Warrior Karma
By Joseph Richey
Walking the Tiger’s Path: A Soldier’s Spiritual Journey
Paul Kendel
Tendril Press, 2011
“The Tiger’s Path” is the name that the Buddhist teacher Sakyong Mipham gives “the path of discernment” in his book Ruling Your World. “Venturing onto the path of the tiger, we place our paws carefully. We respect karma; we know that every decision we make has repercussions.”
In Iraq in 2005 Staff Sergeant Paul Kendel took his first steps on the tiger’s path. Reading the dharma one afternoon leaning on a Humvee in 120-degree Baghdad heat, Kendel burned with anger and fear. His wife was being unfaithful back home in Georgia. Iraqis could try to kill him any moment. His mother was dying in Florida. Hurricane Katrina was devastating the Gulf Coast.
Who wouldn’t want to take a spiritual retreat?
But a retreat while serving in Iraq with the United States 48th Infantry Brigade?
Kendel was not your average Guardsman. He’d already traveled to the Middle East, had two Master degrees (Cal State Fullerton, History and Anthropology) and half of his life had been enlisted in the US Army or National Guard.
But no Army field manual could prepare Kendel and his fellow soldiers for complexities they confronted in Iraq. Bad guys didn’t wear black hats there. Kendel found Sakyong Mipham’s Turning the Mind into an Ally, Ruling Your World and other Shambhala teachings far more useful in the field and post-deployment than any military training. Indeed, they proved as transformative as formative.
Kendel’s memoir, Walking the Tiger’s Path: A Soldier’s Spiritual Path takes readers through two volatile zones: Kendel’s inner terrain during crises at home in Georgia and explosive Baghdad neighborhoods during a pivotal moment in the history of Iraq. It covers the 48th infantry brigade getting cheered “Go kick ass!” then changed into something quite different while patrolling urban areas.
Upon stepping off the plane, his company began handing out toys, doing the meet-and-greet. But after losing 8 members of their company in one week, infantryman Baker imagined cutting an Iraqi in half with machinegun fire. And Sgt. Moore wanted a kill before going home.
Kendall outs the aberrant mindsets of American soldiers in several action-packed scenes that resulted in needless killings, wounding and traumatizing of ordinary Iraqis.
Mid-deployment, increasingly uncomfortable with the barbarity, and halfway through reading Turning Your Mind into an Ally, Kendel shot off an e-mail to Shambhala International, the organization headed by Sakyong Mipham. Mipham responded by warning Kendel that he was not only in a very dangerous place physically, but also at risk of suffering from anger and bitterness his fellow soldiers had fallen prey to already.
“Because I was a bit older,” Kendel said in an author’s interview, “I had a better cultural understanding, education, the dharma, all that which had in other situations benefitted me, I thought that I was inoculated.”
Yet Kendel experienced a kind of moral breakdown. Unprompted by any outside order, he initiated a patrol in the hostile town of Al-Salaam, setting up an operation post right in front of a mosque. A celebratory gunshot fired at a birthday party led US forces to unload their frustrations on Al-Salaam. They shot at walls, at air conditioners, at clothes hanging out to dry, at satellite dishes, at the mosque’s minaret. Miraculously US forces reported no dead, no wounded from their shooting spree.
After this near-tragedy, his fellow soldiers blamed the incident on bad training, hair-trigger nerves, and even a collective hallucination of having been fired upon by the Iraqis.
Kendel described drawing a bead on an Iraqi civilian, “Talk about out-of-body experiences. I was physically there, but mentally removed. It gave me pause. My God how easy!”
Kendel owns up. He had nearly provoked a massacre, and barely missed killing someone. In a watershed moment in Walking the Tiger’s Path he writes to Shambhala’s Margot Neuman: “Iraq opened a door for me; it showed me that I’m just as capable of violence and ugliness as the people we fight.”
And later in Walking the Tiger’s Path: “The Buddhist teachings talk about the karmic chain of events. Once the ball of anger gets rolling, you feed it and it grows. Catch it initially and you can prevent it from going to the next level. However my rage had hooked me, gained momentum, and progressed into a dangerous situation. If I hadn’t run away from my pain about my wife, if I had faced my fears and anger directly, Al-Salaam might not have happened.”
He drove all blame toward himself under the influence of a keystone Shambhala teaching from Atisha (10th century), “Drive All Blames into One.”
Margot Neuman wrote back, “There are four aspects of an act for it to be a negative karma-producing event: intention, execution, desired result is achieved, and satisfaction in having performed the action . . . If any of these four elements are not present, then the karmic act is not completed,” passing on advice from Monk Lodrö Gyatso to help in alleviating Kendel’s suffering. Neuman went further, telling Kendel intense regret could be a great purifier. Her letters, and his contact with other Shambhala community members, spawned a new gentleness within him.
Kendel’s Buddhist studies during life-changing events saved him and others much trouble and pain.
One weakness of his book is that while Kendel is anything but clueless about the Arab world, (i.e., he invokes his graduate school reading of texts like Edward Said’s Orientalism), Arab perspectives are largely missing from his account of time in Iraq. He doesn’t name a single Iraqi, other than the nicknames the US soldiers give to a few dead men they found. Nor is a single Baghdad street named.
Walking the Tiger’s Path: A Soldier’s Spiritual Journey means to be an personal tale. It’s at once, an instructive war story and a uniquely intimate spiritual memoir. Kendel did not die in Iraq, nor did he kill anyone. He reconciled himself to his actions in a way that he hopes will be useful to returning war veterans and domestic trauma victims alike. There will be no victorious climax to the nightmare of the US occupation in Iraq, but this is a victorious personal story.
Walking the Tiger Path author Paul Kendel is speaking Friday night, March 2, 2012 at 7 pm at the New York City Shambhala Meditation Center of New York City (118 West 22nd Street).
Note: The Ratna Peace Initiative (RPI) continues to offer mindfulness practice techniques at Veterans centers and state and federal penitentiaries. RPI staff Margot Neuman, Cliff Neuman and Gary Allen conduct daylong programs introducing meditation as a psychological tool for the relief of symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Over 148,000 veterans are doing hard time in United States prisons. Many were incarcerated due to crimes committed after having been psychologically traumatized while serving their country.
For more information: see www.ratnapeaceinitiative.org
From February, 2012
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.firstofthemonth.org/movabletype/mt-tb.cgi/121
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Warrior Karma:
» How to Remove Allergens from the Air You Breathe Air purifier ionizer from How to Remove Allergens from the Air You Breathe Air purifier ionizer
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on March 4, 2012 10:36 AM
» anxiety from anxiety
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on March 4, 2012 08:59 PM
» dyson vacuum from dyson vacuum
I think this is a real great article post. Awesome. [Read More]
Tracked on March 24, 2012 05:01 AM
» dyson vacuum cleaner review from dyson vacuum cleaner review
Fantastic blog article.Much thanks again. Want more. [Read More]
Tracked on April 2, 2012 09:51 AM
» kortingscode from bespaar en kortingscodes
veel kortingscodes met dagelijks nieuwe updates! [Read More]
Tracked on April 30, 2012 03:19 AM
» air purifier ratings from air purifier ratings
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on June 12, 2012 05:10 AM
» Tony Gilman from Tony Gilman
This is one awesome article post.Really looking forward to read more. Cool. [Read More]
Tracked on September 25, 2012 03:18 PM
» Ryan Nowakowski from Ryan Nowakowski
Enjoyed every bit of your blog article.Really thank you! Really Great. [Read More]
Tracked on September 25, 2012 07:37 PM
» Laney Studer from Laney Studer
Appreciate you sharing, great article post.Much thanks again. Cool. [Read More]
Tracked on September 26, 2012 12:49 PM
» Triston Conaway from Triston Conaway
Appreciate you sharing, great blog article.Much thanks again. [Read More]
Tracked on September 27, 2012 03:04 AM
» Savana Cranmer from Savana Cranmer
I really liked your article. Will read on... [Read More]
Tracked on September 27, 2012 04:23 PM
» Rachael Blumberg from Rachael Blumberg
Muchos Gracias for your blog.Really thank you! Awesome. [Read More]
Tracked on September 28, 2012 08:32 AM
» Blanca Tremblay from Blanca Tremblay
Great blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Really Cool. [Read More]
Tracked on September 28, 2012 11:06 PM
» Margaret Testerman from Margaret Testerman
I am so grateful for your post.Really looking forward to read more. Great. [Read More]
Tracked on September 29, 2012 08:22 PM
» Karma Guiterrez from Karma Guiterrez
Hey, thanks for the blog. Great. [Read More]
Tracked on September 30, 2012 06:24 PM
» Kasey Clever from Kasey Clever
Really enjoyed this blog article.Really thank you! Much obliged. [Read More]
Tracked on October 1, 2012 01:34 AM
» click here from click here
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on October 10, 2012 12:37 AM
» online casino nl from online casino nl
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on November 30, 2012 08:04 PM
» bail bonds tampa from bail bonds tampa
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on December 28, 2012 04:01 PM
» www.getdumpsterrentals.com/new-york/dumpster-rentals-in-brookfield-ny/ from www.getdumpsterrentals.com/new-york/dumpster-rentals-in-brookfield-ny/
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on January 6, 2013 03:11 PM
» Valentina Chin from Valentina Chin
Muchos Gracias for your article post.Really looking forward to read more. [Read More]
Tracked on January 7, 2013 01:04 AM
» phen375 review from phen375 review
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on January 8, 2013 04:28 PM
» phen375 pills review from phen375 pills review
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on January 11, 2013 03:51 PM
» http://www.paydayday.co.uk/ from http://www.paydayday.co.uk/
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on January 14, 2013 01:42 PM
» www.careonthecosta.com from www.careonthecosta.com
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on February 7, 2013 05:43 PM
» search engine optimization companies from search engine optimization companies
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on February 9, 2013 11:50 AM
» fat burner reviews from fat burner reviews
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on February 14, 2013 11:08 PM
» phentermine 37.5mg from phentermine 37.5mg
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on March 7, 2013 12:06 PM
» http://playrouletteusa.com/ from http://playrouletteusa.com/
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on March 18, 2013 12:47 AM
» www.tameima.com from www.tameima.com
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on March 25, 2013 12:57 PM
» www.amazon.com from www.amazon.com
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on March 25, 2013 01:07 PM
» pygmalion from pygmalion
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on April 6, 2013 04:00 PM
» descargar ares from descargar ares
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on April 11, 2013 03:53 AM
» longchamp lepliage from longchamp lepliage
If you're still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you'll know which is right for you. [Read More]
Tracked on April 22, 2013 07:06 PM
» salebeatsaustralia.com from salebeatsaustralia.com
Control Buy Cheap Air Jordan 11 Concord Problems Completely [Read More]
Tracked on April 25, 2013 06:35 AM
» lous vuitton pas cher from lous vuitton pas cher
evjacypbz evjacypbz pdv1 evjacypbz evjacypbz [Read More]
Tracked on April 25, 2013 11:11 AM
» Nike Blazer vintage from Nike Blazer vintage
Employee unrest is especially rife in Guangdong, a single of China's primary industrial Nike Free Run Tilbud Nike Air Max 2013 centers, the place exports surged 24% to $1... [Read More]
Tracked on April 26, 2013 10:28 PM
» raspberry ketone uk from raspberry ketone uk
http://www.topraspberryketone.co.uk/raspberry ketone uk [Read More]
Tracked on May 11, 2013 11:35 AM
» samsung accessories store - from samsung accessories store -
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on May 15, 2013 07:20 PM
» Cheap Snapback hats from Cheap Snapback hats
Kaline was one of the greatest outfielders in MLB history. He not only won ten gold glove awards, he was the very first baseball player to win the coveted award at two various positions. (correct and center field). In reality, he went 242 consecutive g... [Read More]
Tracked on May 25, 2013 05:10 PM
» cheap louboutin shoes from cheap louboutin shoes
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on May 31, 2013 04:08 AM
» dHnVQaBx from dHnVQaBx
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on June 1, 2013 10:00 PM
» Oakley Sunglasses outlet from Oakley Sunglasses outlet
Amazon Has Proficiently Utilized New Era Hats Inexpensive Value Discounting [Read More]
Tracked on June 2, 2013 11:42 PM
» Cheap Houston Oilers Hats from Cheap Houston Oilers Hats
Rangers Hats Blue Jays Hats Nationals Hats NBA Snapbacks Hats MLB Baseball Hats For Sale Inexpensive MLB Snapback Hats NFL Snapback Hats NHL Snapback Hats Fitted NBA Hats NCAA Snapback Hats OBEY Snapback Hats Last Kings Snapback Hats Jordan Snapback Ha... [Read More]
Tracked on June 8, 2013 06:42 AM
» handbag hermes from handbag hermes
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on June 11, 2013 01:27 PM
» cheap christian louboutin shoes from cheap christian louboutin shoes
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on June 13, 2013 11:40 AM
» MontBlanc Mechanical Pencil from MontBlanc Mechanical Pencil
First-rate, do not have knowledge of the skin, but looks graceful yard goods [Read More]
Tracked on June 23, 2013 02:11 PM
» louis vuitton outlet from louis vuitton outlet
Hi Jacque
I as well have already been studying the different tweaks in Workboxes but have determined using our elderly little ones which they have a tendency require the physical tip, they will work effectively from a list (at some level children ... [Read More]
Tracked on June 26, 2013 06:47 PM
» maillot arsenal from maillot arsenal
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on June 27, 2013 02:32 PM
» nike air max 90 from nike air max 90
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on June 28, 2013 12:40 PM
» tod's pour homme from tod's pour homme
Excellent fit and experience [Read More]
Tracked on June 29, 2013 10:09 AM
» Cheap Jerseys from Cheap Jerseys
mMCctS Tramadol [Read More]
Tracked on June 30, 2013 12:57 PM
» forex robots from forex robots
forex trading robots http://www.forextradingtrust.com/forex-robots/automated-trading-robots.html [Read More]
Tracked on July 5, 2013 04:22 AM
» oakley sunglasses outlet from oakley sunglasses outlet
-Canada border, serving about 8,000 trucks each day, Snyder said.At least 78 people killed across the country Wednesday, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. iHip has already confirmed that products will range from $25 to $60 and... [Read More]
Tracked on July 11, 2013 09:57 PM
» ray ban sunglasses from ray ban sunglasses
Ray Ban Folding And forever grasp of market developments organizations, the best way to make their particular goods occupy sun shades marketplace, huge brands with low rates can... [Read More]
Tracked on July 12, 2013 08:13 PM
» Spring valley Raspberry Ketones Dietary supplement reviews from Spring valley Raspberry Ketones Dietary supplement reviews
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on September 9, 2013 08:04 PM
» UGG Australia from UGG Australia
Desire Achieve You Diverse Intuition [Read More]
Tracked on September 10, 2013 05:01 PM
» sleep aids from sleep aids
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on September 10, 2013 11:12 PM
» topman coupons printable 2013 from topman coupons printable 2013
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on October 8, 2013 07:49 PM
» investigate this site from investigate this site
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on January 1, 2014 10:26 PM
» investigate this site from investigate this site
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on January 1, 2014 10:28 PM
» moringa planta medicinal from moringa planta medicinal
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on January 2, 2014 06:39 PM
» moringa planta medicinal from moringa planta medicinal
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on January 2, 2014 06:42 PM
» lululemon outlet from lululemon outlet
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on February 19, 2014 11:26 PM
» smart detox from smart detox
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on March 8, 2014 03:21 PM
» The Kidney Disease Solution from The Kidney Disease Solution
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on March 30, 2014 09:08 PM
» ativan from ativan
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on April 21, 2014 05:47 AM
» morrissey tickets 2014 tour from morrissey tickets 2014 tour
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on May 2, 2014 11:49 AM
» cheap air max from cheap air max
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on May 6, 2014 12:01 AM
» Free Batman Games from Free Batman Games
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on May 11, 2014 04:09 PM
» Fake Oakley Direct from Fake Oakley Direct
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on August 22, 2014 08:28 PM
» Oakley Fives Squared from Oakley Fives Squared
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on September 3, 2014 08:32 PM
» m88 from m88
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on October 3, 2014 12:04 PM
» Michael Kors Fulton Python Wallet from Michael Kors Fulton Python Wallet
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on October 6, 2014 08:57 AM
» cheap ugg boots pay with paypal from cheap ugg boots pay with paypal
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on October 25, 2014 08:59 PM
» ugg outlet from ugg outlet
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on December 14, 2014 07:30 PM
» Coach cheap from Coach cheap
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on December 21, 2014 03:20 AM
» cheap peyton dream michael kors wallets for women from cheap peyton dream michael kors wallets for women
First of the Month [Read More]
Tracked on February 18, 2015 02:33 PM