. This doesn’t even take into account our own baggage we bring to the experience. He did hundreds of these studies with different colors. All phenomena are experienced through nuance yet the most obvious relationships are the extremes and binary readings like black and white. As we become experienced at perceiving, it becomes clear that all phenomena are spectral and have potential for different gradations or intensities. We can see that as we become more experienced meditators, we see the subtleties in our practice more clearly and we can see that context is everything. We can take these lessons into the continuum of our practice both on and off the cushion.

A **spectrum** of colors where each color is influenced and overlaps with its adjacent color creating a continuum.

A **gradation** of blues which could be seen as different levels of intensity.

Helpful Practices

What are practices that will harmonize our inner and outer worlds so that we can prepare ourselves for wise action? I recommend pranayama (intentional breathing) mindfulness and metta meditations, and thoroughly educating ourselves on the issues that are most important to us. Finally, putting them all together in contemplation so that we understand how we can be helpful without becoming overwhelmed. Samadhi, a Sanskrit term used often in meditation to mean intense concentration, has an alternative meaning: to agree, to harmonize. I think that this nuance of the definition is more useful and more spacious. Yes, you need concentration to do anything but to consider creating an agreement or harmony already presupposes others’ involvement. This endeavor of taking wise action is one that must keep others in mind, adopt a willingness to soften the sense of self, and embrace the opportunity to develop true compassion.

**Diaphragmatic breathing** for reducing anxiety. To see how the diaphragm works, go HERE.

**Vayus**=winds (move energy about the body)
Thought to reside in the space between lotus petals (you are the lotus :) Checking-in with the energetic body can also reduce anxiety.

Diaphragmatic breathing is very helpful in reducing anxiety and creating a tranquil atmosphere. It is worth really getting to know the diaphragm and how it works. The diaphragm is the primary muscle facilitating breathing. It is a thin umbrella shaped muscle that connects to the lower perimeter of the ribs. As you breath in, the diaphragm moves down towards the organs of digestion. Most prevalently, you might feel a bit of tightness on the right side where the lungs put pressure on the liver on a deep inhale. You will also feel a really sweet releasing of the pelvic floor muscles. Take a few deep inhales to just feel the dynamic activity. On the exhale, notice how the diaphragm moves upward towards the bottoms of the lungs and gently helps them release the air. Notice the lovely grounding of the exhale. As you intentionally breathe, feel the graceful rhythmic rise and fall of the diaphragm as it massages the center of the torso and creates ripples of relaxing energy to your limbs. You might contemplate that we share in this activity with all living beings and that it knits us into a whole. Connecting to the energetic body can increase your awareness of movement of energy and how we can use the breath to cultivate grounding, more energy, or to balance our energy. Understanding the vayus, Sanskrit for winds (winds that move energy about the body), can be useful to have in your tool belt. See the link to the video of diaphragmatic breathing and the image of the vayus above.

After connecting to the breath, continue the embodiment process with a meditation. Metta meditation is meant to diminish the divide between ourselves and others. It effectively accomplishes this by underscoring any hindrances (especially ill-will) that may arise as we send Metta to the array of people in our lives: loved and respected ones, friends, acquaintances, enemies, larger groups, and then to ourselves. Great as a seated practice, it can also be practiced walking down the street or driving a car. It is versatile, enriching, and guaranteed to soften the heart. The satipatthana meditation is particularly helpful in cultivating embodiment before moving into the subtleties of the mind where our deepest habitual behaviors are encoded. The practice will take you from the grossest to the most subtle aspects of yourself in a pretty short amount of time. The contemplation in the first foundation, the body, helps to unite us with all people in their aspects of anatomy, relationships to the elements and to the fact that we will all die. This in no way is meant to negate or diminish the importance of the differences between us through some kind of universalist concept, rather, it is meant to help us see that the differences between us, although hugely important in this lived reality, are just like all phenomena in the spiritual sense of ultimate reality: they are impermanent, they cause us suffering, and they are empty. Analayo’s 2015 practice guide on the satipatthana meditation is a very elegant and refreshing new take on the tried and true tradition. He uses the beautiful analogy of a lotus: when we are in our meditation practice, we are a lotus with petals closed; when we are out in daily life, we are a lotus with petals open. We are the same lotus regardless of what we are doing. Our daily life becomes a continuum of our meditation practice. We are aware of what our body-mind system is doing at all times. This is the value of mindfulness, or sati in Pali. Satipatthana as translated by Analayo means attending to mindfulness. It is an activity. For my visual synopsis of the satipatthana practice, go HERE.

Mindfulness is the act of taking in the whole picture, in other words, the context. Analayo calls it seeing with a wide-angled lens. Ruth King says without context it is like only seeing a particular star without the constellation. With mindfulness, there is space. Space for visual differences, for ideological differences, and for resolution of conflict. Space is the key. Myopy is the opposite and only has enough space for one’s own opinion. Myopy is beautifully represented by the scholar Marilyn Frye’s birdcage metaphor. When you are up close to the birdcage, you see only the bird but not the context of the cage. To you, the bird seems as if it is free. Even stepping back a little only gives a partial view; you might see a few of the metal rungs of the cage but the bird still appears as if it is free and can fly away at will. Only stepping back to see the whole context of the cage do you see that the bird is completely surrounded, is encaged, and not free. This is a powerful metaphor for contemplation relative to our own experiences and when we are trying to help others in need, it can be crucial to helping us understand how to take wise action that will actually be useful. You can also see from the metaphor that there are gradations of mindfulness and that the things within the context are part of a spectrum (each thing within the context has an affect on other things within a given context). Taking too broad a view can also distort the picture: If you stepped so far away from the birdcage, you might not be able to see the there is a bird in it or if you step out of the room and do not see the cage or the bird even though the bird is still there encaged. This is where clear comprehension comes in.

Marilyn Frye Birdcage Metaphor, Article HERE

Clear comprehension is a companion practice to help our mindfulness be wise :). Clear comprehension means that we know what we are doing, we know why we are doing it, we know who is being affected and we know the context in which we are doing it.

All of the above practices will prepare you to take wise action. Grounded in understanding of your own experiences and harmonized with your outer world, you can skillfully find ways to take effective action that will not overwhelm you. It can be overwhelming and this is why it is so important to connect to yourself deeply before jumping out there without a plan.

structural racism

For me, the issue of structural racism is the most emphatic issue of the present. It became clear to me that I had a lot of research to do to expand my understanding of this context of division. My research yielded the realization that I and most white people have not been mindful of the context in which we live because we don’t need to be aware of the difficulty that people of color experience because our system supports the wellbeing of white people by default. Ignorance creates a type of invisibility and, as a result, the tentacles of racism have reached every aspect of the lives of POC from the ability to access good education, receive proper medical care, purchase a home, and so on. Not being mindful creates a type of invisibility as the examples above illustrate. Even though I have never consider myself a racist, it has become clear that I have participated in its proliferation just by being a white person. Complicity is not always intentional. In order for the flavor of binarism that is racism to change, we white folks need to use our place of dominance to help change the systems which support it.

What is really interesting to me is that some of the strategies that people of color have used in order to find relevance and space for themselves within cultural production are strategies that we can all use to reverse our patterns of binarism and power within our own ecosystems that are revealed through our meditation practices, living within family structures and working within hierarchical working environments. See the resources below on theories about spatial practices (LeFebvre and Soja) for more.