Thanksgiving in Bhutan: Happiness, Deathlessness & Hope

Thanksgiving in Bhutan: Happiness, Deathlessness & Hope

 

Thanksgiving morning in Thimphu I awoke to the news of the violence Mumbai. Just hours before the terrorist attacks took place I was speaking with Bhutanese youth from radio station Kuzoo about how the world crises we face present us with an opportunity to move towards a new consciousness where we are more connected and teachers have a crucial role to play and must be filled with optimism. The magnitude and scale of the attacks in Mumbai is shocking and it makes my heart ache but I have to remind myself that the best thing about impermanence is that it gives me hope that things can be better. When I go to school tomorrow morning and see my students for the first time since the attacks all I can do is tell them that the more misguided the more compassion we have to have—the terrorists are victims too and we must not lose faith in humanity and continue to have hope.

 

I traveled to Bhutan to give a presentation on Educational Practice at the Fourth Annual Gross National Happiness Conference. More than thirty years ago, the Fourth King, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuk, felt that his country’s success should be evaluated by the degree to which its citizens are happy. Essentially, gross national happiness (GNH) is more important than gross national product (GNP). The four “pillars” of GNH include: environmental conservation, socio-economic development, preservation and promotion of cultural heritage and good governance.

 

I would be lying if I said that Gross National Happiness is alive and kicking in Bhutan but I would also be lying if I said it was just a catch phrase to attract foreign tourists. The truth is most Bhutanese are unfamiliar with GNH even though it is grounded in Buddhist philosophy and Bhutanese culture. Some of the researchers at the Center for Bhutan Studies (the organizers of the conference) told me that even though many Bhutanese are unfamiliar with GNH it doesn’t matter because the majority of them live the values embedded in GNH. Regardless, GNH as an actual policy hasn’t really been operationalized since the King first espoused the idea.

 

The first GNH conference was held in Bhutan in 2004 and it focused on the purpose and meaning of life. Since then, two additional conferences have been held, one in Canada and another in Thailand. Close to 80 researchers and presenters from more than 25 countries gathered in Thimphu for a multi-layered discourse centered on the theme of “Practice and Measurement” and translating GNH into real policy. The idea is that if you can’t measure it then it doesn’t exist so a bulk of the conference involved economists going over indicators and indexes to measure and account for well-being. But “happiness” and “well-being” are elusive, complex phenomena and it seemed that any attempt to quantify them would be imperfect. Still, a lot is being done in this field. In November of 2007 the European Council held “Beyond GDP” and Nicholas Sarkozy has commissioned Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz to measure “quality of life” and their report will come out in April of 2009. Last Spring, I read a book by Richard Layard, an economist and Professor at the London School of Economics entitled “Happiness as Science” and even though I can see how he isn’t well received in academic circles he has done a lot of work advising the UK government.

 

My contribution to the conference focused on GNH as practice. It is crucial to focus on measurement but I feel that one of the dangers in all of this quantification is that the actual practice can be lost. I shared how as a teacher, inspired by the values embedded in GNH, I attempted to practice them in the classroom through creating educational activities that promote GNH philosophy. In the education portion of the conference I was actually the only presenter that had ever taught in a K-12 classroom. It reminded me of my experience when I was interning at UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education last summer in Geneva. IBE basically advises countries on what to teach and how to teach yet none of the researchers had ever actually taught! I showed the films my students have made for “Project Happiness,” lesson plans I’ve crafted on how ethics relates to happiness and student work. Education is much more than imparting knowledge and skills and the values embedded in Gross National Happiness can promote an ethical, ecological outlook that has the potential to make our world a better place for all its inhabitants. The values of compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, harmony and social responsibility must be taught in schools and modeled by teachers and administration must make this a priority. Much to my surprise the presentation went better than I could have ever expected and it has rippled out in ways I never imagined and it seems like it will continue to ripple. I have so much more to learn and honestly have no idea of what I’m doing most of the time but for some reason mindful educational development consultants came to speak to me, Bhutanese youth interviewed me for their local radio station, and educators from all over the world want to start dialoging on how we can translate GNH into a classroom practice.  Personally, I think it has to start with training teachers. I don’t know where this all will lead but I’ve learned that it is best not to ask questions and just sit back and enjoy the ride. You just never know where life will take you!  

 

This fall, Bhutan celebrates 100 years of monarchy with the coronation of the fifth King. His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk is exactly 12 days older than me. The foreign delegates to the conference were invited to a lunch at the Royal Banquet Hall given by the King. Each one of us was formally presented to the King and then we all sat down to lunch. Maybe it was because I was wearing a bright orange Indian outfit but much to my surprise (and everyone else’s envy) the King sat in the seat right next to me! I have to admit I was nervous at first but he was so gracious and spoke to me at great length about education in Bhutan. He said that it was very important for teachers to give individualized attention and know that each child is different. I asked him how Bhutan can modernize its educational system without compromising local wisdom. I also asked him about the conflict I see with Western educational models that stress the individual and how this directly conflicts with the Buddhist teaching of no-self which is an issue for Bhutan’s majority Buddhist population. He didn’t have a clear answer to my questions and said that education is very important and that these are critical questions that the Bhutanese government had to address. Initially, curriculum was imported from India just to get something out there and thankfully the government is currently in the process of revamping curriculum. The King spent one year at Wheaton College in Massachusetts but they asked him to leave because he didn’t perform well academically. He also spent a year at Oxford but he has no formal degree. But he doesn’t need a degree, he needs to learn how to be King and it seems as if his people love him—I’ve never seen anything like it! When I asked him if he saw himself as a global promoter of GNH he told me that he just wants to travel around his country and really get to know his people and he doesn’t see himself traveling abroad much in the next few years. During my short time in Bhutan I experienced the deep love most Bhutanese citizens have for both their King and their country. I have a Bhutanese student in New Delhi and he always tells me that he cannot wait to return to Bhutan. Many Bhutanese I spoke with that spent time studying outside of Bhutan told me how much they missed their country when they were away.

 

Last Spring, this tiny Himalayan nation with a population of about 650,000 became the world’s youngest democracy. The current King’s father who was also universally loved by most of his people decreed the drafting of a constitution and the creation of a democracy. In the past decade the fourth King began stepping back from decision making positions and in November of 2001 commanded the drafting of a Constitution. The construction of the constitution was absolutely fascinating! Constitutions of other countries were studied by the Constitution Drafting Committee and His Majesty the King discussed the draft with a representative of every Bhutanese family in this country the size of Switzerland. Still, many academics feel that Bhutan is only a democracy in name and there is a Nepali minority that doesn’t seem to have much of a voice along with non-Buddhists.  Even so, I spoke with a few Nepali-Bhutanese that are from the southern part of the country and all of them still shared in their love for Bhutan. Bhutan is a complex place and in my week here I’ve only scratched the surface. 

 

Exactly two weeks before I came to Bhutan I attended dharma teachings with Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche (the Bhutanese Lama, writer and film maker responsible for “The Cup” and “Travelers and Magicians”). When the teachings ended I told him I was traveling to Bhutan for the GNH conference and he shared his skepticism about GNH with me. In Bhutan I had the chance to speak with Sonam Kinga, a member of the National Council and the actor who plays the monk in “Travelers and Magicians” and he shared some of Khyentse Norbu’s sentiments. I met a young Bhutanese woman whose teacher is Khyentse Norbu and she told me that he wanted the Center for Bhutan Studies which is headed by a very sharp gentleman, Dasho Karma Ura, to organize a GNH conference just for monks. I think this would be an excellent idea because the monks could really play more of an engaged role in society, the type of role my beloved teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, advocates. An Oxford trained Western economist that closely advises the Bhutanese government told me that there are plans to have monks work as school teachers and the monks are beginning to recognize the need to espouse human values that are not so Buddhist specific.

 

The Prime Minister, Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley, gave the keynote address at the conference and he posed some challenging questions in his opening remarks: “How does one go about persuading people to adopt a new ethical paradigm that rejects consumerism? Is it enough for us to know how to measure happiness and to hope that this will influence policy making? How do we as academics, thinkers, scientists, leaders and concerned citizens change our own way of life and behavior?” I don’t have any clear answers to the Prime Minister’s questions but I know that change can only occur when we begin asking the right questions and change must begin with ourselves. Clearly, the old way hasn’t served our society well—we are faced with numerous crisis (food, financial, fuel, environmental etc.) Next year’s conference will be in Southern Brazil, from November 5-9. The website www.grossnationalhappiness.com was launched in Bhutan during the conference. If I am able to attend it will be great to see all of my Brazilian friends! Between now and then I hope there will be more answers to some of the Prime Minister’s questions.

 

It is important not to romanticize GNH. Like any place Bhutan has many problems and in my week here I haven’t even begun to tackle the complexity of issues this country faces. Many rural Bhutanese want to move to Thimphu because materially speaking it is better off and this shows a complete absence of GNH. Annually, Thimphu residents earn an average of Nu. 320,000 (47 = about $1 USD) compared to Nu. 20,000 in Wangduephodrang.

 

In his closing address, the editor of Bhutan’s National Newspaper, Kuensel, Kinley Dorji said: “GNH must be radically reinterpreted as a responsibility. Gross National Happiness is not a promise of happiness. Happiness is an individual pursuit. GNH is a mandate of the state, a responsibility of the government, to create the right environment for our citizens to seek happiness…For Bhutan democracy is not the goal. It is a path to good governance which is a pillar of Gross National Happiness…but where do democracy and GNH meet? …For Bhutan, GNH must be the skillful means of survival.”  Discussing where democracy and GNH meet is a crucial conversation that needs to take place. There are talks about gathering the world’s top thinkers on this subject in the next year.

 

Both during and after the conference I was able to do some sight seeing and as usual tried to learn as much as I could. If I had the time and energy this email would be 100 pages long but I’m composing it on my flight home just so I don’t forget the essence of what I’ve experienced in the past week. Bhutan was first opened up to tourists in 1961 and its early history is steeped in Buddhist tradition. The country is known as “Druk Yul” which means “land of the thunder dragon,” to its inhabitants since the 13th century. The official language is Dzongkha which is similar to Tibetan (though they fought wars with the Tibetans in the past).  Not too far from the beautiful dzong (fort-monastery) where the lovely film “Little Buddha” was shot there is a path that leads to Tibet and takes only one day. The people call themselves Drukpa, and their religion is the Drukpa Kagyupa lineage of Mahayana Buddhism. 

 

I visited many dzongs (there are 2,007 in the country) including the famous Tiger’s Nest, also known as Taktshang, where Padma Sambhava is said to have flown to the site of the monastery on the back of a tigress. He then meditated in a cave there for three months. The dzong is perched on the side of a cliff, 900m above the Paro Valley. The original dzong was destroyed in a fire in 1998 and was rebuilt only a few years back. The climb up is breathtaking and I spent most of my time climbing to the dzong chanting the mantras for Padma Sambhava which I learned this summer from the nuns I taught English to in Ladakh. Well, the cave in which Padma Sambhava meditated is still in tact and luckily I was able to just sit and meditate there for quite some time and receive a blessed necklace which I am wearing right now with Padma Sambhava’s picture on it from one of the monks.

 

There is a small meditation hall I was able to sit in where one of his consorts, Yeshe Tsogyal, practiced. Speaking of female dharma practitioners I unfortunately was unable to make it to Bumthang where a spiritual institute, the Pema Choling Anam Shaydra, seeks to empower anims (nuns). I was pleasantly pleased with the confidence Bhutanese women seemed to exude. The Bhutanese women I spoke to told me there is no such thing as dowry in Bhutan, no arranged marriages and women were encouraged to be educated. While this is refreshing news, in a documentary on Bhutan entitled, “The Middle Path” Kuensel Editor, Kinley Dorji, said that in the past an attractive Bhutanese woman was one who was a good worker and a good mother but since television was introduced to Bhutanese society many young Bhutanese girls think they are fat and unattractive if they don’t look like the women on TV. (One of the popular cartoon characters in Bhutan is a young girl named Meena!) There was a lot of discussion about how TV has adversely affected society since it only came to Bhutan in 1999. The Fourth King has multiple wives and polygamy is still practiced in Bhutan. I asked a young woman about polygamy and she just laughed and said with a smile, “It’s no big deal and it just teaches you not to take life to seriously.” This is an attitude we could all learn from time to time!

 

I came to Bhutan with the Middle School Principal at the American Embassy School, Dr. Barbara Sirotin (Barb is amazing, she was a former Superintendent in a few districts in the US and former Principal at the International School in Bangkok) and the Coordinator of our Indian Studies Program, Sharon Lowen (Sharon is one of India’s most famous classical Indian dancers and those of you that live in Delhi see her in the social pages every week). Barbara, Sharon and I chaired the Peace & Activism Task Force I launched at the American Embassy School last year and they have been great supporters of my commitment to promote an ethical, ecological, humanistic approach to education and all of my crazy ideas. Sharon also brought her 92 year old mother with us who is just amazing. I now have a “Bubbie” (I think that means grandma in Yiddish) to add to my global, spiritual family! I really love spending time with dynamic elders because they have so much to teach me, are great role models and mentors and they pass on such great life advice. Some of my favorite advice from this trip included: “Don’t be afraid to jump without a parachute.” “Don’t be bitter because only you suffer.” “Don’t trade the now for security in the future.” I also met so many wonderful, incredibly interesting individuals at the conference I know I will continue to stay in touch with.

 

At 28, I was the youngest foreign presenter at the conference and as crazy as it sounds I’ve spent most of my time in Bhutan with my “Bubbie,” Sharon’s mother. At 92, Ethel Lowen just might be the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I’ve learned more from Ethel in the past eight days than I learned from anyone in my entire life and I can only hope to emulate her unique zest for life and love of learning as I age. My second day in Bhutan I actually found my first white hair and before meeting Ethel I may have pulled it out but instead I embraced it and combed it in front instead of hiding it behind the rest of my hair. In a lovely piece on “Dynamic Aging” she discusses what she learned about mindfulness from my beloved teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. Much of what she writes incorporates the attitude necessary in order to live the values of GNH.

 

Ethel writes: “My way has been awareness of the connectedness of the human race, shared understanding of the joy and brevity of our trip on the planet. I have followed this mantra:  to not harm anymore, to not harm the planet, to not allow oneself to be harmed. The sentient state of awareness I first learned in New Delhi, at IIC (the Indian International Centre), during a lecture in the garden by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. His simple lesson involved a huge basket of oranges brought in and distributed to the men and women in the group. The questioning began: How did these oranges get here?  Who planted their seeds? Who watered them? Who plucked them? How did they get to the city? Which hands passed them on and on till it reached our hands? How many journeys has this orange taken before it was peeled and eaten? How does a tiny seed grow and eventually fuse with our bodies and our histories? Throughout our lives we will eat many oranges. As a child we may experience the delight of the newness of its taste. We may not understand how it became an orange but we can enjoy it. As we grow into maturity, we can lose this awe and delight if we are not mindful of what we are doing. We must bring that orange back into focus again. And how do we shut out all of the noise of our daily lives while eating this orange? We hold it in our hands, and remember its history; focus on what connects us to the human experience of growing and eating oranges. We use this simple act of peeling and tasting a sweet slice of an orange, as a way of remembering that we are human. Like this orange, we are a part of a life cycle, and we pass through many hands and hearts to become who we are. And if we can do this with a simple orange, perhaps we can learn to do this in other areas of our lives, increasing the joy and peace obtained by the simple acts in life. And if we do this often enough, then the very last orange we eat in this life, will be the very sweetest, ripest, and will fill us with the greatest contentment as we pass pieces of it to the child sitting beside us, taking a first bite of life.”

 

Two months ago, at a retreat in Dehradun, my dear teacher (Thich Nhat Hanh) spoke in a very liberating way about “deathlessness”. He said: “I will never die. I see my continuation in my students, in my books, in the trees and in all of nature and humanity.” A few days after this retreat in Dehradun, he gave an inspiring talk at Gandhi Smriti on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. He spoke about how we must strive to see the continuation of Gandhi in each of us and notice his presence in all aspects of life. Doing this will inspire us and give us hope. I’m so very thankful for this time in Bhutan, it has been such a sacred gift because amidst all of the horrific violence that has occurred in Mumbai. I’ve been able to see the “continuation,” the “deathlessness” of Gandhi here and it gives me hope. GNH echoes much of what Gandhi stood for and even though they have a long way to go it seems as if the Bhutanese government is committed to a path that seems very much in line with Gandhian ideals.

 

Bhutan is a nation steeped in Tantric Buddhism. When I was visiting Tiger’s Nest I noticed on the altar that offerings of whisky and wine were made. I asked the monk why alcohol was being offered (even though having studied some Tantra I knew why) and he said that when alcohol is offered to a Bodhisattva a Bodhisattva can transform it into nectar. Tantra is all about transformation so it seems only fitting that this tiny Himalayan nation can inspire us with a philosophy to transform our own lives and as result transform the world.

 

Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings continuously remind me that there are always conditions of happiness even in times of great tragedy. In fact, in these times of despair people reach out for no reason. Seeing my Indian features many Bhutanese have reached out to me, giving their condolences for the atrocious violence that has occurred in my ancestral homeland.

 

No matter what we must have courageous spirits. Maybe I’m too idealistic (I guess that’s why I’m a school teacher) but I’m not going to stop believing that things can get better.  So, as we deal with India’s own 9/11 let us remember Gandhiji and his commitment to peace. May we look for his continuation in others but most importantly within ourselves. Like Bodhisattvas may we take the pain we feel about the bloodshed in Mumbai and transform it into compassion and do whatever we can to promote peace and happiness and partake in acts of kindness.

 

Tomorrow morning at 8:35 am New Delhi time we will hold a moment of silence for the victims in Mumbai. I will then lead my students through a compassion meditation. Please join in and share in our prayers.

 

On Tuesday evening, December 2nd, an embodiment of peace and Gandhian ideals, Satish Kumar, will be speaking at the American Embassy School at 7pm. He will also be meeting with High School students in the afternoon. If you need more information about this event just send me an email or call me at AES. Gene Harrell and I are organizing his visit.

 

In Peace and Love,

 

Meena

 

“If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.”- Thich Nhat Hanh

 

 

 

More Kahlil Gibran :)

Kahlil Gibran on Love 

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden. 

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth. 

Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God’s sacred feast. 

All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life’s heart. 

But if in your fear you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love. 

When you love you should not say, “God is in my heart,” but rather, “I am in the heart of God.”
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. 

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

Weekend Teachings…

This weekend I was fortunate enough to attend two lovely teachings. One given by Ven. Tenzin Chogky who I will be studying with at the Root Institute this December/January and the other by the Bhutanese Lama, Film Maker and writer, Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche. 

Ven. Tenzin Chogkyi is a lovely American Nun and her teachings on developing loving kindness were just wonderful. She spoke mostly about bodhichitta and the only reason to become a Buddha is to help all sentient beings. We worked on developing bodhichitta through meditation. Equalizing and exchanging the self and other was the method she focused on which consisted of putting yourself in the other person’s shoes and she also talked about the disadvantages of self cherishing and the advantages of cherishing others. 

What I really loved was when she talked about how the more misguided someone’s approach to happiness the more compassionate we should be. She also spoke of the Dalai Lama’s “Enlightened Self-Interest.” 

What I really gained from the talk was the advice she gave me about balancing compassion and wisdom and how we need to act with as much wisdom as we have in the moment. She recognizes times when her compassion has outstripped her wisdom and the need to practice. This is part of the reason why she went into a 6 1/2 year retreat. It was so nice to be with an American and I laughed so much when she talked about how some times us Americans mix Buddhism with the Protestant Work Ethic. 

Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche spent the evening teaching on one of Milarepa’s songs. I like his style. He’s kind of bad ass and I could see his appeal to many Westerners. He jokingly said that Bhutan was the Saudi Arabia of Buddhism. He talked about how hard it is to be a dharma practitioner. When one of my friend’s asked him to inspire us to practice deeper he said, “You need sadness in order to not put off your practice.” At that moment I started to cry because I realized what a gift the sadness I’m feeling now is.

Well, some of my favorite lines from his teaching were:

We suffer because we are afraid of being pointless. When you appreciate things that do not have a point then you become spiritual.

Life and Beauty have no logic. 

Milarepa’s path was an escape from reasoning. 

We are in constant delusion because we are always poking. If you look for the Buddha you will never find it. 

The Berlin Wall between our meditation and post meditation should collapse.

Review of Muniya’s Light

Philosopher’s soul

by Roopinder Singh

Muniya’s Light: A Narrative of Truth and Myth

by Ramchandra Gandhi.

Bose Sahib, the legendary teacher, philosopher, cricketer of St Stephen’s College, Delhi, often came to the college campus long after he had retired. He attended the Philo-Soc (Philosophy Society), meetings at the residence of his protégé, R. K. Gupta. Among those who dropped in at 3 pm on Friday afternoons at Dr Gupta’s residence were Ramchandra Gandhi, another of Bose Sahib’s students, Jeet Oberoi the sociologist; Ashok Vohra and Vijay Tankha, faculty members, and many students and some guests.

Every week was a different experience, as everyone held forth on various papers presented for discussion. With a brilliant mind and a diction that flowed seamlessly, even as the language shifted from English to Urdu via Sanskrit and Hindi, Ramu Gandhi was a treat, and you were loathe to admit that you did not fully comprehend the point he was making.

Muniya’ s Light reminds this reviewer of the Philo-Soc meetings. Ravi Srivastava is Ramu, and he is not. (The character in the book graduated from the institution “across the road”) and Bose Sahib’s presence is felt, as he appears more than once. The novel is a story of how a 58-year-old professor of philosophy is excited at meeting Ananya, daughter of a friend, a 22-year-old Indian graduate student in America, with whom he would be flying back to India, via London, on the first anniversary of 9/11.

Ravi has known Ananya since her infancy, and the novel explores the fascinating hold she had had over him since her childhood, only now, the feelings are not just avuncular. That Ananya has flunked a test that involves fundamental questions regarding Indian philosophy gives Ramu, Nay! Ravi, the stage to come forth with a discourse on varied aspects of the teachings of Advaita Vedanta as well as those of Jnaneshwar, Ramakrishna, Sri Aurobindo, Gandhi and, above all, Ramana Maharshi. Moral episodes from the Mahabharata are narrated brilliantly and given a contemporary relevance.

Ramu makes the girl child the focus of his work. To him, she is the “unexcellable portrait of Atman”. Babu loves Ananya, in not quite an avuncular way, now. However, he has also helped her evolve into a thinking individual and, thus, she shows her care and affection, while steering clear of his desire to possess her.

As this reviewer read the book, it did not evolve as a novel. The story is subsumed by the message it seeks to convey at various times, much like some grand stories and myths. The characters are not fleshed out, and descriptions are minimal, only much dialogue, where Ravi dominates the discourse, much as Ramu did during Philo-Soc meetings.

‘ is self, a variation of that form’

The following is excerpted from an interview with the author at his best known address— the India International Centre, Delhi.

How much of Ramu is in the protagonist?

When you are writing a book of the Advatian or the non-dualist point of view, you have to begin with yourself, because all is self, a variation of that form. So what looks autobiographical is merely a result of following that principle. Because you know yourself best, if you create a protagonist, you have to be with that protagonist, as if you are with somebody else, so that there is much in your life that is in the protagonist, and much that is not. I have not written the books that he has written; I wish I had.

How long did it take you to write the book and where did you write it?

It took me two years. I wrote it in cyber cafés in Delhi and Bangalore because I wanted to write in the real world, not sitting in the isolation of my own home. I would write for five–six hours, often I would not write for half an hour or so and they would come to me and ask “Machine kharab ho gai hai kya?” I would reply: “Machine kharab nahai hia, mera dimag kharab ho gaya hai.” So I would have great fun. I had done my earlier works by longhand, but I wanted to experiment.

Many of your characters just make a brief appearance?

I have followed the Sanskritic tradition of the Mahabharata, the Ramayana elsewhere, in which characters come, do something significant and go. They don’t come back again, unlike in the modern novel, where they keep coming back.

But your characters are not fleshed out, even the clothes they are wearing are not described?

Yes. This is true; after all, in the Mahabharata, Bhimas clothes are not described. The idea is to make the soul, the personality clearer, which is difficult if you concentrate on the clothes etc.

Does Ramu the philosopher dominate Ramu the storyteller?

I am a philosopher. Even if I am writing a novel, there has to be something philosophically different, new, if you like, which I should be able to unearth. Recurring all through the book is the argument that we are certain about our own existence. There can be no doubt about that, but in the objective world, in the world around, the only thing that matches it is that no one can doubt that we have all been children.

We don’t know what our birth is like, we don’t know death, but everyone remembers his childhood and associated with childhood is the feminine figure, a mother or a dai. We have forgotten the girl child as being the reflection of the Atman.

Who is your favourite character in the book?

Archana, Ravi Srivastava’s wife, is my favourite character. She really understands the loneliness of this man. She is caring. The first question she asks Muniya is: “What does Babu look like now?”

Thoughts on Ramu Mama…

Ramachandra Gandhi: Philosopher and Friend By U R Ananthamurthy – Posted on November 6th, 2008 I first came across Ramachandra Gandhi (Ramu Gandhi to me) at a restaurant in Oxford. I saw him (then, he must have been of age twenty six or twenty seven years) from a distance.  When my friend pointed at him saying, ‘Look! That’s him! Ramachandra Gandhi’, I stared at the man looking for any resemblance with Mahatma Gandhi’s ears. I showed that man to my little son also. Many years later, when I narrated this all this to him, he spoke about the sea of change that had occurred in his way of thinking since those days. His first book was published in those Oxford days, amidst his pure western thinking and had earned him considerable fame. Later, he rejected all that to become a true Indian seer. It was at Nehru Centre that a well known European philosopher was deliberating on our days and times. Just as the audience was recovering from the awe of the speaker’s eloquence of ideas, Ramu stood and sent quivers among the audience by pointing towards the relevance of Ramana maharshi and the state of consciousness the sage had attained, in order to properly understand our times. Embarrassment of the audience lured to western knowledge was palpable since they were being forced to welcome an Indian sage amidst them.   Ramu Gandhi was among my close friends. I would be all ears and mind to Ramu’s words as much as I was to my other friends like our Subbanna, Ashis Nandy or Shiv Vishwanathan. Despite the fact that we were close friends, there was respectable space between us. This was true of most of his friends. I would always find him at the India International Centre (IIC), the place where he died. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t talk to him each time I saw, as he would always be sitting in a corner in a state of deep meditation, with a glass of rum in front that wouldn’t get emptied for long. Some curious onlookers would introduce him to their friends; ‘This is Mahatma’s grandson’. Immensely embarrassed Ramu would then tell me: ‘These pranksters deliberately do so to imply that Mahatma’s grandson is a rum consumer’. Ramu’s problem was not just about having one famous grandfather; but two. His other grandfather, maternal one was none other than morally upright and shrewd Rajaji.     Ramu Gandhi was a jangama in the real sense of the word. He never attached himself to any specific job. After he returned from Oxford, he was appointed as professor of Philosophy at Hyderabad Central University, where he developed the Philosophy department to a level that is still recalled today by many of his peers. His department building was an old bungalow where Smt. Sarojini Naidu once lived. It was an old and beautiful structure with plenty of trees in its courtyard. The vice-chancellor of the university set his eyes on the tree, especially on one particular giant tree which was dear to late Sarojini Naidu. He decided to cut it. Ramu opposed it vehemently. Notwithstanding, the tree was felled and on the same day Ramu resigned and walked out of the university. After this incident, Ramu never stayed in any job for long time. He invested some amount on one small room in a house near Delhi’s Bengal market and lived there all alone. His daughter would visit him occasionally.  His room looked empty and dreary except for a photograph of Ramana maharshi with his stiff stick in hand pressing the floor, sitting on a boulder with crossed legs, almost naked, except for a small piece of cloth around his waist; more naked than Mahatma himself.  Ramu had presented another photograph he had of Ramana with merciful look in his eyes to my wife Esther just after she had recovered from cancer. Framed photograph was slightly heavy and Ramu was visibly embarrassed about it while presenting it to her.  That picture still adorns the wall of my house. Everyday, Ramu Gandhi would visit IIC to read and have his light meals. There was a joke among us, his friends: `Ramu Gandhi is a jangama, but with an attachment towards his room and IIC’. Probably he had chosen to stay in the central room of IIC to escape Delhi’s scorching heat and must have breathed his last in his sleep. Few months back I had invited him to Bangalore; an invitation he had accepted gladly, by replying ‘I would love to; but right now my health is not cooperating’. Ramu Gandhi had the habit of taking out his pen and scribbling his random thoughts on a small notebook. One could frequently see him strolling in Lodhi Gardens wearing one waist-coat upon another on his creased kurta, suddenly stopping between steps and scribbling in his notebook. I felt he resembled an ancient sage and sometimes even like Rishi Doorvasa. Let me recall an incident to illustrate what I mean: When a mosque in Ayodhya was demolished and nation was engulfed in fear and violence, Ramu Gandhi shared an idea with me. ‘Within next fifteen days, we will all stage a march from Parliament house to Birla house, place where Mahatma was killed. Therefore, from today onwards I will be renouncing rum. Convey this to all your friends, I will also do the same’. In spite of our best efforts we could gather only around twenty five people for the march. Ramu didn’t lose heart. Every good work starts with small bunch of people, was his view. One fine morning we all gathered at the place decided earlier. Ramu was our leader. He had chosen Tagore’s ‘Ekla cholo…’ for us to sing during the march. Initially, I found our small group of twenty five, seriously marching through the large Delhi crowds, bit embarrassing. I am not sure now, whether it was the strength of Tagore’s song or the tenderness on Ramu Gandhi’s face, we all were able to involve ourselves in the noble objective shedding our false dignity and walk in line with discipline. Although people around were laughing and mocking at us sometimes, singing intensely in unison we reached the place of Mahatma’s assassination and offered our prayers in silence. Some Tibetian monks later joined our meeting and offered their prayers in their own manner. Though Tibetian way of praying may sound strange to some of us, the very strangeness moved us nevertheless. We returned from the place after some of us spoke. (For Ramu Gandhi, the only other person to retain Gandhi’s commitment to nonviolence was Dalai Lama). Occasionally, Ramu would want to come out of his meditation to get active. He told me once, `Mahatma was perhaps the biggest tantrik. In Ramu’s opinion, right from spinning wheel to salt march and in the end walking bare foot through Noakhali with a stick in hand taller than him, scouring toilets, clearing rocks and thorns from the pathway, all such acts were techniques of a good tantrik to attain the desired. Looking at everything as symbols that are free from the `self’ and are meaningful signs of soul, was the way of Ramu’s thought process. Mahatma Gandhi carrying the stick that taller than him and walking through Noakhali indicated to Ramu, Mahatma’s urge to grow in stature higher than what he was then, by means of a stick that was useful in the uneven areas. Mahatma was his grandfather. But many times it would appear to me, Ramu had completely surrendered himself to maharshi Ramana. He would keep bringing evidences that bolstered advaitha philosophy that would sound convincing enough to us.  The book he wrote about Tayyab Mehta’s Shanti Niketan trilogy is a classic example to illustrate this. He wanted me to write the prologue for that book. Nobody else in the world has written such a book on art of painting. Book is a prolonged meditation, where the external painting meets the inner mind to become one, the advaitha. He was pleased with one particular remark I had made about the book. I had compared Ramu’s writing in that book to illuminating arati to the gods in temples. I had said that his writing in this book is like, starting to illuminate with only one lamp initially and then lighting many others, circulating them around the vigraha, occasionally pausing in between and slowly but gradually illuminating the whole sculpture and making it visible for us completely in arati’s light. Ramu Gandhi’s other brilliant book of course is Sita’s Kitchen. What sangh parivar looks at as Rama’s birthplace, Ramu shows us the same place to us as Sita’s kitchen.  No other book on Ayodhya incident has been written with such an immense Indian sensibility and consciousness. These last twenty years have been filled with plenty of confusions and conflicts for me in my mind. Ramu as my friend and philosophical teacher taught me how to win over hate, animosity and jealousy that we have witnessed in these years, not just by rejecting them with the aid of secular and materialist worldview, but also by rejecting them on the grounds of deep spirituality.   When I was living in Kerala, I had invited him to a conference. He came happily. Along with him, my other friend late Nirmal Varma and philosopher Daya Krishna were also there. So was Daya Krishna’s American wife clad in sari, kumkum on forehead and with her neatly combed hair, most of it she had lost owing to cancer. She expressed her desire to visit the famous temple of Guruvayur. Ramu took her to see the temple. But, Priests didn’t permit her inside the temple stating she is non-hindu. Ramu recalled his grandfather immediately and protested. He refused to enter the temple without her and returned with Rishi Durvasa like temper. Ramu had an in depth faith in Indian shastras, various religious sects within Hinduism, Vedas, Upanishads and myths, along with it the quality that was inherent among our ancestors of being `an argumentative opponent’. I also saw in him quite frequently, how the same person can also be vehemently angry about Hindus’ pettiness, casteism and communal arrogance. He had this desire to have a debate with an eminent Islamic scholar and win! That too about advaitha! Ramu would suddenly think of new ideas. For example he had told me once how he would catalogue the various philosophical books in the library he would construct. He said, ‘one section would contain books by only those who believe God has both form and essence; these are the books written mostly by vaishnavas, second section will contain books by only those who believe God has no form but only essence; these are the books mostly written by Muslims, Christians and Jews. The third section will contain books by only those who believe that God has neither form nor essence. These are the books by Buddhist philosophers and sages like maharshi Ramana’ to which I added, ‘books on vachanas of Allama’.   At that point, I also raised a thought little mischievously, ‘I can understand the concept of God having both form and essence, or God not having form but only essence, or God neither having a form nor any essence; but is it possible to perceive God having a form but no essence?’ Ramu, though a man of austere silence, would sometime get into Nitze’s Dionysian kind of enthusiasm. When in a state of high, he would talk animatedly shaking his entire body. `Well! That is bureaucracy!’ he had replied laughing boisterously. He would point us to anybody who would come across and like a cartoonist would compare him to some creature, make us laugh to let out from us an innocent joy, only to re-withdraw himself into the world of maharshi Ramana instantaneously. Ramu Gandhi had written something that is politically impossible for anyone else to write. On the question of `whom should Kashmir belong?’, he had written: ‘If Pakistan can become a secular state like India, treating all religions with equal respect, then it is not an important question for me, whether Kashmir is in Pakistan or in India’. Those who are able to speak like this have love for their nation without the angst of a nationalist. And a belief that all religions survive based on the strength of their intrinsic truth and not due to the institutions built with warrior like instincts. Thus, Ramu keeps surfacing in all of my thoughts. This way, he will always live within me

Why I Love My Job…

Dear Ms. Srinivasan,
Thank you for the gust of fresh air I so sorely needed during these last six months. I can’t quite believe that time has gone ahead of me. I am currently in a strange limbo, where nothing could be real, but is so vast that I couldn’t possibly have imagined any of it. How are you? Ladakh and England sounded amazing, and I felt like I had gone there myself, after reading your emails. I’m living in Sri Lanka right now, and I’m going to the British School in Colombo. When I think about who I was in June, I’m amazed that I could have decided to take charge of the future so meticulously. We are still staying in our apartment in Colombo, which is tiny. My father is a Consultant for NGOs and is working with CARE Colombo at the moment, and will soon join Oxfam, because the lifestyle in Kenya wasn’t appropriate for a family. Rachel is trying to bridge the enormous gap between AES and the British School, since this is her final year. She’s thinking about taking a gap year, has to learn several new subjects in the next four months, but is handling life so admirably. Looking back, it’s clear that New Delhi prepared us to view the world through rose-tinted glasses; the kind that take you through life with so positive an outlook that you can’t help but embrace all adversity as part of the grand experience the world hands you. 
School here is lovely, but the lack of resources, compared to AES, is explicit. We have to sign up for all extra-curriculars outside school, have to use the British Council library, and couldn’t dream of having access to relief organizations through which students can do service. Teachers are very different. The most interesting is definitely Mr. Leridon. He’s French, and his accent is delightfully stereotypical. He went to Boston University, then Harvard, Yale, Tufts, Oxford, and the University of Paris. He is the first insane person I’ve ever met. He always imagines he’s Napoleon (which I don’t find objectionable, since I find it’s useful to pretend I’m Cicero sometimes), and actually gives people detention or doesn’t grade their essays if they criticize France; something that is difficult, since we’re learning the French Revolution. He also told the geography teacher he loved her, but was very upset when she didn’t visit him in the ICU when he got dengue. He walks to school every day to reduce the greehouse effect, but uses the most shocking stacks of paper every class. The IB system is definitely a lot of work. What makes up for the huge shock to one’s system from changing lifestyles, is the wonderful sense of humanity and compassion that is present everywhere in Colombo. I love how engaged and committed the most random strangers are when you have a problem, or even just smile at them. All the people in my year are friendly. Most of them follow the Advanced-Level system, and think the IB is mad. They hardly have any homework, but have to study incredibly hard for the exams that are coming up. Even the IB students put sports and extra curriculars before academics, and classwork is hardly given any kind of priority. So many people here drink and do drugs! Although it doesn’t change their attitude towards me, I can’t relate to them with much depth. I miss everyone there. How is Challenge 20/20? It’s brilliant that you’re going to Bhutan. What exactly are the proceedings of the conferences there? My classmates didn’t really get Gross National Happiness, and the teachers think it’s a phony lax system of governance. But then again, society here has become so desensitized as a result of the ongoing war. Speaking of which, I experienced the first LTTE bombing last week! At midnight, there was a citywide blackout. The LTTE aircraft then flew over Colombo, and we saw them bomb several buildings. It’s bizarre and horrifying, the realization that you could be in one of those houses under attack. Our neighbors were oddly detached – all they did was complain about the powercut, and seemed oblivious to the nightmare of gunfire! It seems as though the war will only end with the death of the generation that is instilling this much agony and chaos. I don’t blame the LTTE for protesting against the ethnic discrimination that’s still present, but they are can only be considered terrorists, not freedom fighters, in how they’re responsible for the deaths of so many civilians. It’s easy to see why people here have let go of a value for life, though I could never do so.
The Alice Walker letter was amazingly significant, as I’m reading the Color Purple in English class right now. The narrative is painfully bare and heartrending in its honesty. The protagonist is so vulnerable that she makes you want to fight for her in any way you can. Of the president-elect, I want to say so much, and I feel so thrilled that the world, which has been inordinately ransacked and upturned, is being given the chance to correct itself. It feels almost wrong to pin that much hope on one person. What was the AES pre-election atmosphere like? I was also curious about the yogathon, and how Project Happiness worked.
For the moment, I still want a castle in France (Chateau de Chenonceau), and I want to be a historian, and to have written for TIME or Newsweek. I also want to speak Latin, and play tennis well, and be an orator. I’ve learned that there’s no such thing as a glass ceiling, or a paved way, but I can walk hand in hand with a brightness that I’ve created for myself.
With lots of love, 
(A Fabulous Student of Mine)

Project Happiness @ AES

Below is an email I just sent out to my friends…

Dear Friends,

I hope this message finds you in good spirits! I wanted to share some exciting news! The American Embassy School is one of five schools in the world participating in “Project Happiness” which is an initiative supported by the Dalai Lama Foundation that seeks to inspire and empower young people to create greater happiness in themselves and in the world. When you get a chance check out: http://projecthappiness.com/tv/en/school_109.jsp and click on media and you will be able to watch films my students have made about “happiness.” Last March, when His Holiness was giving his teachings in Delhi I was fortunate enough to meet with some Board Members of the Foundation and they told me about Project Happiness.

I leave for Bhutan on November 22nd to attend the Fourth Annual Gross National Happiness Conference in Thimpu and will be there for 8 days. At the conference, I’ll be sharing some of my thoughts on what an Ethical, Ecological, Spiritual approach to education may entail and some of the educational activities I’ve crafted for my students (including showing the films they have made for Project Happiness). I will send out a full report once the conference ends. Yay! Thanksgiving in Bhutan!

As usual, all in Delhi is both exciting and busy! Many of you know that Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh was in India for 37 days and I was lucky enough to spend close to 20 days in his presence including two life changing retreats (lots to share about this in the next months). Tomorrow we will have our first “Day of Mindfulness” since Thay’s visit at Teen Murti House (Nehru’s residence). This weekend Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, the Bhutanese Lama, film maker and writer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khyentse_Norbu) will be giving a teaching and on Monday there will be a talk on how climate change is affecting the “Third Pole” with Dr. John Stanley, Dr. Vandana Siva and Mrs. Sunita Naraian (Rajiv Mehrotra will be moderating). I’m also very pleased to announce that on December 2^nd Satish Kumar will be visiting the American Embassy School and my colleague Gene and I have put together an exciting program—our students can’t wait to meet him and there will be an open event for adults in the evening. For more information just send me an email if you are not on my cultural event list. We are also very happy that our trip to take students from AES to Bija Vidya Peeth (http://www.navdanya.org/bija/index.htm) has been rescheduled for mid-February (it was cancelled in October due to all the bombings). I believe we might be the first student group to visit the farm/ecological learning center in Dehradun and my colleague Gene and I are very excited about this!  

I’ll be in Pune (Osho Ashram), Aurangabad, and Bodhgaya (two courses at the Roots Institute) from December 18 – January 5 and will hopefully see many of you before then. Below is a beautiful letter written by Alice Walker to Barack Obama. Our Democrats Abroad celebrations last week in Delhi were unforgettable and inspirational! Sending all of you love, light and warmth from New Delhi!

With All My Heart,

Meena

 

 

 

Open Letter to Barack Obama from Alice Walker

Nov. 5, 2008

 

 

Dear Brother Obama,

 

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

 

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

 

I would further advise you not to take on other people’s enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, “hate the sin, but love the sinner.” There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people’s spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

 

A good model of how to “work with the enemy” internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.

 

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

 

In Peace and Joy,

Alice Walker

When Things Fall Apart – Favorite Excerpts

When Things Fall Apart

Two weeks ago the mother of a dear friend died of breast cancer. I will be seeing her this Saturday for the first time in a year. This past weekend a former employee of the school I work at died of a heart attack and he was only 35. Yesterday one of the dear ninth grade students at my school fell into a coma. This week has definitely reinforced the bittersweet reality of life.

This evening I was searching for my copy of Pema Chodron’s “When Things Fall Apart” to give to my friend whose mother passed away (coincidentally her mother is a childhood friend of my mother’s) when I see her in a few days. I decided to type up some of my favorite excerpts from this very beautiful, inspirational book.

“the need for maitri (loving-kindness toward oneself), and developing from that the awakening of a fearlessly compassionate attitude toward our own pain and that of others.  It seemed to me that the view behind every single talk was that we could step into uncharted territory and relax with the groundlessness of our situation… “leaning into the sharp points” (Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche)…making friends with our own demons and their accompanying insecurity leads to a very simple, understated relaxation and joy. (p. 1-2)

 “becoming familiar with fear, looking it right in the eye—not as a way to solve problems, but as a complete undoing of old ways of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and thinking. The truth is when we really begin to do this, we’re going to be continually humbled…the kinds of discoveries made through practice have nothing to do with believing in anything. They have much more to do with having the courage to die, the courage to die continuously.” (p. 7)

“we don’t know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don’t know…the spiritual journey is not about heaven and getting to a place that’s really swell…suffering is inevitable for human beings as long as we believe that things last—that they don’t disintegrate, that they can be counted on t satisfy our hunger for security.”  (p. 15)

“the spiritual journey involves going beyond hope and fear, stepping into unknown territory, continually moving forward. The most important aspect of being on the spiritual path may be to just keep moving.” (p. 23)

“we sit in meditation so that we’ll be more awake in our lives.” (p. 24)

“the point is still to lean toward the discomfort of life and see it clearly rather than to protect ourselves from it.” (p. 25)

“awakeness is found in our lease and our pain, our confusion and our wisdom, available in each moment of our weird, unfathomable, ordinary everyday lives.” (p. 26)

maitri = unconditional friendliness

“opening and relaxing with whatever arises.” (p. 31)

“as meditators we might as well stop struggling against our thoughts and realize that honesty and humor are far more inspiring and helpful than any kind of solemn religious striving for or against anything.” (p. 32)

on maitri…

“self-deception becomes so skillfully and compassionately exposed that there’s no mask that can hide us anymore…what makes maitri so different is that we are not trying to solve a problem. We are not striving to make pain g away of to become a better person. In fact, we are giving up control altogether and letting concepts and ideas fall apart.” (p. 37)

“the trick then is to practice gentleness and letting go. We can learn t meet whatever arises with curiosity and not make it such a big deal. Instead of struggling against the force of confusion, we could meet it and relax.” (p. 37)

“if we’re willing to give up hope that insecurity and pain can be exterminated, then we can have the courage to relax with the groundlessness of our situation. This is the first step on the path.” (p. 51)

“nontheism is relaxing with the ambiguity and uncertainty of  the present moment without reaching for anything to protect ourselves. We sometimes think that dharma is something outside of ourselves—something to believe in, something to measure up to. However, dharma isn’t a belief; it isn’t dogma. It is total appreciation of impermanence and change…dharma gives us nothing to hold on to…For those who want something to hold on to life is even more inconvenient. From this point of view theism is an addiction.” (p. 53-54)

“abandoning hope is an affirmation, the beginning of the beginning…hope and fear come from feeling that we lack something; they come from a sense of poverty. We can’t simply relax with ourselves. We hold on to hope, and hope robs us of the present moment.” (p. 55)

“taking refuge in the Buddha, dharma and Sangha is about giving up hope of getting ground under our feet…Hopelessness is the basic ground. Otherwise, we’re going to make the journey with the hope of getting security. If we make the journey to get security, we’re completely missing the point…we can do our meditation practice with the hope of getting security; we can study the teachings with the hope of getting security; we can follow all of the guidelines and instructions with the hope of getting security; but it will only lead to disappointment and pain. We could save ourselves a lot of time by taking this message very seriously right now. Begin the journey without hope of getting ground under your feet. Begin with hopelessness. ” (p. 56)

“giving up hope is encouragement to stick with your self, to make friends with yourself, to return to the bare bones, no matter what’s going on…if we totally experience hopelessness, giving up hope of all alternatives to the present moment, we can have a joyful relationship with our lives, an honest, direct relationship, one that no longer ignores the reality of impermanence and death.” (p. 59)

“our fundamental situation is joyful.” (p. 79)

“the essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter.” (p. 95)

“wanting situations and relationships to be solid, permanent, and graspable obscures the pith of the matter, which is that things are fundamentally groundless…everything is ambiguous; everything is always shifting and changing.” (p. 110)

“Towards a Compassionate and Healthy Society” – A National Workshop for Educators in India with Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh

I had the good fortune of attending a retreat for educators with Thich Nhat Hanh. What follows is a report my Educators Sangha crafted about the retreat. 

With Palms Pressed Together and a Heart Filled With Joy,

Meena (Pure Confidence of the Heart)

Towards a Compassionate and Healthy Society:

A National Workshop for Educators in India

September 26-29, 2008, Dehradun

 

 

 

Good teachers share one trait: they are truly present in the class room, deeply engaged with their students and their subject. . . (they) are able to weave a complex web of connections among themselves, their subjects, and their students, so that their students can learn to weave a world for themselves. The connections made by good teachers are held not in their methods but in their hearts.

 

Parker Palmer

 

 

Close to 500 educators gathered from all over India for a groundbreaking workshop promoting mindfulness. The event was led by renowned Zen master, poet, teacher and international peacemaker, Thich Nhat Hanh, called Thay by his students, from September 26 – 29, 2008 at the Doon School in Dehradun.

 

The Doon School founded in 1935 and spread across seventy acres of lush greenery in the state of Uttarkhand, is one of India’s premier educational institutions. The workshop, sponsored by MAX, Ahimsa Trust, was made possible through the help of numerous volunteers and generous hearts.

 

The aim of the workshop was to help teachers transform – through the energy of mindfulness – their classrooms into communities of mutual understanding and compassion. Mindfulness, awareness in the present moment, is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool for students, teachers, school administrators, and parents to promote an individual’s sense of well-being.

 

The practice of mindfulness decreases stress, attention deficit issues, depression, anxiety, and hostility while simultaneously providing optimal conditions for learning and teaching.

 

The workshop focused on introducing mindfulness practices to educators so that they can utilize it in their classrooms in order to develop skills such as:

• attention and concentration
• emotional and cognitive awareness and understanding
• bodily awareness and coordination
• interpersonal awareness and skills
• conflict resolution

 

The retreat was entirely experiential and consisted of daily practice of the following: guided mediation, walking meditation, mindful movements, Dharma teaching talks, question and answer sessions, deep relaxation, singing, Dharma groups, mindful eating, noble silence, workshops with classroom applications, and mindfulness trainings.

 

What follows is a series of personal accounts by Sangha members from the American Embassy School, in New Delhi. This group of teachers has been meeting weekly for 8 years in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Sharing this experience was a beautiful fruition after many years of quiet cultivation of mindfulness both individually and collectively. We hope that you can experience the benefits of the retreat through our words. 

 

Meena Srinivasan

 

 

Walking and Guided Mediation

 

“Happiness is here and now

I have dropped my worries…”

 

In the mood of mindfulness and taking care of our spirits and bodies through practice, we were invited to start our days by dropping our worries, switching off cell phones, and beginning the morning with a guided meditation.

 

These sessions were held at the Rose Bowl Amphitheater situated near the top border of the campus. The theater was beautifully framed by an arch of giant bamboo curving in over the right hand side of the stage. Stately trees bordered the opposite side. Birdsongs greeted the crowd as we arrived and dappled shade sheltered the sides for the monastics as they arrived and took positions at the stage level of the amphitheater. Participants filtered in from various morning activities and after a breakfast taken in “noble silence,” and arranged themselves around the semicircular seating risers in preparations for our start.

 

In the first session, Brother Bernard made an opening statement of purpose to bring participants together in the spirit of being fully present, focused and happy in the moment.

           

For some, this may have been a first exposure to sitting meditation while others, who had been part of practicing Sanghas, were quite familiar with the exercise. After inviting the bell, we were led through gentle dialogue that focused our attention inward through the vehicle of mindful breathing. “Breathing in, I feel calm, breathing out, I feel refreshed; calm, refreshed.” Our guide took us through approximately 25 minutes of practice, focusing our attention on our breath, as we embraced each moment of our meditation.

           

The sitting meditation ended with three rings of the bell to bring us back to ourselves. The monks invited participants to find a bit of space to wake our bodies up so that we could perform the ten mindful movements. The monks led us through these movements over the course of about an additional 10 minutes.

 

Later, we went on our first mindful walking meditation. Dozens of photographers moved quickly to the front of the line to get images of Thay leading us. The slow mindful movement eventually became the complete focus of the moment. My steps became aligned with my breathing and we slowly moved in a column through the campus in a frame-by-frame awareness. I became absorbed in each step and fully opened to the reality of just that instant in our journey. A bit more than half way back towards the group meeting area, Thay lead us out to the edge of a grassy location where we paused and grouped around him in seated posture and became still. He invited the bell and slowly and mindfully took a few sips from a small cup. When he finished, he invited a youngster to hold the bell as he struck the chime. It was just a short time back to the meeting area and Thay moved away from us as we approached the buildings. We finished the journey into the hall to make ready for the next session.

           

The examples of this practice offer powerful lessons for us as teachers. If we are to truly pay attention to taking care of our spirits and bodies through practice, then starting our days by dropping our worries, switching off the to do list, and beginning our school days with a guided meditation is an appealing idea.

 

It would certainly be interesting to see if it would help students become more focused and happy in the moment.

 

Michael Citrino

 

 

Singing

 

“Make of my life a melody of love singing. . .”

 

Singing was a frequent and welcome activity for this large gathering of educators. Each of us received a song sheet that included 19 songs we whole-heartedly sought to learn as we repeated lines after they were sung by one of the monastics. While all songs helped us remember how to be mindful in our daily lives, many of them were accompanied by playful and interpretive hand and/or body gestures. Those were particularly popular because many of us could immediately see how the combination of word, melody, and movement could be used to capture the attention of students in our classrooms and provide another tool we could use to convey the message of peace and mindfulness as a daily practice in their lives as well.

 

In addition, each song seemed to serve the purpose of underscoring the important teachings we received in Thay’s Dharma talks, giving us an opportunity to experience and integrate these teachings through music. From “Breathing In” to “I Love Nature” we all sang with more delight and energy as we became more familiar with each song. It soon became very natural for all of us to enthusiastically break out into song prior to a Dharma talk or at the beginning, middle, or end of a Dharma group discussion. We also noticed that the meaning, sound, and feel of the songs seemed to be so thoroughly absorbed into our minds and bodies that we found the melodies floating back to us continuously when we least expected it, or perhaps when we most needed it. It is certain that everyone went home with their list of favorites, intent upon sharing them with students, friends, and loved ones.

 

Barbara Hegranes

 

Deep Relaxation

 

“Knowing when to rest is a deep practice.”

 

Deep relaxation gave all of us an opportunity to honor our physical and mental need for rest in the afternoons. Each day after lunch, we stretched out on the cushioned floor of our meeting hall, toe-to-toe and head-to-head, to practice deep breathing and relaxation. One of the nuns masterfully led us through a guided meditation in which we imagined every part of our body and mind, letting go of all tension and letting ourselves physically and mentally melt into the floor. As we were led to picture and lovingly recognize our faces, our livers, our hearts, we were prompted to smile at each of these physical parts of our being and imagine each part returning the smile. An increasing sense of health and well-being floated through our bodies as we practiced deep relaxation and appreciation. Awareness seemed to gradually flow into a realm of peace as a natural state of being as Sister Chan Khong guided our consciousness with her soothing speaking voice and her sweet singing voice. Regardless of which language she used, the words of each song washed over us and lulled us like the gentle and loving care of a mother’s lullaby.

 

For those of us who are more accustomed to working at a constant and sometimes frenetic pace throughout the course of our daily lives, the experience of stopping for this short period of rest illustrated how much more effective our working time can be when we listen to the needs of our bodies and minds. We arose after deep relaxation feeling refreshed, energized, and rejuvenated. And once again, many of us began to imagine the possibilities within this practice for our students to help bring peace and harmony to our busy school days.

 

Barbara Hegranes

 

 

Dharma Talks

 

“The Dharma is deep and lovely. . . “

 

Each day we gathered in the great hall to listen to a series of Dharma talks. These sessions, delivered by Thich Nhat Hanh, laid out the basic foundational teachings of mindful living. The collective energy of Thay’s presence in the midst of the large community of teachers created the optimum environment for learning. Instead of sitting on a podium, Thay joined us below the stage. He used the white board to illustrate his points. In this way he modeled a relational way of interacting with students. We were invited to relax and let the teachings fall on us like “rain”, trusting that we would absorb what we needed to know.

 

Thay skillfully presented traditional Zen Buddhist teachings in refreshingly simple and practical ways for our time. The resounding message was a call to look deeply- into the nature of our own lives, our relationships, and the world around us – in order to cultivate our presence, understanding, and compassionate response to life. We must first develop mindfulness in ourselves in order to cultivate this presence in our classrooms and schools.

 

Here are some of the ideas Thay touched on in his teachings:

• The first practice for the teacher is to go home to oneself, to one’s body, to learn how to relax, to care for feelings, and to cultivate mindfulness
• We all have seeds of mindfulness and peace. We all have seeds of fear and anger. We can choose which seeds to nurture.
• A teacher is meant to communicate the wonder of the world, to inspire, invite critical inquiry, model values
• We are not here to receive intellectual knowledge. We are here to radiate peace and compassion
• We all have deep needs to be loved and love, the second deepest need is to understand. When we are aware of these things curiosity and the desire to learn flow naturally
• When the educator knows how to love they help students to fulfill their need to love, be loved and understand
• Every living being has a potential of awakening
• The teacher creates the environment where the seed of awakening can be nourished and grow
• Teachers must address why the curriculum is so heavy and consider how to make choices about what needs to be done so that they can accomplish their work and also enjoy being together with their students
• When we cultivate joy – entering the classroom, sharing our subject – then learning is joyful

 

Adele Caemmerer

 

 

Question and Answer Session

“Our answers are hidden in our questions and the answers are ripe within us.”

 

In addition to Dharma talks in the great hall, there was also a session for questions and answers. The question and answer period was a chance for individuals in attendance to pose personal questions directly to Thay, who compassionately responded to each of the questions after a moment of reflection:

 

Faith:

“Please, could you talk to us about faith,” the first questioner asked.

 

Thay explained that faith is believing in ourselves and in the seeds of compassion, forgiveness and joy which our ancestors transmitted to us. If we believe and water theses seeds we can overcome difficult situations in our daily lives.

 

Grief:

Another woman quietly sat across from Thay. She shared that she had recently lost her husband in a violent way. She asked Thay how to deal with the grief of this sudden loss and how to help her teenage children through the pain.

 

Thay sat quietly for several minutes and with great gentleness and compassion said, “The person you love is still there in a different manifestation. Your beloved is there if you look deeply you will recognize his presence. Lao Tzu said “nothing is born and nothing dies.”

 

Mindful Speech:

The third questioner raised the problem of how to practice mindful speech when one is around those who do not practice (colleagues, peers, government oppressors, etc.).

 

Thay responded saying the only option for communicating is loving kindness. Before communicating in a difficult situation one should first meditate with the goal of understanding the suffering of the other person. When you truly understand, then you can write a “love letter” to the person. The practice of using loving speech is very powerful. It can transform.

 

Anger:

“What to do with my anger?” asked a school principal. “I find I am always angry.”

 

“We all have seeds of violence within ourselves.” Thay said. “The violence in us has to do with the violence in society. We need to take care of this.” He suggested the following as ways to take care of our violence and anger:

 

1. Practice mindful consumption: Be careful of what we consume as it feeds the anger and violence in us. Draw up a strategy to protect yourself and do not listen to others who are watering violence
2. Cultivate the energy of mindfulness: get in touch with the healing elements in our lives. Mindful walking, practicing mindful breathing helps us get in tune with the beauty of nature.
3. Embrace your feelings with mindfulness: “There is my old friend anger, I will take care of you.” Breathe and slowly, slowly, little bit by little bit, the anger will dissipate.
4. Practice compassion, deep listening, and loving speech to resolve conflict: If you look deeply at the other person you think is the source of your anger and see his/her suffering, you will be able to respond with compassion. We are hard wired for compassion. As we practice our brain develops a neuropathy for joy and happiness. 

 

 

Teaching and the practice:

In response to the fifth question in which a practitioner shared he was not finding that the repetitive process of focusing on the breath was leading to understanding, Thay replied:

 

 “It is our belief that the teacher does not deliver wisdom to the student, it is already there. The teacher simply helps the student to touch the seed of inner wisdom. It is not my intention to give ideas or knowledge. The purpose is to communicate in a way that awakens truth in the student.”

 

Frenetic pace at a school

A written question expressed concern over a frenetic pace at a school where expectations were high and where more was considered better.

 

Thay suggested that, after meditating and looking deeply to understand their suffering, that the questioner write a “Love Letter” to the administrator . In this letter, express yourself in a loving way with no blame or judgment. Send copies to other faculty members and maybe through collective insight there might be ways to help change the system.

 

 

Mindful listening

How can we improve our mindful listening, the seventh questioner asked?

 

Thay suggested four ways to achieve this:

1. First, it is important to know our limit and take care of ourselves through nourishing and restoring ourselves every day.
2. Second, have a group of people who come together and practice nourishing each other. Members of a Sangha need to be ready to replenish each other when there is a need.
3. Thirdly, work should be joyful. Take the time and make the effort to conduct work in a way which creates joy.
4. Keep a diary of your joy. Life of service can be fulfilling and compassion brings happiness.

 

Impatience with students

 How do we control our impatience and be consistent in greeting students with a smiling face?

 

Thay explained that when we expect something to arrive then we become focused on the future and give up being present. Thus, we need to realize that even in the present moment of tension, happiness s is possible. Life is only experienced in the present moment.

 

Enlightened being and suffering

How can even an enlightened being become engulfed with sorrow? Thay responded:

 

 “Sorrow and suffering have to do with our happiness. It is from suffering that happiness arises. Sorrow and happiness go hand in hand. For example, take the Lotus flower. It will only grow in muddy water. We should be able to see the lotus when we look at the mud and see the mud when we look at the Lotus. We can learn from our suffering to cultivate happiness. We cannot look for happiness where there is no suffering. Happiness is not consumable, something you ‘get’. It comes from understanding and compassion.  Compassion is something you generate when you touch suffering. Many of our students run toward objects of desire. We need to teach and model for them the real source of happiness.”

 

Jill Windahl

 

 

 

Dharma Groups

 

“Alone you will sink. The Sangha is the boat that will enable you to float.”

 

After the post-lunch renewal of deep relaxation, we met in small groups for Dharma discussions.  This was an opportunity to experience the refuge and support of our Sangha (a community of educators practicing mindfulness) and to practice the trainings of loving speech and deep listening.  Our Dharma discussions were based on sharing rather than dialogue.  To start, we went around the circle and briefly introduced ourselves and shared how we came to be at the retreat.  It was amazing to discover what a diverse group of educators we were from all across India, each of us searching for a centering force in our work with children.  As the members of my Dharma group shared their stories, a strong bond began to develop among us.  These were people who shared and understood the path I was trying to navigate.  I could learn from them and steady myself on the way.  I felt the power of community.  It was the Sangha as a boat that Thay had described to us in a Dharma talk and I felt myself floating in the collective energy of my colleagues.  I was so grateful for this opportunity!

 

As our discussion deepened, Brother Phap Dung, our leader, gave us gentle reminders to practice deep listening.  The practice was to turn off our judging mind so that we weren’t constantly agreeing or disagreeing with what was being said.  We had learned in the morning Dharma talk that deep listening does not mean giving advice or correcting perceptions.  This was our opportunity to try to practice stopping and coming back to breathing when there was an urge to comment.  Brother Phap Dung’s loving invitation of the bell partway through our session supported us in coming back to ourselves and enjoying the present moment.

 

The Practice Guide that we received at the retreat published by the Ahimsa Trust (www.ahimsatrust.org or email: ahimsa.trust@gmail.com) provides these suggestions for developing your practice through Dharma Discussions:

 

Dharma discussion is an opportunity to benefit from each other’s insights and experience of the practice.  It is a special time for us to share our experiences, our joys, our difficulties and our questions relating to the practice of mindfulness.  By practicing deep listening while others are speaking, we help create a calm and receptive environment.  By learning to speak out about our happiness and our difficulties in the practice, we contribute to the collective insight and understanding of the Sangha.

Please base our sharing on our own experience of the practice rather than about abstract ideas and theoretical topics.  We may realize that many of us share similar difficulties and aspirations.  Sitting, listening and sharing together, we recognize our true connections to one another.

Please remember that whatever is shared during the Dharma discussion time is confidential.  If a friend shares about a difficulty he or she is facing, respect that he or she may or may not wish to talk about this individually outside of the Dharma discussion time.

 

Kathy Zabinski

 

 

Touching the Earth

 

“Standing like a tree with my roots dug down,

my branches wide and open. . .”

 

“Touching the Earth” was a powerful practice that allowed each of us the opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the influence and presence of our blood ancestors, land ancestors, and spiritual ancestors. First, we brought into the present moment the genetic and emotional heritage handed down from our parents and grandparents; our aptitudes and health, the gifts of life, breath and support. We felt the incredible lineage that lives in and contributes to our being, and the presence of our blood family in the cells of our bodies. We then acknowledged those other seeds that were passed to us – the anger, fear, apathy, violence, and impatience. All of the seeds are our heritage, but we gave back to the earth these negative seeds, placing our hearts literally on the bosom of mother earth to release them. This was the first practice of Touching the Earth.

 

The second practice was acknowledging our land ancestors – those generations that were born of and lived in our homeland. We felt the spirit and nature of the land rise through our feet – the generosity, fertility, and spaciousness of the earth itself. We then touched the earth to release the violence and harshness that may have come to us via those land ancestors.

 

The third practice was to embrace the gifts received from our spiritual ancestors. The gifts could be ones of insight, peace, harmony, and connectivity and could be delivered via friends, family, songs, poetry, spiritual leaders, or nature. We filled ourselves with the breath of these gifts and touched the earth knowing these seeds would germinate, grow and bless all people.

 

Jann Fling

 

 

Mindful Eating

 

“The bread in my hand is the body of the cosmos.”

 

We shared our meals in silence, allowing us to meditatively focus our full presence on our eating practice.   Standing in long lines, we patiently and appreciatively received our food and drinks.  We were instructed to wait for a group and sit and begin eating together.  We took time to observe, smell and fully appreciate our food before taking a bite.  As we chewed, we contemplated the gift of the nourishment; the gift of the sky, clouds, rain, sun and effort that went into each vegetable, each grain, each crumb of our food.  We heard the bell of mindfulness ring and the recitation of the 5 food contemplations (which were displayed on the food tables and in the eating area as well):

1.     This food is a gift of the whole universe, the earth, the sky and much mindfulness work.

2.     May we eat in mindfulness so as to be worthy of it.

3.     May we transform our unskilled states of mind and learn to eat in moderation.

4.     May we take only foods that nourish us and prevent illness.

5.     May we accept this food to realize the path of understanding and love.

Eating together, we silently appreciated both our food and our togetherness.  As we finished eating, we observed our empty plates and were filled with gratitude for the meal, for our nourishment. 

 

Mindful conversations then began as participants enthusiastically shared their experiences with one another.

 

Mimi Kemper

 

 

Noble Silence

 

“We allow the silence and the calmness to penetrate our flesh and bones.”

 

Silence is an important part of the mindfulness practice.  As we dispersed the first evening, we were encouraged to practice Noble Silence, to speak as little as possible until we reconvened in the morning.  This practice allowed us space within ourselves to experience the calm, peacefulness, and energy of the day; to be mindfully aware of each moment of our evenings. 

 

Many of the participants stayed with hosts or with groups of people where it might be disrespectful not to talk. In this case we were asked to speak only when necessary and when speaking practice mindful speech and deep listening

 

Mimi Kemper

 

 

Workshops on Sharing Mindfulness in the Classroom Setting

“Listen, listen . . . this wonderful sound of the bell, brings me back to my true self”

 

In the afternoon of the final day, the participants had the opportunity to choose from a selection of workshops:

• Bell Practice
• Body Awareness
• Total Relaxation
• Basic sitting Meditation
• Pebble Meditation
• Beginning Anew
• Communication and Mindful Consumption

 

Each workshop was divided into two sections, one for teens and one for younger children. Each workshop section was led by one of the monastics. The workshop topics were designed around practices that could be shared and adapted for classroom use. Deciding which workshop to attend was possibly the most difficult task we were asked to do during our 4 days at the Doon school. How to choose just one when you wanted to attend them all! The sessions ended with participants eager to return to their schools and classrooms to begin the task of developing a compassionate and healthy society through mindfulness in education.

 

Cheryl Perkins

 

 

Embracing the Five Mindfulness Trainings:

How Floating on a Cloud became the Tip of the Iceberg

 

Mesmerized by the personal touch from Thay’s eye-to-eye-catching talks, his open and candid Q & A, the notions of participatory (yes, you) singing, walking, exercising and silent eating… I was blissfully drifting on my cloud within what I defined as the mindful ambience by mid-morning of the first day, thinking that this was my never-ending story.  Leave me alone to wander in and out of this new deeper place that I find more enticing than ever. 

 

“Would you”, asked my assigned monk, Dharma Stream, “care to try feeling like this when you return home?  While you are at school?….while you are filling your calendar with all the events of your already-booked teaching day?….while you are dealing with you know who?  If so, then we have some personalized practices to introduce to you this afternoon.  If not, you might still find them provocative at the least. Perhaps one or two of them will speak to you or may even prefer to consider all five of them.”

 

“All five of what?” I asked myself. “Please do not ask me to leave my bliss to consider anything practical right now.  This is not the time for action or more projects, but a time to turn inward and explore those hidden recesses and release those sneaky repressions.”

Then again, knowing myself better than anyone else, I had to admit that I needed relentless prompting if ever I was to make any meaningful changes in my life…if I desired to reach below the tip of my own iceberg and last beyond the supposed 21 days of required repetition, I needed an assist.

 

The five paragraphs sounded good to me. From the awareness of suffering due to the destruction of life, to eroding social injustice, to abusive sexual behavior, to unmindful speech and over-consumption, I could wish to think more mindfully and show more compassion.  But I had not considered the thought of making….

 

Vows….what?

 

 I don’t do vows anymore.   Promises?…Commitments?   Nope, been there, done that.   Besides, to whom would I make these commitments?  To Thay or to the Sangha?, to my favorite nun or monk?, to my children, my students, my family, or to my beloved who knows oh so well the vices of my good intentions? Would I dare to attempt to bring mindfulness in the present moment back to my 24/7 existence…in front of my students, my peers, my friends and family? 

 

The paradigm shift did not take long at all for me to “get it.”  Or have I been dozing for an eternity and decades slipped into nanoseconds?  Out of the Noble Silence a door opened.

I breathed. I felt alive.

 

So on the eve of Gandhiji’s birthday, I knelt before my home Sangha, embedded within my new and larger, sub-continental Sangha, in front of my awaiting Master Teacher, holding all my past, present, and future students, family and friends as my witness.  I stood and bowed three times to the Buddha.  As I made my vows, I understood that the door was not a portal to another place, but into myself.  So then and there I promised to begin anew, as many times as it takes, to devote myself to surfacing from my depths, the living a more engaged life filled with loving kindness through the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.   

 

Gene Harrell, Great Stability of the Heart

 

Bringing the retreat home to ourselves and our students . . .

 

“Peace in ourselves; Peace in the world”

 

“You cannot transmit wisdom and insight to another person. The seed is already there. A good teacher touches the seed, allowing it to wake up, to sprout, and to grow”

 

Thich Nhat Hanh

 

Thich Nhat Hanh along with his band of traveling monastics, and the India – based retreat organizers under the guidance of Ahimsa Trust were visionary and practical in their planning. The aim of this retreat was noble and far reaching: That a large number of teachers from all over India would come together with a renowned master teacher to experience mindfulness for ourselves and explore how to realize this with children with who we work.

 

Of all the things we teach our children, the teaching of mindful presence is one of the most critical yet often ignored in the rush to cover curriculum and manage the task of supervising children. Thich Nhat Hanh drew our attention to a deeper potential in our relationship with our students based on two basic universal human needs: to love and to understand. His belief is that when we are aware and responsive to our deepest human interchange with our students the process of learning flows naturally. The notion that we as educators are only able to create a climate of peace and mindfulness in our classrooms and schools when we are nurturing mindfulness in ourselves was lived out in every aspect of the retreat. Instead of gathering us to talk theory, we were drawn into practice from the very beginning.

 

It is said that the teachers’ presence in the classroom is the unwritten curriculum. Thich Nhat Hanh conveyed through his presence, his teaching, and the overall experience of the retreat that transformation of our schools and beyond that, our society, begins with the transformation of ourselves through the practice of cultivating mindful awareness.

 

Adele Caemmerer

American Embassy School Sangha

New Delhi India

Stream of Consciousness from Israel

Just got this from a dear friend…

The following is brief excerpt from a note I sent to a friend this morning – thought you might enjoy a little stream of consciouseness from Israel:
 
“a light rain is falling on Jerusalem carrying a tinge of cold contrasting to the sun of the Northern Galilee.  Driving by the Syrian border yesterday, a small, well-appointed chocolate factory is being operated by an Argentinian woman – on land in contention, chocolates . . .
 
breathing deeply, sometimes it is hard to supress a smile . . . . the contrasts between beauty and struggle, stillness and confusion . . . looked at broadly, a philosophical narrative of how all dissolves into a whole, and in deep stillness this truth is penetrating . . . traveling here one can feel an underlying anxiety and unsettleness at times . . . in the mountains, the ancient town of Safed is filled with artists . . . going through this village and discovering five centuries of contemplation, the ancient seat of kabbalitic practice, an open door with a wall of stillness powerfully pouring out as young men bow slowly as they silently recite scripture, in rapture . . . absorbed!”