No One Is Left Behind: Remembering Buddhist Teacher, Robert Thurman
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“The secret of life is not to be afraid and not to be ashamed. The secret is to understand that happiness comes from caring about others.” — Robert Thurman
The great Buddhist teacher, Robert Thurman, passed away on June 16, 2026. Throughout his life, he connected different worlds. He introduced many Western readers to Tibetan Buddhism and its deep spiritual traditions. When I heard him speak, I noticed the joy he brought. He saw wisdom as an adventure, never a burden.1
He often spoke about the Bodhisattva. A Bodhisattva is someone who dedicates their life to freeing all beings. In Mahayana Buddhism, the Bodhisattva stands at the edge of enlightenment. The journey is nearly over. Freedom from suffering is close. The gate stands open. And then comes the turn.
Instead of crossing over alone, the Bodhisattva looks back at the world, toward grief, violence, loneliness, fear, hunger, and confusion. At the edge of liberation, the Bodhisattva makes a vow.
One version reads: “However innumerable beings are, I vow to save them.”
Another says: “As long as space endures, as long as living beings remain, until then may I too remain to dispel the misery of the world.”
The first time I encountered that vow, it felt incomprehensible. The second time, it felt beautiful. The older I get, the more heartbreaking it becomes.2
This year, it has been hard not to feel the weight of the world. Each morning brings new stories: the threat by the US President of nuclear war with Iran3, more fighting in Ukraine, ongoing violence in Gaza, bombing in Lebanon, floods in some places, fires in others. Democratic institutions that once felt stable now seem fragile. A few people grow extremely wealthy while many struggle just to have food, shelter, and health.
Some days, it seems like people are quick to cause suffering but slow to learn from it.
Maybe that is why the Bodhisattva’s vow is so present for me now. I’m not suggesting any of us can save the world. We can’t. I also don’t believe compassion fixes everything. It doesn’t. Noticing suffering doesn’t make us virtuous. Often, it just makes us tired.
It’s easy to want to withdraw these days. I feel it too. Close the laptop. Turn off the news. Worry only about your own circle. Take care of your people. Guard your own peace.
Of course, there is wisdom in knowing our limits. No one can carry the whole world. But accepting our limits is not the same as leaving each other behind.
The Bodhisattva knows this difference. The vow isn’t really about saving everyone. It’s about choosing not to leave.
That’s why Robert Thurman spent so much of his life teaching this. He once said compassion isn’t a duty forced on us. It grows naturally when we see reality clearly. When we truly see, we realize our lives are connected. The illusion is that we are separate; the truth is that we are in relationship.
When one part of the body hurts, the whole body feels it. When a community is wounded, the pain spreads. When a nation chooses violence, the effects rarely stay within its borders.
The Bodhisattva doesn’t turn back because he is stronger than others. He turns back because there was never a separate self to save.
That’s the part of the story I’m still trying to understand. Maybe spiritual maturity isn’t about escaping the world’s suffering. Maybe it’s about learning to stay present with it without giving in to despair.
Maybe the goal isn’t to rise above. Maybe the goal is to walk alongside each other, to stand with each other, to grieve together, to care for one another, to keep showing up for one another.
We can’t fix everything, but we can ensure that no one gets left behind.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where are you feeling the temptation to withdraw from the suffering of the world?
What is the difference between honoring your limits and abandoning your responsibility to others?
Who in your life needs accompaniment right now more than advice, solutions, or answers?
A Prayer for the Day
Bodhisattva Prayer
Compassionate One, The suffering of the world is more than we can carry, yet it is impossible to ignore. When we are tempted to harden our hearts, keep them open. When we are tempted to turn away, help us remain present. When fear tells us to shrink our lives, expand our capacity for love. Give us the wisdom to know our limits, the courage to stay connected, and the grace to remember that no life stands alone. May we become companions to one another through grief and joy, through uncertainty and hope. And may no one be left behind. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
The Empty Chair
Place an empty chair across from you.
For a few moments, imagine someone whose suffering you have been unable to fix.
A friend facing illness.
A family member carrying grief.
Someone living in a war zone.
A person who is lonely.
A person you love who is struggling.
Resist the urge to imagine solutions or advice. Simply sit with them.
When you are ready, say aloud: “I cannot carry this for you. But I will not abandon you.”
Remain in silence for a few minutes.
The Bodhisattva’s vow is not a promise to rescue. It is a promise to remain present.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.
June 18, 24, 2026, 12:30pm ET - I will be joining Jackie Sussman on The Commons for a three-part series on practicing eidetics as a part of our “Reclaiming the Power of Imagination” series. Jackie, a psychotherapist, author, and leading expert in Eidetic Image Psychology, has spent over forty years helping leaders and individuals unlock creativity, uncover hidden strengths, and move through limiting patterns. During these sessions, she will lead a live Eidetic process shaped by mythic imagery, offering a direct experience of the work. REGISTER HERE.
June 23, 2026, 12:30-1:30pmET - Book Club in The Commons - FREE - We are reading our next book, The Glorians by Terry Tempest Williams. We will meet each Tuesday for 6 weeks. It’s such great fun. I hope you will be a part. All are welcome! RSVP HERE.
September 8, 2026, 7-9pm ET, ONLINE EVENT - I’ll be hosting a powerful online gathering on The Black Madonna: Sacred Wisdom for a World in Crisis with Matthew Fox, Alessandra Belloni, and Christena Cleveland. We will explore the Black Madonna as a symbol of resilience, liberation, sacred feminine wisdom, and healing in a fractured world through conversation, story, music, and spiritual reflection. If you feel drawn toward a deeper encounter with the Divine Feminine and the ancient traditions that continue to nourish movements for justice and wholeness, I hope you’ll join us. Learn more and REGISTER HERE.
October 18-21, 2026 - PREACH! 2026 Conference- I’ll be co-hosting PREACH in Minneapolis with Church Anew, a new gathering for preachers, storytellers, worship leaders, and spiritual communicators navigating what it means to speak with clarity, compassion, and courage in a changing world. If you’ve sensed that the preaching moment has changed and are longing for thoughtful community and renewed imagination for this work, I hope you’ll join us.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
June 18, 2026 - ONLINE TEACHING from 6-8pm ET - My dear friend and Buddhist teacher, Isa Gucciardi, is leading a teaching on Depth Hypnosis: Where Shamanism and Buddhism Converge where she will explore how Depth Hypnosis moves beyond the limitations of the conscious mind, guiding individuals into expanded states of awareness where deep healing and insight arise. You can read more here.
June 20, 2026 – ONLINE EVENT – Margaret Wheatley and Mary Daniels will lead a special three-hour online gathering titled Fierce Compassion: The Power of the Sacred Feminine. In a time marked by fragmentation, fear, and exhaustion, this program explores compassion not as passive kindness, but as a courageous force that protects life, tells the truth, and remains deeply rooted in love. Drawing from spiritual traditions, contemplative practice, and the imagery of fierce feminine wisdom figures such as Kali and Durga, they will reflect on what it means to stay human and spiritually grounded in difficult times. LEARN MORE + REGISTER.
June 22, 2026, 12pm ET - ONLINE WRITING GROUP - My dear friend, Meryl Marshall-Daniels, is leading a writing group open to all. This is a simple and spacious writing circle for people who want time to listen inwardly and put words on the page without overthinking, performing, or polishing. Meryl offers a prompt designed to invite reflection, imagination, and attunement to what is already alive within you. The practice honors writing as a way of listening, of letting images, memories, questions, and insights surface in their own time. Learn more here.
JULY 12, 2026, 8AM–8PM ET in NYC - My friend Monika Son is helping lead a powerful Buddhist-led, interfaith pilgrimage across New York City titled “Day of Remembering Our Interdependence.” Inspired by the Buddhist monks’ 2,300-mile Walk for Peace and grounded in the wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh, participants will gather for walking meditation, prayer, chanting, ceremony, and collective reflection across all five boroughs, including stops at the African Burial Ground and the Metropolitan Detention Center where ICE detainees are being held. The day will culminate in a joyful community gathering in Queens with music, poetry, movement, and food. Participants are welcome to join for the full pilgrimage or any portion of the day. LEARN MORE HERE.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
This is a nice summary of Robert Thurman’s life: https://www.lionsroar.com/robert-thurman-and-the-karmic-kingdom-of-buddhology/
Here is a lecture by Robert about the Bodhisattva if you wish to learn more:
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116743808155352167 - This is not the first time that Trump has suggested the US would be willing to use nuclear weapons against Iran. In meaningful ways, he is the antithesis of Thurman’s teaching, the unawakened one in it’s most adolescent and dangerous form.
I just wanted to say how moving I found this post. Choosing to remain is everything isn't it?
I think there's sometimes this feeling that we have to pick a side: this one or that one, fight/ resist/ protest vs give up/ turn away/ numb our feelings/ pretend it isn't happening, but of course, as with so many things, life is rarely binary. Choosing to remain is exactly as you describe it Cameron: a willingness to walk alongside one another and be present.
Loved this beautiful post. Thank you.
Thank you, Rev. Cameron. Yes, being present for another is a beautiful thing!