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In the tradition of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh
When we give ourselves time and space to be present during the day, we enjoy the benefits right away. We don’t have to wait to get home, or for the weekend, or for the next summer vacation: a single breath has the power to lift a great weight from our hearts. It is like opening the door to find sunlight streaming in, the air fresh and full of life.
Sometimes we are so busy caring for children we find it difficult to take care of ourselves. At work and at home, our list of tasks might seem to grow faster than we make it shrink. Even in our friendships, the buzz of incoming messages demands immediate response, while the stream of news and entertainment grasps at our attention.
At the Sangha of the Falling Rain, we share simple practices that help us tame the day. We listen to the music of stillness together with the noise of life. It’s a happier soundtrack to a happier movie. Stopping a moment to breathe, or walking a bit more carefully, we cultivate a refuge in the midst of life’s changing winds and wandering clouds.
As Thích Nhất Hạnh says, “There is no enlightenment outside of daily life.” With practice, we learn to live more easily and mindfully in each moment of the day. Let the rain fall where it will, the seeds of happiness are everywhere, waiting to be watered.
With any endeavor, it is helpful to be accompanied by others who share similar aspirations and commitment. Their presence and their insight, their unique experiences of happiness and of sorrows, are your strength when you are tired. They challenge you to grow out of your small view of the world, to see things through the eyes of Interbeing.
What connects us all is our deep aspiration to live an awakened life in peace and harmony with ourselves and with others; our desire to heal the wounds that lie buried within our bodies and minds; and by our commitment to serve society.
Alone we are vulnerable, but with brothers and sisters to work with, we can support each other. We cannot go to the ocean as a drop of water — we would evaporate before reaching our destination. But if we become a river, if we go as a Sangha, we are sure to arrive at the ocean…
“Seeing the Tree in the Drop of Water”: quotes by Thầy