Creating Enlightened Society

“On the altar in my hermitage in France are images of Buddha and Jesus, and every time I light incense, I touch both of them as my spiritual ancestors. I can do this because of contact with (Martin Luther King, Jr., Thomas Merton & others) these real Christians.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh, from Living Buddha, Living Christ

I experienced a burst of inspiration attending the Creating Enlightened Society conference sponsored by Shambhala. Being amongst exotic religious symbols and those who practice with them felt a little uncomfortable at times, but I acknowledged the feeling, while also acting on feelings of curiosity and safety. Here are passages from a few of the teachers.

relic survival

Sakyong Miphan Rinpoche

warm place to sit ~d nelson

Chade-Meng Tan

symbol eyes ~d nelson

basic goodness ~d nelson

bay sails ~d nelson

honesty placed on the aspiration tree

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the head of Shambhala, a global network of contemplative communities, grounded in the power of creating enlightened society in everyday life and the inherent goodness of humanity. “To create enlightened society requires being where light meets darkness, where love meets fear. To be with where we are as a global community, cultivating inner development, aware of its impact on society. Go beyond personal and spiritual borders. Gratitude for our lineage; someone else has experienced this and we are a continuation.” “Are we brave enough to invite differing opinions, beliefs, emotions, and accept them, even if we don’t like them? Can we move out of ‘I’ towards the ‘we’?”

Chade-Meng Tan is a Google pioneer, an award-winning engineer, a New York Times bestselling author, and corporate meditation trainer. “It’s all about letting go. Using skillfulness in the effort. Consider sleeping, which is also a process of letting go, we cannot force it. Meditation, like sleep, requires that we create conditions which allow it to happen naturally.” Meng has set creating world peace in his lifetime as an aspiration. This informs his actions of training engineers and managers at Google and other corporations to experience meditation’s benefits of peace and insight. “Sit for at least one breath a day. Create some momentum. Over time, meditators will dominate corporations because wisdom and compassion create greatness.”

Rev. angel Kyodo williams is a maverick spiritual teacher, founder of Center for Transformative Change and an author. “We can get lost in this big idea of creating an enlightened society and get stuck, thus not fulfill our fruition. Get in touch with our own hearts and ground our heart’s yearning. Can we explore ourselves and be vulnerable with others; expose our heart, create a collective aspiration, create dharma communities that express the universal truth of our basic human goodness?” “We must take steps together, offering our physical presence.”

Throughout the conference, during presentations and breaks, I felt a sense of ease and acceptance with those liked minded, and those with other perspectives. Stepping outside to enjoy the brisk, wet winds off the SF bay offered sudden alertness to senses. I will carry with me a continued practice of manifesting thoughts and feelings of belonging, over separateness. I’m interested in knowing what has inspired you lately. And how to continue moving towards an enlightened society.

More info about the event and speakers at http://www.creatingsociety.com/ . Below is a short inspiring clip from angel Kyodo williams.

Getting Up on the Bright Side of the Bed

beautiful Tortoise on the bright side ~d nelson

Slowly I rolled over and got up on the bright side of the bed this afternoon, well actually, the massage table. So wonderfully relaxed in this body. While the humble Chinese man’s experienced hands found and worked acupressure points, I followed the in and out breaths with a smile. Breathing in, feeling pressure along the shoulder-blade. Breathing out, letting go of tension there. “Such a joy”, said my body, in its unspoken language. And what could be better, asks the mind. Perhaps soaking in really hot water, it replies.

Meditation generally keeps my thoughts and feelings at ease. Stretching and yoga releases physical tightness. But having help to work out the kinks, undo the knots, flush out the lactic acid is quite a luxury. I’m feeling grateful for the conditions that allow for such a healing offering to the body at an affordable price. It can also be a beautiful gift to the one next to you.

foot massage

foot massage 2

sf peaks

nap along the way

shining while you sleep

When getting off the table I remembered a song I wrote back in 2000 to celebrate coming out of a painful and dark period. I was fortunate to record it with some Hopi School 4th graders. And it became a modest hit on KUYI Hopi radio, in part due to the Hopi translation of the chorus. I recall the translation is getting up facing the direction of light. Years later a music video of the Bright Side of the Bed featuring the original recording was produced and can be seen below with some beautiful young sisters from Amsterdam. May you get up on the bright side of the bed every morning. It is easy getting up on the bright side of the massage table.

Hey, wait a minute Mr. Postman, here’s my love letter!

When we come into contact with the other person, our thoughts and actions should express our mind of compassion, even if that person says and does things that are not easy to accept. 

We practice in this way until we see clearly that our love is not contingent upon the other person being lovable. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Ukiah post office for sale

I’m grateful for love letters received. Memories of finding a friendly looking envelope in the mailbox addressed to me. Sometimes with cute drawings. More than once heavily scented. Sweet words of love hand scripted from the beloved’s heart. And I’ve written letters of love, myself. Humbly trying to express deep feelings of connection and gratitude. Thank you for being in my life at this time. Writing it down. Licking the envelope. Putting a stamp on it and mailing it. Then being as patient as possible before it arrives. A sweet secret, then surprise. Hoping it gives the right impression. Tenderly watering seeds of happiness and compassion.

Is this offering of one to another become too old-fashioned? I suppose it’s easier to send a text or e-mail. Perhaps there are tweet love letters, less than 124 characters each. Maybe some send love letters on Facebook. I’m told its possible to send out love letters to all or your thousands of Facebook friends at once. If that is happening I hope people are not reading them while driving.

Berkeley post office protest

It’s sad to think that someday soon it may not be possible to send a real love letter, that’s if post office’s keep getting closed. A service citizens have received throughout this country’s history. It’s nice to hand deliver a card, but sometimes the beloved is far away and our love letter must be mailed. They say it will all be privatized. All for profit.  I feel solidarity with those who are trying to save post offices despite the trend to close them. Here is a story about the failed effort to keep the old post office open in Ukiah.

Friends in Berkeley offer a familiar tune with new words to try to save their historical building from the auction block.

May we all give and receive all the love letters needed for happiness and well-being.

berkeley-times PO

Your Gentle Reminder

matchbox altar D

If we want to enter Heaven
on Earth, we need only
one conscious step
and one conscious breath. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Make a simple, personal reminder
of our sacred existence
of this sweet, short life
of the web of life’s interconnection of all things.

On the surface
these matchbook mini-altars
appear as cut and paste
magazine and ribbon
arts and crafts.

But as a reminder of who we really are
they become powerful tools of transformation.

Try it with friends!
Place it where it most needs to be seen.

gentle reminder

matchbox altar A

matchbox altar b

matchbox altar c

crafts 1

matchbox altar inside

matchbox altar outside

crafts 2

crafts 3

The World We Are!

Everyday is earth day for native-dancer ~d nelson

The bells of mindfulness are calling out to us,

trying to wake us up to look deeply

at our impact on the planet. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

The Earth Day SF festival was an informative & enjoyable bell of mindfulness to wake up and consider sustainable alternatives to consumption, to live simply and healthfully. I mingled with crowds of other earthlings who seemed happy to enjoy the warm spring weather as they strolled among the booths of recycled jewelry, solar power vendors and organic T-shirts, plus many organic and vegan food options. Enjoyed a group meditative period, then freely swaying with the music of Lis Addison and her circle of song and dance honoring body, mind, spirit, voice and the wisdom of mother earth. Good music filled the afternoon space.

The emphasis of this SF festival was on do-it-yourself projects and teaching people how to bring sustainable practices into their homes, or at least give more thought to living a little greener. Solar panels powered all the booths and sound at the festival.

The first Earth Day was organized by Gaylord Nelson, a former U.S. senator from Wisconsin, in 1970 as a way to bring environmental protection onto the national political agenda. The first Earth Day was a teach-in modeled after the anti-Vietnam War protests. An estimated 20 million people participated. It’s expected that more than a billion people in 192 countries to take part in 2013 earth day celebrations.

Earth Verse by Gary Snyder

Wide enough to keep you looking

Open enough to keep you moving

Dry enough to keep you honest

Prickly enough to make you tough

Green enough to go on living

Old enough to give you dreams

colorful water bottles

touching heart

good things to munch

in front of city hall

learn & sign

tuning up bikes

if you’re going to San Francisco…

what is earth & earthlings fate?

now hiring

group stretch

earth friendly hoops fun

Your house can run on…

earth heart song by Lis

making adobe bricks by foot

colors of earth’s heart

sacred holding

Living an environmentally conscious lifestyle may seem like a daunting task, but there are simple actions you can take on Earth Day and beyond to become more Earth-friendly.

• Carry a reusable water bottle | According to the Dopper Foundation, 6,000 single-use plastic water bottles are thrown away every four seconds in the U.S., and only roughly 20 percent are recycled. Carrying a personal water bottle that you can fill up with tap water can cut down on waste and save you money.

• Unplug electronics after you’re done with them | Many of your electronics and appliances, like microwaves, televisions and cell phone chargers draw power from the plug even when you are not using them. According to the Stanford University School of Earth Sciences, you can cut down on this so-called “vampire power” by simply unplugging devices when they are not in use, or buying a smart power strip that will do this for you.

• Replace old incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescents | The EPA’s ENERGY STAR program, which identifies power-saving products in the marketplace, says that replacing just one incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent will save $40 in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb. Compact fluorescents use about 75 percent less energy, produce 75 percent less heat and last at least six times as long as standard bulbs.

• Bike to school, the grocery or work | According to BikesBelong.org, for every one mile on a bike instead of in a car, you can save one pound of CO2.

• Plant a tree | Planting a tree can help lessen pollution and provide shade to help reduce urban “heat islands” that are harmful to human health. Over the course of a year, a single tree can absorb about 48 pounds of carbon, making them some of the cheapest and most effective means of reducing CO2, according to the Arbor Environmental Alliance.

I’m certain you are considering further harmonious and sustainable actions such as a “no car day” weekly or installing solar panels. Click here for a useful earth peace treaty commitment sheet with dozens of personal action ideas. Thich Nhat Hanh, in accord with other spiritual leaders and scientists, emphasizes how acceptance of problems is that first critical step toward a deeper understanding of the best way to care for our Earth.

Getting to Know Ourselves as One

green eyed zen cat on a mat, no shoes or cushion ~d nelson

True peace is always possible. Yet it requires strength and practice, particularly in times of great difficulty. To some, peace and nonviolence are synonymous with passivity and weakness. In truth, practicing peace and nonviolence is far from passive. To practice peace, to make peace alive in us, is to actively cultivate understanding, love, and compassion, even in the face of misperception and conflict. Practicing peace, especially in times of war, requires courage. Thich Nhat Hanh, from “Creating True Peace”

At this moment I’m wishing for healing and ease for those torn apart in Boston. When I was there a month ago attending a mindfulness in education conference, people offered me so much kindness and support; alleviating my lostness, helping me feel welcome. Sending them loving-kindness from the heart. May we all feel safe to live our lives free of anger and fear, and know true peace. A chant for feeling safe with each other, I feel safe with you here.

Over the weekend fellow members of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Northern California core lay community came together to cultivate true peace, harmony and understanding; for their personal benefit, and the benefit of all. Happiness, sadness, relaxation and insight, experienced with brotherhood and sisterhood in the supportive environment of Sonoma Mountain Zen Center. I’ll let the images and this insight poem that doesn’t rhyme reveal more.

NCal OI & Aspirants smile with trees ~d nelson

I presume every other cat knows Zen
even without a zendo.
Dwelling peacefully in the present moment
as natural as this purr;
a chanting from my heart,
with lightness, humor and sincerity.

Ahh, the sun is warm here on the grass
and here on the welcome mat.
Stressful emotion?
Meeoowww, stretched, it’s gone.
Was that a silly thought that just passed?
Probably not, but
the opposite could be true.

With clear mind, beholding
dimensions of time and space.
Seeing and being fully seen, heard, smelled, touched.
Getting to know you and all about you.

Nearly overwhelming with connection
to all perceived;
deer, raven, frog, hawk, lizard
call and response of hoot owls,
sun, wind, rain,

the small rodents, insects, reptiles and birds
to prey upon.
Otherwise food placed, just so,
at the right time
in my bowl.
In gratitude to the universe
for this food
and litter box.

Diligent humans hope to one day
experience this cat’s nirvana.
Feeling peaceful harmony within
and without my fur
97% of the time.

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Written as exultation of N. California Community of Mindful Living’s Order of Interbeing retreat at Sonoma Mt. Zen Center.

rake meditation at Suzuki Roshi memorial

thank you for the food

a few history books

standing like a tree in the morning

wisdom passed down

fresh and solid

 remembering Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Blooming for our buds

blooming-for-our-buds ~d nelson

Happy teachers will change the world ~Thich Nhat Hanh

I can imagine where I would be, perhaps where many of us would be, without good teachers -under a rock, trying to figure out how to get from underneath it and make a fire to warm up;-).

From visits to a thousand primary and secondary classrooms, I’m aware that teachers are diligently educating on academics, while also allocating a significant amount of time teaching and modeling social and ethical skills. My heart goes out to their courageous efforts. It’s now wonderful that over the past decade large numbers of teachers have integrated the tool of mindfulness into their personal lives and classrooms. Hundreds of scientific studies in healthcare and educational settings have shown the positive impact of mindfulness training on a number of mental and physical conditions. Teachers beautifully blooming for our buds.

The ancient tradition of mindfulness increasingly is now used in business, the military, education settings, as well as retreat centers, as a life skill. Younger and older students use mindfulness to feel happier, calmer and more fulfilled; to get along better with others; to help them concentrate and learn better; help them cope with stress and anxiety; and do better academically, as well as in sports and music.

In my post on the heart of education is a summary of this year’s Mindfulness in Education (MIEN) conference.  Clips of all 4 speakers and a panel discussion can now be viewed on the Mindfulness in Education site: http://www.mindfuled.org/conferences/2013-conference-videos/ .

Here’s one of the speakers, Sam Himelstein, a psychologist who teaches mindfulness to
incarcerated youth, describing the skillful means he employs in working with his clients.

 

blooming-for-the-buds ~d nelson

On a related note: I’m just finishing my obligation to file and pay taxes. Knowing that at least some of the money goes to education and other valuable endeavors that are of benefit, I do my duty and file honestly. My hope is for a future where more people will become mindful and abide collectively with just and ethical actions. That we can live more fearlessly, in harmony, and sustainably with each other and the environment. That tax revenues pay for beneficial goods and services that bring peace, and increase the likelihood that a future is possible for living beings. And, regarding taxes, that all pay their fair share, especially the wealthy and big corporations. As this Dutch documentary, The Tax Free Tour, clearly shows, not all pay their fair share.  Every school child exposed to mindfulness would know that it is not right for some to always be on a tax holiday.