Author Archives: Waves and Water Sangha

Good afternoon dear friends

It is March and the earth is offering green shoots of flowers, bird song and sunshine. We are offering the earth our joy and our pain. We remember: “The Earth is always patient and open-hearted. She is waiting for you. She has been waiting for you for the last trillion lifetimes. She can wait for any length of time. She knows you will come back to her one day. Fresh and green, she will welcome you exactly like the first time,because love never says, “This is the last time”; because Earth is a loving mother. She will never stop waiting for you.” (from Earth Touching by Thich Nhat Hanh https://plumvillage.org/poems/)

Last Sunday we joined with North Shore Mindfulness and Vancouver Mindfulness Practice Community to discuss the new book: Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. In March, we will continue to explore deep ecology as offered by Thich Nhat Hanh. We will begin this evening by reciting an Ecosattva version of the Five Mindfulness Trainings.

There is also deep sorrow and suffering around the world. We hold Ukraine fiercely in our hearts. Brother Phap Huu, Abbot of Upper Hamlet in Plum Village has written about his conversation with Thay at the root temple in Hue. This reminds us that we can always talk with Thay – and anyone else we hold in our heart. They need not be present in bodily form. Also included below is a poem written March 4 from a Christian practitioner.

I would like to let you know that I will be taking a sabbatical from Sangha for the rest of March. I look forward to practicing with you again in April. Resting in sunshine, Bethan

Brother Phap Huu – Abbot Upper Hamlet, Plum Village
I came to Thay’s altar in the Deep Listening Hut at the root temple in Hue and shared with Thay about the war that has manifested. I told Thay that the suffering can be heard, felt and seen. Our hearts are all aching.

I can hear Thay inside of me telling me: wherever there is darkness, light is also there. If there is despair, hope can be found. Where there is turbulence, awaken the calm inside by the practice of deep mindful breathing and touch the nectar of compassion in our heart. Compassion is the energy to embrace the pain and sorrow. Do not give in to darkness.

When I walk I have been using this phrase Thay has transmitted to us: breathing in: Peace in oneself, breathing out: peace in the World.

Thay knows what war is and the suffering that comes with it. Thay went through two wars and faced the beast of war: hatred, discrimination, violence, greed, anger, and death. This suffering taught Thay the preciousness of life.

Be the peace you want to see. Speak the voice that needs to be heard. Help the helpless. See the seed of awakening even within the “enemy” because the Buddha has taught us that everyone has Buddha nature; we can reach across chasms to recognize our interbeing and to see that we are all suffering.

By practicing like this you will not be a victim of the feelings and thoughts that come with the reality we are facing. Take care of your tender heart and be mindful of how much you are consuming with your senses during this time.

I touch the earth to Thay and pray for Peace. Even if no one hears my prayer, in my heart there is hope for a path forward, a path of peace, healing, and trust.

If there is darkness – Light is also there.

A PRAYER
Unclear if author is Laura Bachynski or John Rodel

I can’t make the world be peaceful
I can’t stall tanks from roaring down roads
I can’t prevent children from having to hide in bunkers
I can’t convince the news to stop turning war into a video game
I can’t silence the sound of bombs tearing neighborhoods apart
I can’t turn a guided missile into a bouquet of flowers
I can’t make a warmonger have an ounce of empathy
I can’t convince ambassadors to quit playing truth or dare
I can’t deflect a sniper’s bullet from turning a wife into a widow
I can’t stave off a country being reduced to ash and rubble

I can’t do any of that
the only thing I can do
is love the next person I encounter
without any conditions or strings
to love my neighbor
so fearlessly that
it starts a ripple
that stretches from
one horizon to the next

I can’t force peace on the world
but I can become a force of peace in the world
because sometimes all it takes
is a single lit candle in the darkness
to start a movement

“Lord, make me a candle
of comfort in this world
let me burn with peace”

Dear friends –

On Sunday, February 27, three Vancouver Sanghas will gather for a panel presentation and both small and larger group discussion of Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. This book presents an edited compilation of Thay’s teachings on deep ecology, with most wonderful commentaries by Sister Hien Nghiem (True Dedication)

The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81134301915
(Passcode: 649338)

(NOTE, this is NOT the recurring Waves and Water Sangha link.)

Our gathering is co-hosted by the Mindfulness Practice Community of Vancouver, North Shore Mindfulness, and Waves and Water Sangha. The Zoom room will open at 6:20 (link below) and after a Welcome at 6:30 we will begin a joint period of silent meditation. There will be a second Zoom room opening at 6:55. If you have not attended the meditation, you may enter then. Please enter with your audio off and video on! We have a chance to practice mindfully until we move to the panel presentations at 7:00.

Three Sangha members will offer 8-minute presentations highlighting their personal insights from the three sections of the book. There will then be small break out rooms for Dharma discussion based on these presentations – or your experience of the book – followed by a full group discussion of insights presented in the break-out rooms. There will be a short period of meditation before the closing of our gathering.

It would be wonderful if you have a chance to read the book in advance – but please do not let that stop you from attending. We look forward to practicing with you soon.

Dear friends

As we move toward the middle of February we can see so many signs of spring! Bright green shoots pushing up from the dirt and plump buds on trees. The cool nights follow warmer days – even sunshine from time to time. Breathing in, we can see there is nothing we can do to hurry up or delay seasonal change. Breathing out, no matter our inner turmoil in the midst of outer turmoil, the days will get longer, the temperature will rise, the quality of the rain will change. What does it mean to accept that change is inevitable? What does it mean to surrender to the cycle of life?

In February we have already recited the Five Mindfulness Trainings. Tomorrow we will discuss the use of Practice Songs in our tradition. We will have a chance to listen to – and practice The Song of the Rising Tide and Watering Seeds of Joy. We can also share which of the many practice songs are our favourites.

On February 27, during our regular Sangha gathering, three Vancouver Sanghas will gather for a panel discussion as well as question and answer and small group discussion of Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. This book presents an edited compilation of Thay’s teachings on deep ecology, with commentaries by Sister Hien Nghiem. As mentioned in earlier blogposts, it would be wonderful if you have a chance to read the book in advance – but do not let that stop you from attending! Co-hosted by: Mindfulness Practice Community of Vancouver, North Shore Mindfulness, and Waves and Water Sangha we will start as usual with a 6:30 joint sitting, followed at 7:00 by the program for the evening.

We continue to water honouring and remembering our beloved teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. The Ceremonies for the 49^th Day following death will be held across the world and you may want to watch for streaming events. A very useful “bookmark” for your internet is the live blog from Plum Village https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/thich-nhat-hanhs-health/ (As an example of inevitable change we can see the title of this link refers to Thay’s health.) This site guides us to many events such as the formal Ashes Ceremony to bring back Thay’s ashes from the Cremation Park to T? Hi?u Temple that took place Sunday, January 30th.

Sangha members have also noted an episode of On Being with Krista Tippett from NPR: Remembering Thich Nhat Hanh, Brother Thay https://onbeing.org/series/podcast/ If you missed the eulogy for Thay offered by Sr True Dedication on behalf of the monastic sangha you may want to watch it as part of an Upper Hamlet Plum Village Intimate Tribute with Music, Poetry + Readings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mINKCPWpgds

May all beings be well – Bethan

Good morning dear friends –

A momentous funeral procession (cortège), with chanting, drums, bells, flowers, and parasols as Thay’s casket makes the final journey to the cremation grounds (in Vietnamese, with English commentary).

The ceremony will take place at:
15:00 – Friday 28 (US PT / California, USA)

It appears that the time for our beloved teacher’s funeral ceremony is somewhat fluid! As you see above, the earlier information that it would be 4:00 has changed to 3:00 p.m. PST The youtube site (below) suggests 2:00 p.m. That may be the time that live streaming starts….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHYCibNJV2E

Please remember that you can watch these Ceremonies after they are broadcast live by going to the same online site. You may also want to check out the Deer Park Monastery site for their online streaming for the Ceremony.

Good morning dear friends

In gratitude again to all Sangha members who attended our Sunday Sangha to offer and to receive the words of Br Phap Ung, Susu, Thay, Louise, Sr Annabel, Alda, and the many present who spoke so deeply about their experiences with our beloved teacher and the monastic community. The on-line links of the talks and texts of the Guided Meditation, Contemplation and Song are included at the end of this blogpost.

We are looking for a Sangha member to help us with updating our website. It would also be helpful to have a 1 hour/week dana offering to continue updating resources based on our Sangha gatherings. Anyone with WordPress experience can contact Bethan through wwsangha@gmail.com.

This Sunday, January 30, we will continue offering our practice to Thay. We will also discuss some of the changes coming to our regular Sunday Sangha gatherings. These will include guided movement meditation after our first sitting meditation and offering tea meditation two by two in silence after our second sitting. We will also discuss outdoor walking meditation and safe social gathering during half-Days of Mindfulness. These changes arise from our earlier Survey results.

This Friday at 4:00 we can join Thay’s funeral ceremony from Tu Hieu Temple in Hue VN. Those of us who are still working at that hour may be able to get time off for the funeral.

There will also be ceremony from Deer Park Monastery from 3:30-5:00 live.

NOTE: Information on-line concerning dates and times can be confusing because of the time zone difference. If you go to the YouTube link it will most often tell you how many days/hours until the event is happening live.

We can also access past Ceremonies and monastic practice occurring this week.
For example, the Great Bell, Chanting and Silent Sitting from Deer Park:

For example, the Thich Nhat Hanh Memorial “Novice Ordination” from Day 4: Five novices (four monks and one nun) were ordained into the Plum Village monastic community today as we celebrate Thay’s continuation and legacy. Watch the novices receive the ten novice precepts, their monastic names and the ceremony where their hair is shaved.

Offering gratitude for Thay Plum Village asks that we post our memories of hearing Thay’s teachings, attending his retreats, or simply how his teachings and writings have impacted your life. https://plumvillage.org/gratitude-for-thich-nhat-hanh/

Thay’s words for us:
“Tomorrow, I will continue to be.
But you will have to be very attentive to see me.
I will be a flower, or a leaf.
I will be in these forms and I will say hello to you.
If you are attentive enough, you will recognise me,
and you may greet me.
I will be very happy.”

RESOURCES FROM 2022 01 23 Sangha gathering

Br Phap Ung 3: A Sacred Moment
https://plumvillage.org/memorial/

Thich Nhat Hanh – What happens when we die?
The sound quality is not perfect – in the background we will hear translation

Sr Annabel – How to practice during the ceremonies
https://plumvillage.org/memorial/

Guided meditation for first period of sitting (Susu)

Breathing in, I’m aware of my in-breath.
Breathing out, I’m aware of my out-breath.
In-breath; out-breath

Breathing in, I become aware of my whole body.
Breathing out, I smile to the miracle of being alive in this moment.
Aware of body, smiling to life

Breathing in, I invite Thay to sit with my back.
Breathing out, I invite Thay to breathe with my lungs.
Thay enjoying the sitting; Thay enjoying the breathing

Breathing in, I’m aware of my sadness.
Breathing out, I smile to my sadness with compassion.
Embracing sadness, smiling with compassion

Breathing in, I’m aware of my gratitude for Thay’s teaching.
Breathing out, I smile to my joy.
Feeling grateful, smiling

Breathing in, I’m aware of our sangha breathing together around the world.
Breathing out, I take refuge in the sangha, breathing together around the world.
Sangha breathing together; taking refuge in the sangha

The Contemplation of No Coming, No Going (Louise)

This body is not me.
I am not limited by this body.

I am life without boundaries.
I have never been born,
and I have never died.

Look at the ocean and the sky filled with stars,
manifestations from my wondrous true mind.

Since before time, I have been free.
Birth and death are only doors through which we pass,
sacred thresholds on our journey.

Birth and death are a game of hide-and-seek.
So laugh with me,
hold my hand,
let us say good-bye,
say good-bye, to meet again soon.

We meet today.
We will meet again tomorrow.
We will meet at the source every moment.
We meet each other in all forms of life.

No coming no going (practice song) Alda
No coming, no going
No after, no before
I hold you close to me
I release you to be free
I am in you and you are in me

Please subscribe to The Raft for ongoing information and resources.: https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/the-raft

Dear friends – This will be our last blog post for today.

There is significant information arising from the news of our beloved teacher’s passing. You may want to check with the Deer Park Monastery website for events in our time zone over the next several days

There will be a Ceremony streamed live from from Deer Park on youTube this evening at 7:00 pm PST

Right now, Deer Park Monastics are live streaming the sounding of the Great Bell

There is a comprehensive obituary posted on Tricycle
https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/thich-nhat-hanh-dies/

And we may remember that Thay would not want us searching searching for news but rather nourishing our peaceful heart in stillness and silence.

Dear spiritual friends

We have received word that Thich Nhat Hanh, our beloved teacher, passed away peacefully at Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam, at 00:00hrs on 22nd January, 2022, at the age of 95. We are invited to take a few moments to be still, to come back to our mindful breathing, as we together hold Thay in our hearts in peace and loving gratitude for all he has offered the world.

In Sangha this Sunday we will sit and walk and read aloud from Thay’s writings on no death. We will also chant to support ourselves and the international Plum Village Sangha. There will be an opportunity for small group discussion.

We will dedicate our practice to all those suffering the loss of loved ones – please recite with an open heart Thay’s Contemplation on No Coming, No Going (below)

With a tender heart, Bethan

The Contemplation on No Coming No Going

This body is not me.
I am not limited by this body.
I am life without boundaries.
I have never been born,
and I have never died.

Look at the ocean and the sky filled with stars,
manifestations from my wondrous true mind.

Since before time, I have been free.
Birth and death are only doors through which we pass,
sacred thresholds on our journey.

Birth and death are a game of hide-and-seek.

So laugh with me,
hold my hand,
let us say good-bye,
say good-bye, to meet again soon.

We meet today.
We will meet again tomorrow.
We will meet at the source every moment.
We meet each other in all forms of life.

Here we are – 2022. There is still snow on the ground where I am – and I am so fortunate to have had the pure joy of a puppy and her first snow! A bit of a mess indoors as the snowballs on her coat begin to melt. But what is the mess compared to the joy? Messes can be cleaned up (certainly this one). Joy can be  hard to come by in this third year of the pandemic.

For me, this year is going to be about focusing less on the mess and more on the joy…. What can I do to touch the deepest desires of my heart – the place where I am still and quiet and clear – where I allow the fewest perceptions and feelings and concepts to distract me from my Buddha nature. As we have been practicing over the last months, nourishing our selves and others requires that we pay attention to our edible food, our sense contacts (and cravings), our acknowledged volition/ intentions/ deepest desires, and mind consciousness.

When my mind moves to mess, my intention is to let my heart bring me back to joy!

We will begin the new year of Waves and Water Sangha practice this evening with the Ceremony to Recite the Five Mindfulness Trainings. Throughout the rest of the month Caretaking Council members will offer teachings in the second hour that will support our capacity to nourish happiness through our everyday actions.

We have an announcement below followed by links to resources used in December.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2022   THREE SANGHA ZOOM

A CELEBRATION co-hosted by the Mindfulness Practice Community of Vancouver, North Shore Mindfulness and Waves and Water Sangha: Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet, based on Thay’s Earth teachings and including wonderful commentary throughout by Sister True Dedication as well as an afterword by Sister Chan Khong.

On this Sunday we will meet as usual at 6:30 for sitting meditation. Members of the other Sanghas will be there as well. At 7:00 there will either be a presentation by a Plum Village Monastic or a panel of senior practitioners. This will be followed by a question and answer period and small group discussions.

If possible, please read the book in advance! And if you intend to attend it would be great to let us know so we can have some numbers to help us with the details. You can e-mail wwsangha@gmail.com to indicate your interest. Closer to the date, we may ask for pre-registration and provide the Zoom link.

BEGINNING ANEW

Susu gathered these resources to build on her presentation in December:

Beginning Anew with Oneself Dharma Talk (Sr. Dang Nghiem ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b6I5aAU3as

Mindfulness Bell Article (Sr Annabel) https://www.mindfulnessbell.org/archive/2016/03/beginning-anew-3

How to begin anew article with a short instructional video (Plum Village) https://plumvillage.org/articles/begin-anew/

Beginning Anew: Four Steps to Restoring Communication Book (Sr Chan Khong) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/545838/beginning-anew-by-sister-chan-khong-introduction-by-thich-nhat-hanh/

May we be well, Bethan

Dear friends –

Two weeks ago we sent a blogpost concerning a survey developed by the Caretaking Council members of Waves and Water Sangha. Thank you to those who have responded. Even though this is a busy time of year for so many, please breathe in and breathe out – then offer us the 10 minutes it will take to complete this survey.

Your response is completely anonymous. Already, we can see how it will help us move forward with our practice in the next year. In gratitude, here is the link:  https://survey.sogosurvey.com/r/btGHsn

We look forward to practicing together again on January 2nd.

Dear friends –

The Caretaking Council members of Waves and Water Sangha have developed a survey to help support our practice over the next year. Please consider practicing the generosity of completing this survey.

Because we are using the free version of SoGoSurvey, the space to respond to individual questions is very limited (100 characters). PLEASE consider sending an e-mail to wwsangha@gmail.com to expand on your comments. In gratitude, here is the link:

https://survey.sogosurvey.com/r/btGHsn