The No Kings protest is coming up again. You may have heard about it, and perhaps you feel some pressure to attend. In the past, I organized groups to go, so people in my yoga classes and other parts of my life have asked whether I plan to go again on March 28.
Not long ago, I walked down through the snow to the Stockbridge Bowl at Kripalu on a bright winter day and sat for a long time by the lake in the sun, thinking about questions like this.
Moments like these present a choice for people who practice yoga and meditation (and everyone else, too, I suppose). How should we respond when the world keeps asking for our attention and action?
Find Your Dharma
One common answer in yoga circles involves “finding your dharma.” In the teachings of Swami Kripalu and other yoga traditions, your dharma refers to your role or purpose in life. It’s a nice idea. Each person discovers the work meant for them and steps forward to do it.
Someone’s dharma may shift over the course of life, and the idea can inspire people to serve others and support their communities.
Yoga teacher Stephen Cope has explored this idea in several books, especially Yoga and the Quest for the True Self. I hear yoga teachers mention this book often, and it almost always sits in a prominent place in the bookstore at Kripalu in Massachusetts.
In another book, The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling, Cope discusses the metaphor of “Indra’s Net.” This old teaching describes a vast web of jewels. Each jewel reflects the others. When one point moves, the whole net responds.
In that image, our task involves finding our place in the net and holding it well. When we do that, we support our little corner of the world while remaining connected with everyone else.
None of us carries the task of fixing the whole world, yet each action matters.
Living the Dharma
Another model comes from the teachings of the Buddha. Teachers in the Thai forest lineage, such as Ajahn Chah, point toward something simpler. Instead of searching for a life mission, the practice invites us to train the mind here and now.
This path centers on “living in accordance with the dharma,” or in Buddhist language, the Pali word dhamma.
In daily life, that training starts with attention. Notice where the mind goes. Notice the tone of the mind. Then choose actions that lead toward less harm and more clarity.
The Buddha offered clear guidance for evaluating our choices. In the Kalama Sutta (AN 3.65), he encouraged people to look carefully at the results of their actions. When an action leads toward harm or regret, abandon it. When it leads toward welfare and peace, continue.
In this way, we learn from experience and refine our choices over time.
A Simple Way to Decide What to Do
Yoga and Buddhism offer similar guidance about how to live. The five yamas guide conduct in yoga. Buddhism teaches the five precepts. Both encourage honesty, kindness, restraint, and respect for others.
These trainings shape the mind over time. When our practice grows steadier, something shifts. We pause before speaking. We notice anger before reacting. We respond to stress with more patience. When we grow, family members, friends, and coworkers benefit.
The influence may seem small, but the consequences can be far-reaching.
The process can be as simple as pausing and then asking a question.
First, practice. Sit down and follow the breath. Let the body settle and the mind grow steady. A steady mind sees choices more clearly than a stirred-up mind.
Second, ask a question. What action supports clarity and kindness right now?
Sometimes the answer points inward. Offer patient listening to a friend. Choose your words carefully during disagreement. Show up with your full attention for family members who need support.
Other times the answer points outward. Attend a community gathering. Help a neighbor. Join a peaceful protest like No Kings.
Both forms of action grow from the same root. A trained mind chooses carefully and learns from the results.
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