Dear Thay, dear Sangha,
This happy photo shows some of the sisters and brothers who bring the Mindfulness Bell to life. Last October at Deer Park Monastery, we enjoyed mindful sitting, walking, and eating, deep relaxation, and shining light on individual and collective aspirations for the magazine. An outcome of our gathering is that the Mindfulness Bell Advisory Board is now called the Mindfulness Bell Care-Taking Council,
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Dear Thay, dear Sangha,
This happy photo shows some of the sisters and brothers who bring the Mindfulness Bell to life. Last October at Deer Park Monastery, we enjoyed mindful sitting, walking, and eating, deep relaxation, and shining light on individual and collective aspirations for the magazine. An outcome of our gathering is that the Mindfulness Bell Advisory Board is now called the Mindfulness Bell Care-Taking Council, reflecting the compassionate, dedicated care these advisors provide.
This year our community celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Order of Interbeing and the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings. (For a history, see orderofinterbeing.org.) In this issue, the Venerable Thich Phuoc Tinh beautifully sums up the essence of the Order: “If you read the trainings that Thay has offered, they all embody these two words, understanding and love.”
Here, we honor the anniversary by exploring facets of interbeing. Thich Nhat Hanh explains the concept in our new section for young people, where he responds to a child’s question, “Do you remember any of your past lives?” (Find the answer on p. 24!) We are happy to offer teachings for children—and the child in all of us—plus delightful insights from young people. To continue this offering, we invite kids and teens to send stories, poems, and artwork for future issues.
Several writers look deeply at our connection to animals and plants, and ask us to embrace all sentient beings. Annabelle Zinser says in her eloquent call to reverence for life, “Fears and feelings of insecurity or isolation lessen or dissolve when I succeed in having respectful, positive connections with other beings.” As more species and habitats become endangered, this kind of connecting is a vital way to grow our practice of interbeing and protect life on Mother Earth.
“We are in an environment that is very rare, very precious. Our planet Earth is really a Buddha Land, is really a Kingdom, is really a Pure Land,” says Thay in his talk—a potent teaching about the freedom obtained only when we stop searching and live happily in the here and now. Awake to this moment, we can experience this world as a heavenly place and realize our interconnectedness and our continuation. Thay encourages us to tell ourselves, “I am lucky because I had the opportunity to receive the teaching and I have put the teaching into practice, for me and for the generations to come, because I know I will continue through future generations.”
With love and gratitude,
Natascha Bruckner
True Ocean of Jewels
