I had always known Harriet Tubman as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, repeatedly risking her own life to lead slaves out of the South. But in this episode, my friend, the great meditation teacher Spring Washam, draws the link between Tubman and the Buddha, who also made it his business to lead people to freedom. Spring is teaching a new, five-week, online course called The Dharma of Harriet Tubman, through the East Bay Meditation Center. In the course, and in this interview, she uses stories from Tubman's life to teach the kind of meditation that will equip us with both the ferocity and warmth that we need in these trying times. Spring is one of the most important teachers for me in my own personal practice. We are an odd couple - she freely uses words such as "heart" and "soul." She likes to get all ooey-gooey and touchy-feely, with a giant side dish of shamanism. In fact, I often suspect that, since she knows this kind of talk makes me a little uncomfortable, she triples down on it when I'm around. But make no mistake, Spring is hardcore - both in terms of her meditation practice and her personal background. You can go back and listen to some of the prior episodes with her (we will put links in show notes), but the short version is that, in her upbringing, she experienced divorce, poverty, addiction, abuse, and racism - and emerged to be a meditation teacher and author (her book is called "A Fierce Heart"), and one of the most impressive human beings I have personally encountered. So if someone as badass as Spring is drawing inspiration from Harriet Tubman, so can we. Quick note: this conversation was initially scheduled just to be a personal phone call, but when I saw an email from Spring announcing the Harriet Tubman course, I asked her to let us use our scheduled time to record a podcast. Where to find Spring Washam online: Website: https://www.springwasham.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/springwasham Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teacher.springwasham/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/springwasham/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvoIv70jZKKXT2-ctKGhr7A Book Mentioned: A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage, and Wisdom in Any Moment https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Heart-Finding-Strength-Courage/dp/1401959393?tag=smarturl-20 Check our our new, free collection of meditations called Relating to Race in the Ten Percent Happier app: https://10percenthappier.app.link/RelatingToRace Other Resources Mentioned: Register to Spring's course, The Dharma of Harriet Tubman & The Underground Railroad: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-dharma-of-harriet-tubman-and-the-underground-railroad-tickets-107495600234 Samsara: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%E1%B9%83s%C4%81ra The Eightfold path: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path Siddhartha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha Harriet (2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqoEs4cG6Uw Bodhisattva: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva The Underground Railroad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Railroad Mahayana: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana Bodhicitta: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhicitta Additional Resources: Ten Percent Happier Live: https://tenpercent.com/live Coronavirus Sanity Guide: https://www.tenpercent.com/coronavirussanityguide Free App access for Health Care Workers: https://tenpercent.com/care Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/spring-washam-257
Actionable Insights
1. Shift from Mind to Heart
When overwhelmed by complex suffering or seeking deeper understanding, shift awareness from the analytical mind to the heart, allowing it to grow in capacity to hold both suffering and joy, as true wisdom often resides ‘south of the neck’.
2. Act from Love, Not Hate
Engage in activism and stand up against injustice from a place of love and a desire for a just world, rather than guilt, shame, blame, or hatred, to ensure sustainable ‘soul force’ and foster genuine understanding.
3. Practice Non-Violent Persistence
In the face of injustice, practice non-violent persistence by consistently agitating and protesting without resorting to physical or psychological violence, relying on a long-term, unwavering commitment to truth.
4. Examine Mental Programs with Curiosity
Actively seek to identify and understand one’s own conditioning and mental programs (e.g., white supremacy, inferiority), approaching them with warmth and curiosity rather than denial, to liberate the mind and heart.
When experiencing heartbreak due to injustice or suffering, channel that pain into motivation for justice and continued action, getting used to the discomfort while refusing to contract into fear.
6. Take Refuge in Impermanence
Recognize and take refuge in the truth of impermanence and constant change, understanding that there isn’t always solid ground, which can serve as a profound life teaching.
7. Evoke Ancestral Courage
Deliberately inject stories of courageous figures and ancestors (like Harriet Tubman) into one’s stream of consciousness, reading books and systematically contemplating their lives or evoking their spirit in meditation to draw strength and energetic help.
8. Be a Conscious ‘Conductor’
Be conscious of your role as a ‘conductor’ in life, actively leading yourself and others through challenging passages towards happiness, compassion, and care, and away from pain.
9. Allow Grief and Laughter
Engage in symbolic grief rituals (like building fires) during times of profound loss, and intentionally use humor and laughter to cope with heavy or difficult situations, preventing overwhelm.
10. Practice Deep Presence with Emotions
Practice being deeply present with all emotions as they arise, whether joy, sorrow, fear, or terror, allowing them to be fully expressed without judgment or suppression.
11. Educate on Systemic Oppression
Educate oneself and others on the complexity of systemic oppressive systems, understanding how they operate and how everyone participates, whether as oppressor or oppressed, to foster collective awareness.
12. Process Guilt and Zealotry
When waking up to one’s participation in harmful systems, allow for initial feelings of guilt and shame without getting stuck there, and avoid becoming a ‘zealot’ by integrating insights calmly and long-term.
13. Seek Reconciliation Support
Seek support groups or safe spaces for reconciliation and sharing when recognizing one’s participation in harmful systems, similar to an AA meeting, to process insights and past actions.
14. Extend Everyday Kindness
Practice everyday kindness and extend heartfelt care to others, even strangers, by being present and having genuine moments, especially during challenging times, to counteract aloofness.
15. Utilize Free Guided Meditations
Access and utilize the free guided meditations available in the 10% Happier app, specifically those relating to the issue of race, to support personal practice and understanding.
16. Enroll in Dharma Course
Enroll in Spring Washam’s five-week online course, ‘The Dharma of Harriet Tubman,’ to learn meditation and mental practices for cultivating ferocity and warmth through Harriet Tubman’s stories.