(back to Still Water Dharma Topics)
Touching What Is True
Thursday, August 28, 2008
This Thursday we will recite the Five Earth Touchings together. The five touchings remind us that we are the continuation of our blood families, our spiritual families, and our geographic families. We seek to connect with what is real, wonderful, and true in our lineage and to let go of those things we cannot control and that we wish were different. We then transmit the energy we have received from our various families to those we love and to those with whom we have difficulties.
For me, this recitation ceremony is a continuation of our discussion from last week on true emptiness and interbeing. The practice helps recalibrate our understanding of our place in the world and in time. It urges us, as Annie reminded us quoting Sister Chan Khong, “to work to remember that I am empty of a separate self and full of the many wonders of this universe.”
We surrender to that which we cannot change; we embrace our place in the flow of life; and we see that we are not better, not less, nor equal to. This helps us transcend our habitual patterns so we can, as Peter reminded us two weeks ago, delight in touching that which is true.
I hope you can join us,
Scott Schang
We
have to go back to our society with the intention to rebuild society
and enrich its life by offering the appropriate therapies for its
illnesses. I would like to offer an exercise that can help to do this.
It is called Touching the Earth.
In each of us,
there are many kinds of ideas, notions, attachments, and
discrimination. This practice involves bowing down and touching the
Earth, emptying ourselves, and surrendering to Earth.
You touch the Earth with your forehead, your two hands, your two feet,
and you surrender to your true nature, accepting any form of life your
true nature offers you. Surrender your pride, hopes, ideas, fears, and
notions. Empty yourself of all resentment you feel toward anyone.
Surrender everything, and empty yourself completely. To do this is the
best way to replenish yourself. If you do not exhale and empty your
lungs, how can fresh air enter?
Thich Nhat Hanh