By Mike McMahon Several years ago, following my divorce, my daughter Annie and I moved into a rundown house in one of Omaha's older neighborhoods. I was broken emotionally, financially, and spiritually—and deeply depressed. The condition of the house seemed to match my own. Even so, like a wounded animal that crawls into a cave,…
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From Irritation to Appreciation
By Jaime Robeck River; photo by Jaime Robeck It is a lovely spring evening. The meditation hall is silent as each practitioner makes the last adjustments to their cushion or chair. In this quiet moment, the birds make their debut. Their sweet voices enter the building and rise to fill…
Dharma Talk: The Practice of Prayer
What is prayer? To whom should we pray? Does prayer bring results? Thich Nhat Hanh A five-year-old boy who loved playing with his pet mouse was deeply wounded when his mouse tunneled deep into the earth and didn’t come back, but the mouse never returned. Later, when he was a…
Dharma Talk: Everyone Can and Will Become a Buddha
Excerpt from Lotus Sutra book, by Thich Nhat Hanh, recently published by Parallax Press. In Chapter Twenty of the Lotus Sutra we are introduced to a beautiful bodhisattva called Sadaparibhuta, “Never Disparaging.” The name of this bodhisattva can also be translated as “Never Despising.” This bodhisattva never disparages living beings,…
Sangha Building at the California Events
By Caleb Cushing Our Sangha has often thought about participating in a special project that would reflect our care and understanding. I'd silently wondered who would come forth first and commit. To my surprise, it was the Sangha as a whole. As we practiced together, our stability, joy, and gratitude grew, and so did our…
Be Mindful in Daily Life
Photo by Renee Burgard Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present, and at one with those around you and with…
A Sacred Wound
By Barbara Casey One Valentine's Day I was able to deeply touch the pain of not feeling included. It was a warm, blue sky February day and I was extraordinarily happy to be with my beloved. I think it was because I was feeling so happy and safe that when a small interaction touched in me…
The Three Dharma Seals
By Sister Annabel Laity (Chan Duc, True Virtue) photo courtesy of monastic Sangha Sister Annabel Laity offered this Dharma talk at the 21-Day Retreat: VulturePeak Gathering on June 20, 2016, in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village. Respected Thay, dear Sangha, Tomorrow some of us will have to go home from the…
Letters
Many thanks for a wonderful newsletter which has given me so many precious gems of thought and being. With each issue I am challenged and uplifted. Patricia WilliamsSanta Rosa, California I'm reading For a Future To Be Possible and am, as usual, deeply moved by Thay's understanding of human life, current Western life, and…
Crumbling the Walls of Separation
In Israel and Palestine, where I lived from December 2018 to...