Engaged Dharma

November 2025

MIM Statement on what is happening in Palestine & Israel

What is happening in Palestine and Israel is an ongoing human disaster of distressing proportion. Since October 2023 alone, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, scores of civilians have been maimed, and families, homes and communities have been destroyed. The horrors that have and are happening, cannot be easily reduced to these few sentences.

This has fuelled feelings of anger, enmity, aggression, agitation, powerlessness and fear globally and in the communities MIM serves in Victoria.

We offer this position from the centre of our beings:

  • Turning toward the extreme suffering disproportionately experienced by civilian Palestinian people, MIM decries the military violence they have experienced.
  • MIM calls for an end to the relentless and indiscriminate violence against all civilians.
  • MIM is committed to an end to violence, an end to suffering everywhere, and to peace abroad and within our local community.

In alignment with our values, drawn from the Buddhadharma, we feel we are each called on to:

  • support one another to make wise choices about right action
  • take whatever right action we can on the path to peace, for ourselves and others, and
  • ensure our actions are always consistent with bringing about the end of suffering for all

We encourage you to make your wise choice and take non-violent and constructive action to make your voice heard in the name of peace and an end to this suffering.

Some ways you could do this include: following and supporting Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), Jewish Council of Australia, Sacred Justice Coalition, participating in non-violent protest, contacting your local MPs, donating to organisations such as Olive Kids or Medicines San Frontiers.

You might also like to read and connect with:

  • Bhikkhu Bodhi, A Challenge to Buddhists, from Lion’s Roar: lionsroar.com
  • A Secular Buddhist Response to Gaza, by Sharon Tobias, on Secular Buddhist Network: secularbuddhistnetwork.org
  • Crips for ESims, a NFP organisation run by people with disabilities raising funds to get eSims to people in Gaza, so they can stay connected to families, and emergency services etc. in the face of internet infrastructure collapse cripsforesimsforgaza.org
  • An Amnesty International ‘toolkit’ on actions one can take: amnesty.org.au/toolkit-gaza-genocide/ 

May Melbourne Insight Meditation be a community practice environment where all people, from diverse backgrounds, can be supported to inquire into the lessening of greed, aggression and delusion, within our own minds and within our collective. In the here and now and for the future.

May we grow a robust community where diverse and compassionate engaged action within our collective can arise. May we all be supported by the deeper resource practice offers to stop repetitive cycles of harm.

May all beings live in safety.
May all beings live in peace.
May all beings be protected.

October 2025

MIM Support for Treaty & Truth telling

MIM supports the First Peoples’ Assembly – an elected body representing First Peoples across Victoria – in negotiating a statewide Treaty with the Victorian government. We support a Treaty between First Peoples in Australia and the Government, as a chance to acknowledge past injustices and build a better, fairer future together. Treaty is a concrete way to honour ancestors and the continuing connection to Country, cultures, Lore and Law for First Peoples. To find out more go to firstpeoplesvic.org

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