This Monday June 19, we will meet in person
Go to calendar for our schedule
Address for the OHMC meditation space:
3812 Northampton St. NW
Washington DC 20015
Please arrive a few minutes early so we can invite the bell on time. You may also arrive 15 minutes early to practice working meditation by helping us set up cushions.
Dear friends,
This Monday evening, June 19, we will meet in person at our meditation space at 3812 Northampton St NW DC 20015 from 7-8:30 PM. Camille will facilitate the evening.
If you are following along with the summer reading book (Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet by Thich Nhat Hanh) this week we are reading pages 79 to 92. You do not have to read the book to join our Monday evening meditations or conversations.
A paragraph from this week's reading:
"In our time of globalization, harmony will be impossible without some kind of shared values or global ethic. The "Five Mindfulness Trainings" are five short paragraphs that express a Buddhist contribution to a global spirituality and ethic. They propose a spiritual practice that can bring about true happiness and true love, protect life, restore communication, and bring about the healing of the planet and of every one of us on Earth. They are a way out of this difficult situation in the world. The insights of no-self and interbeing are a firm foundation from which you can change your life and behavior. From these insights, right action - for your own well-being and the wellbeing of our planet - will naturally flow. Following the path of the Five Mindfulness Trainings, you can already set off on the path of transformation and healing and you can become a bodhisattva, helping to protect the beauties of diverse cultures and helping to save the planet."
As we begin Part 2 of the Book: "True Love Heals - The Action Dimension: A New Way of Living", I am struck by the way Thich Nhật Hanh (Thay) shares the Mindfulness Trainings. The trainings resonate with me as we approach Juneteenth, the newest Federal holiday commemorating the moment the last slaves learned about the end of slavery in the United States. It is an important and much deserved holiday and remembering such a horrific time in our history also brings me sadness. And with that sadness I am reminded that our world continues to suffer.
The Mindfulness Trainings help me to come back to my practice and find ways to bring more happiness, compassion, love, understanding, and healing to all of us and to our planet.
I often wonder if I am doing enough to make a change in the world. Both Thay and Sister True Dedication write about right action in this part of the book.
I can sometimes spend all day planning, scheming and doing charitable work, but find that when I strive to do more I can lose myself along the way. I often calculate how much I have accomplished in a day (sometimes losing sleep, not eating well, or not communicating well to loved ones) and then pat myself on the back thinking I have made a difference.
Thay says "action should be based on the foundation of being. If you don't have enough peace, understanding, and tolerance, or if you are burdened by anger and anxiety, your action will have little value. And so the quality of action depends on the quality of being. There are those who don't seem to be doing very much, but their presence is very crucial for the well-being of the world. And there are others who keep trying to do things but, the more we do, the more troubled society becomes because the foundation of our being is not good enough. Sometimes you don't do anything, but you do a lot. And sometimes you do a lot, but you don't do anything; it doesn't help."
During my meditation this morning my mind started to wander a bit - what did I need to do today for my family? What chores had I not accomplished the day before? As I recognized my wandering brain and habit energy to worry and plan, I took a few nice long breaths. I realized that my first action needed to be to myself. I needed to relax, find ease, offer care to myself and not act. As Thay puts it "acting the non-acting action."
After a bit I really settled into a place of peace and rest. This doesn't always happen during my meditation, but when it does it feels great. I feel a sense of renewal and happiness when I act out of that place and I know I can bring true healing and compassion to myself and others.
I look forward to being with you on Monday night and sharing what reflections you might have on the book or on your practice in daily life.
with love,
Camille