This month, I’m pulling back the curtain to share with you how my spiritual beliefs shape and guide our business practices at BE MORE with Anu. First, I shared with you my fundamental view that these beliefs are inseparable from our triple bottom line of supporting people, planet, and profits as a Benefit Corporation, and we spoke about how dana, or a cultivation of generosity in one’s self, is the backbone of everything we do at BE MORE with Anu. Next, we spoke about karma, and about the idea that carefully cultivating our intentions is the only true way to influence the ways that we’re perceived in the world. If you missed either post, I encourage you to take a moment to review them. Once you’ve done so, it’s on to our third and final big topic: nyaya.
Nyaya is a Sanskrit word that doesn’t have a perfect translation into English, but for the purposes of this post, we can say that it roughly translates into “justice.” For a long time, I was hesitant to define “justice” outwardly. It means so many things to so many people: the diversity of human life on this earth means that there are as many beautiful human experiences, and therefore ways of understanding justice, as there are stars in the sky. Who am I to say what it means to be “just”?
Over the years, however, it’s become clear to me that I can resonate with a concept without having to impose it on others. After working with many teachers, such as Sharon Salzberg, Bonnie Duran, Larry Ward, and so many others, I have come to understand that there is a definition of justice which calls to me: justice is loving-kindness in action.
Interconnectedness helps us advance justice
None of us can do everything: the world is very big, and life is very short. And yet, in this 21st century world, we are more interconnected than ever before. We can speak to folks across continents in a single Zoom call - indeed, we can even communicate with folks in orbit above this pale blue dot. The unprecedented interconnectedness of our time gives us some new possibility with which to contemplate this loving-kindness in action: there are new ways to imagine what it looks like to contribute to justice. Recall that our generosity, or dana, and our intentions, or karma, shape the way we show up in the world. They allow us to live up to the ideals set forward by our ancestors of a Beloved Community by contributing the lovingkindness inside us, and making it manifest. Connection and interdependence is what allows us to advance this lovingkindness, even when we cannot be the boots on the ground ourselves.
For example, in this interconnected world, putting loving-kindness into action by way of justice might look like donating your time or talents, or contributing economically to causes, companies, and people who champion values you support. Next Tuesday is Giving Tuesday – a time when many different organizations will send you emails asking for your support. I encourage you: filter out the noise, certainly, but remain open to those who truly inspire you, year-round. Who is doing the work in your heart? Who is using their hands to bring into being a vision that resonates with you? I encourage you: stay open to those asks.
In full transparency, we will be one of those companies making an ask soon. We hope that when we do, our work over the past year, uplifting concepts like dana, karma, and nyaya as we partner with organizations to advance racial equity, will speak for itself. We’ll see you one more time this November, next week, to share with you more about what creating impact looks like at BE MORE with Anu.
Before I close, I want to share one last and most important aspect of nyaya. That it just is. It isn’t something that we create or requires permission from human beings or institutions we humans have built. Nyaya is built into the very fabric of the universe. I recall Dr. King’s famous words that the arc of the moral universe is long, and it bends towards justice. For me, what he was really saying is that the arc bends towards love, towards loving kindness. Have you ever wondered what causes a group of humans to perpetuate cruelty, pain, oppression, suffering, denial, and gaslighting? Could a person who truly embodied nyaya - loving-kindness in action - act in such a way? Absolutely not. And, just as Dr. King knew, I too know, that ultimately these closed hearts can and will open.
And this is our work. The work to open hearts and minds so we can build a world where everyone belongs, everywhere. May it be so.