They are very present. They radiate calm and warmth. I point them out to her and explain that this is the reason I came here, to join a walk of peace in which Palestinians and Israelis are together. I tell her about the walk, its message of coexistence and peace, peace at every step, here and now. I notice that she is very moved by the walk and the atmosphere it radiates. She seems to me calmer and calmer--nothing like the furious woman I met only several minutes before. . . . She walks alongside the line for a while. She tells me that she likes this walk, that it makes her feel good, gives her relief and that her mood is much better now. I am very very moved. -- Marion Pergamin
It is quite an unusual sight: through the frenzy of downtown Tel Aviv traffic or the anxious quiet of Jerusalem streets, a long line of people appears. They walk slowly in single file and in complete silence. An atmosphere of calm and peacefulness surrounds them. But what is more unusual--and takes most bystanders by surprise--is that they are both Jew and Arab.
Three years have passed since the founding of Middleway, a group dedicated to applying dharma teachings to the task of peacemaking in a land steeped in conflict and bloodshed for more than fifty years. Middleway was born out of a sense of urgency and compassion felt by participants at silent retreats in Israel, and was especially inspired by Christopher Titmuss during his frequent visits to Israel and Palestine. Many in the sangha sensed that the extent of suffering in the region called for engagement beyond sitting on the meditation cushion. At the same time, most felt a resistance to conventional forms of political action. The question then became, what kind of action is appropriate both to make a clear statement and to remain within the ethical, nonviolent principles of the dharma?
We concluded that our actions should speak louder than words and created a form that is inclusive, nonharming and yet expresses in a clear way the need for peace and reconciliation. Our form--an adaptation of the traditional Dharmayatra peace walks--embodies dharma in action. We walk slowly in silence in single file. We wear a white sash as a sign of simplicity. Some walkers hand out leaflets to passers-by, shopkeepers and drivers. The walks are led by senior Israeli dharma practitioners, but there are always many participants with no dharma background, including both Jews and Arabs. During the walks there are instructions on maintaining a quiet confidence, presence, friendliness and nonreactivity in the face of provocation.
We invite local people to join us at the end of the walks in dialogue and sharing circles. These circles, led by experienced facilitators, encourage heartfelt sharing, the release of pain, personal contact across cultural boundaries, and the building of trust between people from separate communities. Tears flow, friends are made, stereotypes are questioned, and fears are dissolved.
Some of the walks are one-day events in the big cities, winding through shopping centers and busy streets. Others last several days, and we spend the evenings around the campfire. Sometimes the local mayor or representatives of community groups address the walkers, with the discussion afterwards directed toward sharing of present feelings and personal experiences rather than debating of views. For example, during an eight day walk from the new town of Modi’in up through the wadis and villages to Jerusalem, we heard from a representative of an Israeli charity that is attempting to restore the memory of the 500 or so Arab villages destroyed since 1948, a representative of the right-wing nationalistic settlers, and a representative of a group of lawyers that is trying to get the Separation Wall rerouted.
The “Silent Walkers,”’ as we are generally described, are becoming relatively well known in the country. Over the past two years, there were walks nearly every month in all areas of Israel, and lately beginning in the Occupied Territories. The walks pass through towns, cities, Arab villages, religious settlements, kibbutzim and the countryside. Thousands of leaflets have been handed out with our messages of peacefulness. There are never fewer than fifty walkers and sometimes more than 100. Recently, 150 Jews and Arabs walked on one side of the “Separation Wall” and 700 Palestinians on the other, with a silent exchanging of flowers across the wall.
We have worked hard to obtain media attention, and there has been a great deal of national coverage on TV and radio, carrying our central message: that Jews and Arabs together demonstrate that peace is possible. We have been invited to two meetings with Yasser Arafat to share our experience of the effectiveness of nonviolence. All this has been achieved with relatively few volunteers and no financial resources or support apart from what is dropped “in the hat” during each walk to cover immediate expenses. And while our limited resources and minimal organization have made it difficult to reach out and broaden the participation, Middleway has energized our Sangha, particularly those who felt isolated and scattered, depending entirely on silent retreats and sitting groups.
The walks are not explicitly “Buddhist” and open to anyone who wishes to join. However, the dharma is embodied in everything that happens: in the mindfulness and peacefulness within the walking, in the intention to reduce suffering and bring healing, in the practice of trust and equanimity when risks must be taken, and in the inclusiveness through which Jew and Arab, Israeli and Palestinian, can and do participate equally. The practice of absorbing verbal abuse from people in the street, without reaction, and returning metta, enduring friendliness, is readily understood regardless of one’s religion. When the Bedouin mukhtar Abu Amin was asked why he joined, he replied without hesitation: “When we get shouted at, I absorb it like a sponge, and in this way I am making peace for my people.” This is walking the Eightfold Path in daily life.
The constant interaction of inner and outer is a big part of the walks. They are a form of social action in which inner peacefulness, steadiness and empowerment develop together with peace in the world. The walks address the negative emotional climate of anger and despair in the region as a source of continuing conflict. They are a Middle Way between the somewhat narcissistic view that creating peace in the world requires simply that one meditate more and purify oneself as well as the “activist” view that action to create peace does not require attention to the state of mind of the actor. In principle, the walks express the understanding that right actions radiate both outwards and inwards and that the two should be in some kind of dynamic balance. Sometimes we walk all day in nature seeing only dogs, goats and cows who look at us with curiosity but not much interest in our leaflets. At other times we express ourselves to the world, venturing into the heart of cities, towns and villages, issuing press releases to the media. The steady, step-by-step mindful walking and the heartfelt sharing circles among Jews and Arabs builds inner peace and confidence and reduces fear and helplessness.
Other projects planned by Middleway include a Peace Leadership Center to train facilitators in the skills and wisdom of spiritual peacemaking.
For more information, visit www.middleway.org