Calling all Mindfulness Practitioners - January 16-22, 2017

Calling all Mindfulness Practitioners to
Go As A River
January 16-22, 2017
in support of
the Women’s March on Washington
(and New York, San Francisco, and elsewhere)

~ Meditation is no longer the work of individuals; meditation in our time should be a collective practice. Thich Nhat Hanh

Supported by the ARISE Sangha – Awakening through Race, Intersectionality, and Social Equity.*

Call to Practice

We invite all practitioners and Sanghas in the United States and beyond to dedicate their practice during the week of Monday, January 16th (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) to Sunday, January 22nd (the weekend following the inauguration) to cultivating understanding and compassion for ourselves and our country, and healing from the violence, hatred, and fear that has intensified during the past year’s election.  There is no true peace without justice and equity for all.

Begin by listening deeply within to develop clarity as to what you’re thinking, feeling, and perceiving in response to the events of the day.  Reflect on the first and second of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings:  We will train ourselves to look at everything with openness and the insight of interbeing in order to transform dogmatism and violence in ourselves and in the world…

And: Aware of the suffering created by attachment to views and wrong perceptions, we are determined to avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views…

Dedicate your walking meditation and sitting meditation practice to generating the energy of compassion and healing with each step and each breath you take.  Practice Deep Listening with yourself to with someone you don’t understand and bring Loving Speech into your conversations (see the 4th MT below). Read Thay’s “Calming the Fearful Mind: a Zen Response to Terrorism” and practice Dharma Sharing on the topics raised. These teachings are remarkably relevant today. Practice Touching the Earth (below). Listen to and meditate upon Alone Again, the song created from Thay’s poem Recommendation.  Be creative and make up a new practice.  Talk to your friends to share what supports you.  See a full list of resources below.

Call to Action

Join members of the Thich Nhat Hanh Sangha and other traditions from across the country as we march together in peace for justice for all at the Women’s March on Washington. People of all genders are invited. We will practice Marching Meditation to hold love for each other as a Beloved Community committed to justice for the disenfranchised as so many of our ancestors have done before. Sangha members will also participate in marching meditation in New York City, San Francisco and other sister cities.

Click here for the Sangha facebook page organizing housing and events in Washington DC (including sitting meditation, Dharma Sharing, Deep Listening and more) to turn the march into a true Day of Mindfulness.  See the full description of the march and other links below.

This call to practice and to action is supported by the ARISE Sangha – Awakening through Race, Intersectionality, and Social Equity.*

*ARISE-Who We Are

What is the Women’s March on Washington?

Click here for the full posting

Call for Interfaith Day of Prayer in support of
Standing Rock Water Protectors - December 4th

 

Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the 19th Generation Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle, has called on all faith traditions and persons of spiritual practice to join him in a Day of Prayer at the Standing Rock Camp in North Dakota.  This Day is dedicated in support of all those Water Protectors at the Camp, and around the world, who are working to protect the Sacred.  Thirty faith traditions, including several Plum Village practitioners have committed to be there.  Those who cannot travel to the Camp are asked to pray and fast on December 4th in solidarity. 
 

Read the full invitation from the Earth Holder Sangha here

How To Support This Call to Action

Numerous opportunities exist to support those at the Sacred Stones Camp, including dana donations, and other physical support needsespecially with winter coming in.  You can learn more also about the situation, and how to help by signing the Buddhist Statement of Support for the Standing Rock Action, jointly created by the Earth Holder Sangha and the One Earth Sangha. 

 

" We, the Original Caretakers of Mother Earth, have no choice but to follow and uphold the Original Instructions, which sustains the continuity of Life. We recognize our umbilical connection to Mother Earth and understand that she is the source of life, not a resource to be exploited. We speak on behalf of all Creation today, to communicate an urgent message that man has gone too far, placing us in the state of survival. Not heeding warnings from both Nature and the People of the Earth keeps us on the path of self-destruction. These self-destructive activities and development continue to cause the deterioration and destruction of sacred places and sacred waters that are vital for Life."   Chief Arvol Looking Horse.

 

World Premiere of The 5 Powers in New York City

THE 5 POWERS tells the story of 3 Superheroes of Peace who use the 5 Powers to change the course of history and inspire millions around the world, planting seeds of peace in the deep mud of war. 

The 5 Powers Movie, narrated by TV star Orlando Jones, follows the interconnected lives of Alfred Hassler, an American anti-war hero, Vietnamese peace activist Sister Chan Khong and our respected teacher, Venerable Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, whom Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967.

Please click here for more details.