Touching the Earth
A Newsletter of Earth Holding Actions in the Plum Village Tradition
Dear Mother Earth, Father Sun,
Dear Thay, Dear Sangha,
“What a great fortune to have been born a human, to encounter the Dharma,
to be in harmony with others, and to water the Mind of Love in this beautiful garden of practice.” (Nourishing Happiness, Chanting from the Heart).
Walking down the mountain this morning the mist was still refreshing the valley of Deer Park. I allowed myself to be a manifestation of the Cosmos, an interbeing springing up from the Earth. It helped me feel very relaxed, present and connected with everything around me. In the back of my mind I heard the whispers of Manas (the sense of self) trying to find something to lure me back into separation. In every moment we can bring our awareness to what is going on inside and around, in order to choose the path of interbeing.
This newsletter you are receiving is a continuation of the Buddha and our teacher Thay's teaching and engagement. This spring a flower on the Earth Holding Tree blossomed as 25 participants came to our Theme Weekend on Earth Protection here at Deer Park Monastery. There was a clear intention to continue and this newsletter is one of the fruits. Our clear and aimless intention with this quarterly newsletter has three areas of content for increased stability in rocky times.
We want to offer concrete and applicable mindfulness practices for Earth Holders, so that we can continue to nourish ourselves through connecting with the Earth.
- We want to offer an opportunity for practitioners and Earth Holders in our Plum Village International Community to share about their practice and insights in order for us to develop our Sangha insight and skillful means.
- We want to offer local Sanghas and groups of friends to share their experience in coming together and engage as Earth Holders in their communities and the world.
Sisters Heather, Nomi and Joy are helping to put the newsletter together. We aspire for it to be the voice of our extended Earth Holder Sangha, so please offer your input and insights. To contact the newsletter team you can e-mail: newsletter@earthholdinghereandnow.org.
Brother Phap Ho
Born and raised in Sweden, Brother Phap Ho grew up in a family that conserved water and electricity. Reusing and recycling was already built into Swedish society.
Ordained as a novice in Plum Village in 2003 and have lived in Deer Park Monastery, CA since 2006.
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