(back
to Still Water Dharma Topics)
Dear Still Water Friends,
In the Plum Village tradition there is an emphasis on, maybe even a
push toward, happiness in everyday life. One of the Plum Village songs
we often sing goes:
Happiness is here and now.
I have dropped my worries.
Nowhere to go.
Nothing to do.
No longer in a hurry.
Happiness is here and now.
I have dropped my worries.
Somewhere to go.
Something to do.
Still not in a hurry.
For many of us in the Washington area, depressed by the morning news
and jaded by our often harsh daily interactions, unvarnished happiness
may seems immature, naïve, or unrealistic.
And yet, this simple turning to the present moment with an open heart may be just what our cynical souls need.
In a recent March, 2006, Shambhala Sun interview, Thich Nhat Hanh was asked: Why don't we love ourselves? He replied:
We may have a habit within
ourselves of looking for happiness elsewhere than in the here and the
now. We may lack the capacity to realize that happiness is possible in
the here and now, that we already have enough conditions to be happy
right now. The habit energy is to believe that happiness is not
possible now, and that we have to run to the future in order to get
some more conditions for happiness. That prevents us from being
established in the present moment, from getting in touch with the
wonders of life that are available in the here and now. That is why
happiness is not possible.
To go home to the present moment, to take care of oneself, to get in
touch with the wonders of life that are really available-that is
already love. Love is to be kind to yourself, to be compassionate to
yourself, to generate images of joy, and to look at everyone with eyes
of equanimity and nondiscrimination.
You are invited to join the Still Water community this Thursday
evening. We will begin at 6:30 with basic practice instructions
and an orientation to the Still Water community. Our meditation period
from 7:00 to 8:00 includes sitting and walking meditation.
As part of our program, which begins at 8:00, we will read the poem,
The Good News, and then reflect and share our reactions to it.
First we will give voice to any negative feelings and thoughts - for
example, why we might feel the poem's message is impractical for us.
Then we will give voice to our positive feelings and thoughts - for
example, why we feel moved and encouraged by the poem.
We hope you can join us.
The Good News
They don't publish
the good news.
The good news is published
by us.
We have a special edition every moment
and we need you to read it.
The good news is that you are alive,
and the linden tree is still there,
standing firm in the harsh Winter.
The good news is that you have wonderful eyes
to touch the blue sky.
The good news is that your child is there before you,
and your arms are available:
Hugging is possible.
They only print what is wrong.
Look at each of our special editions.
We always offer the things that are not wrong.
We want you to benefit from them
and help protect them.
The dandelion is there by the sidewalk,
smiling its wondrous smile,
singing the song of eternity.
Listen! You have ears that can hear it.
Bow you head.
Listen to it.
Leave behind the world of sorrow
and preoccupation
and get free.
The latest good news
is that you can do it.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Plum Village, March 1992