Monday, April 27, we will meet online.
Dear friends,
This week, we will meet Monday evening, April 27, from 7-8:30PM ET online; Wednesday morning, April 29, from 7-8AM ET in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, May 1, 12-1PM ET online.
On Monday, our evening meditation will be facilitated by Camille. Camille shares:
Community has always been important to me as it has given me a sense of belonging, support, and purpose, especially in moments when I have needed it most. Coming from a large family, I have always been drawn to communities, whether that means starting new communities or joining existing communities. My work community, volunteer community, and neighborhood community are a big part of my life. All have helped shape my values, helped me grow, and made challenges easier to face.
Being part of my sangha community has included all of that and has given me a greater sense of being understood. It reminds me that I am not navigating things alone. I feel lifted up like I truly matter. I am not just receiving in sangha, but I can show up for others as well. There is space for us to show up for each other. We inter-are, as our teacher Thay would say. Being in sangha has been about contributing, listening, and building something together that supports all of us. I value this space where folks show up with compassion and kindness.
Being in community with nature is another way to experience interbeing. Bringing our compassion, kindness, and care to the community of the Earth in and around us is something our teacher Thay talks about often. We are in the Earth, and the Earth is in us. We rely on what we receive and what we can give. Thay offers, “Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees we cannot make paper.” Thay shares that if we look deeply, we can see ourselves in a sheet of paper, and we see that everything around us is in that sheet of paper. Everything is there–the earth, the rain, the minerals in the soil, the sunshine, the clouds, the lakes and rivers, the mountains, etc. Everything coexists together. We inter-are with the earth.
I think about the sunshine and rain and how we cannot grow our trees, plants, and flowers without them. I think about that as I water and grow my tomatoes, carrots, and greens and how those vegetables sustain life in my family and all families around the world. In Peace Is Every Step, Thay shares, “I think the word inter-be should be in the dictionary. ‘To be’ is to inter-be. We cannot just be by ourselves alone. We have to inter-be with every other thing. This sheet of paper is, because everything else is.”
I invite you to reflect on how community and the insight of interbeing can support us all. I look forward to being with you on Monday night online. Being together with one another and the earth is a beautiful thing.
With much love,
Camille