Monday, August 11, we will meet in person.
Go to calendar for our schedule
Address for 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 week, we will meet Monday evening, August 11, from 7-8:30PM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, August 13, from 7-8AM EDT online; and Friday, August 15, from 12-1PM EDT in person / online (hybrid).
Camille will facilitate this Monday. Camille shares:
We will continue our summer reading of the book The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay). This week, if you are able, we invite you to read Chapter Nine: Sparking a Collective Awakening (pages 159-175).
In Chapter 9 Thay shares that we need to cultivate our spiritual powers in ourselves first, in order to help others, particularly those who may find their power is more concerned with money and fame than service to others. In short, by taking care of our suffering, we can help with the suffering of others. From my personal experience, I often feel powerless and that I can’t do much to change a difficult situation. I sometimes feel like I am only watering negative seeds and not the good seeds. However, when I practice deeply and request help from others, I find the support and faith I need to move through a situation. Thay talks about moving through and not around difficult situations, and encourages us that “the way out is in.” I believe that collective awakening means working together through difficult times, first in ourselves and then in and with the greater community. Perhaps then we may move skillfully together in encouraging our political leaders to water their positive seeds.
Below are a few paragraphs from The Art of Power that resonated with me about how we can work together to heal and take care of our planet Earth. Thay shares a conversation that he has with Nature, which I find especially helpful:
“People sometimes ask me how our species can reconcile with planet Earth after all the harm we have caused. We can reconcile with Mother Earth by practicing walking meditation. On every step we can kiss the earth with our feet, with love, with the promise that we will stop our current course of destroying Mother Earth. If we continue abusing the earth this way, there is no doubt that our civilization will be destroyed. This turnaround takes enlightenment, awakening. The Buddha attained individual awakening. Now we need a collective enlightenment to stop this course of destruction. Civilization is going to end if we continue to drown in the competition for power, fame, sex, and profit.
“One day during meditation, I was contemplating global warming, the tsunami in Southeast Asia, weather changes and so on. With some anguish, I asked Nature this question: ‘Nature, do you think we can rely on you?’ I asked the question because I know that Nature is intelligent, she knows how to react, sometimes violently, to reestablish balance. And I heard the answer in the form of another question: ‘Can I rely on you?’ The question was being put back to me: Can Nature rely on humans? And after long, deep breathing, I said, ‘Yes, you can mostly rely on me.’ And then I heard Nature’s answer, ‘Yes, you can also mostly rely on me.’ That was a very deep conversation I had with Nature.
“This should not be a mere verbal declaration. It should be a deep commitment from everyone, so that nature can respond in kind. With collective insight we can reconcile with and heal our planet. Each of us can do something in our own daily lives to contribute, to ensure that a future is possible for the next generation.”
Martin Luther King Jr. worked similarly to Thay, promoting the idea of collective awakening. Through collaborative action and collective impact, MLK and the rest of the Big Six (prominent leaders of the Civil Rights movement), and many others, worked to enable the first generation of black people to be born with full rights as American citizens. We have learned from the life long actions and teachings of Thay and MLK that our collective awakening can grow, resulting in better understanding and improved conditions for all people, ensuring we live in a safe and healthy environment.
In the video A Collective Awakening, Thay shares that for awakening, we don’t need more power or the need to run after objects we crave; we just need to come back to the present moment in happiness. He says that “collective awakening means we need many Buddhas,” and the path of those many Buddhas can bring real happiness. Thay says, “It is the only path that can transform the world.”
On Monday night, when we meet in person, we will share sitting and walking meditation, singing, and welcoming one another. We might like to discuss how collective awakening shows up in our daily lives and while working in community together. We might also discuss any part of our practice or daily life that you would like to share.
I look forward to seeing and hearing from you.
With much love and gratitude in being in community with you,
Camille
This is a quote I like from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: “Everyone has the power for greatness, not for fame but greatness, because greatness is determined by service.”