According to California of Professional Conduct Rule 2-400, Prohibited Discriminatory Conduct in a Law Practice, elimination of discrimination is important to the practice of law in California.
On April 21, 2006, Mary Mocine, a Zen priest who practiced law for 18 years and now leads a dharma group for lawyers, spoke on elimination of bias at a retreat for lawyers held at Spirit Rock, in Woodacre, CA.
To eliminate bias, not only legal discrimination, such as discrimination based on race or sex, but all types of separation, one needs to identify one's own judgments against others. In order to let go of judgments, one needs to pay attention to them when they arise. Ask questions to investigate why there is judgment. Often one's experience is based on habits, and one does not notice problems. Discrimination may be oppressed, not openly or honestly acknowledged.
In order to let go of judgment, one must first be aware of it. Separation from other people is costly because everyone is connected. Pay attention to the mind in order to see patterms of judgment. Soon one realizes thoughts of judgment, resentment, anger, fear. One also realizes that the person being judged may at times be him/herself.
However, when these thoughts arise, one must not criticize him/herself for having judgments. Rather, just be aware of judgments.
In letting go of criticisms, the self becomes lighter, less burdened such that when a mistake does occur, the mistake can be owned. If criticisms are too heavy, mistakes may appear too big and difficult to admit since admitting them might be labeling him/herself as evil.
Once aware of judgments, one can begin to develop new habits that are less reactive and more responsive to the elimination of the harm that results from bias.
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