Janelle Irwin Taylor
A St. Petersburg Buddhism-based spiritual center is asking members to vote this year because “our country is in crisis.”
President Donald Trump “not only encouraged these violent acts, his response has been to blame the victims,” wrote Tami Wheelock-Long, who works for Shambhala St. Petersburg, a world-wide organization of meditation and cultural centers centered on Buddhism philosophy.
“… Recently, the President announced that he is a ‘Nationalist.’ We know this means a White Nationalist.”
Wheelock-Long referred to the pipe bombs mailed to high-ranking former and current elected officials and prominent Democratic supporters.
“What did all these people have in common? They were all critics of the Trump agenda,” she wrote. The email also mentioned the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh that claimed the lives of 11 congregants.
Wheelock-Long is calling on leaders of every Buddhist tradition across the U.S. to ask their ‘Sangha‘ to vote. Sangha are members of the Buddhist monastic community who often shy away from public life and rarely engage in politics.
“These are not normal times. I believe we as bodhisattvas should vote to help end this violence. The pain and suffering of so many Americans could be eased simply by shifting the power in the United States,” Wheelock-Long wrote.
She also called on members of the Buddhist faith ‘in retreat’ to hit the pause button long enough to vote. Buddhist retreats are typically periods of time during which followers stay in isolation and, in some cases, remain silent for various periods of time.
“So many lives are depending on this election. We need to stand up to this hate filled, racist, anti-Semitic president. Our fellow human beings need us more than ever right now,” Wheelock-Long wrote. “If the Buddha could have stopped Hitler by voting, would he have?”
The letter is indicative of the larger, nationwide vitriol surrounding this year’s midterm election. Many races, including Florida’s Governor’s race, have centered on or included references to candidates’ support for, or opposition to, Trump.
Democrats hope the contentious presidency and events that have unfolded since Trump’s election will push more voters to the polls in what they have described as a “blue wave.”
It’s not clear whether Wheelock-Long’s plea will drive any Buddhist followers to the polls this election, but it’s telling that a religious leader would call on a pause in ritual to vote.
One comment
Tony Johnson
October 31, 2018 at 5:54 pm
As someone who has attended the St Petersburg Shambala Center, I received the email from Tami Wheelock-Long. I found it offensive. What makes her think that I care about her political opinion? My involvement with the organization was a search for spiritual wisdom, not political opinion. Apparently, Ms. Wheelock-Long feels that I am in need of her political guidance.
If I did want her opinion, I would prefer her statements be factually correct. Some of hers facts are embellished or downright untrue.
It is a shame that everyone these days feels the need to inject politics into every aspect of our society, even now, the spiritual aspects. I must now ask myself, is the political wisdom of the organization and indication of the quality of the spiritual wisdom?
Her email has done great damage to the reputation and standing of the St Petersburg Shambala Center as a neutral body where everyone is welcome. If you hold a different political view that that which has now been attributed to the organization, would you feel welcome there?
The venom laced tirade emailed to members of the community is inconsistent with the values that I sought there.
If the St Petersburg Shambala Center enjoys 501.(c) (3) tax exempt status, it now risks losing that status by its clear violation of Revenue Ruling 2007-41 prohibiting political action by a Church.
I wonder if Ms. Tami Wheelock-Long, who is probably very proud to be a “resistor,” knows the damage she has done to the organization and community that she purports to serve by trying to impose her own political views on its members.
Comments are closed.