What our political administrators and leader need is not-knowing listening. In fact, all of us can profit from this.
It seems that both in my state of Illinois and in Washington DC this is sadly lacking.
The budget conflicts and threatened shutdown(s) of the Federal government are a prime example of the unwillingness of the various leaders to be listening to their "opponents" and to the needs of the public - so that they can respond appropriately. But, since they are already so sure of what should be, and so self-centered in justifying and propping up their position, they do not listen/hear/see because they think they already know.
In the Heart Sutra the quality of compassion is personified in listening to, in hearing the cries of suffering and responding through being empty, seeing the emptiness of all conditions and thus being able to do what is called for in accord with the conditions and circumstances which arise right now.
(c) 2011 Elihu Genmyo Smith
