Honoring and Remembering Thay — A Silent Walk and Gathering

[ We are rescheduling our walk and gathering honoring Thay from Sunday, March 13th to Sunday, March 20th, because of expected low temperatures and the chance of ice on the roads and trails at the Woodend Sanctuary. On March 20th, the morning temperature is expected to be in the mid 50s.]

Dear Still Water Friends,

You are warmly invited to join the Still Water community on Sunday, March 13th (now March 20th) for a silent walk and ceremony honoring the passing of Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay).

In the Vietnamese Buddhist tradition, special ceremonies of mourning and spiritual support are held daily and weekly for the forty-nine days following a person’s death. This walk and gathering honoring Thay will be one of many ceremonies that will occur world-wide on the weekend of the 49th day. We hope you can join us.

We will gather at 10 am at the in parking lot adjoining the Main Building at the Audubon Naturalist Society's Woodend Sanctuary. (Daylight Savings Time begins at 2 am on Sunday, March 13th. Remember to Spring Forward!)

At 10:15 we will begin walking slowly (Thay speed) and silently along the accessible trail to to the tables by the stream.

At 10:40 we will begin a ceremony remembering and honoring Thay, which will include:

• Selected readings from the Ceremony for the Deceased on the Forty-Ninth Day
• Singing
• Tea and sharing

Woodend is an open-to-everyone forty-acre wildlife sanctuary that includes a newly constructed accessible trail, many secondary trails, nature-play areas for children, and restrooms. It is located at 8940 Jones Mill Road, Chevy Chase, Md.

Friends and family are welcome. All participants are asked to follow CDC and Montgomery County covid guidelines for outdoor events. Because it is a wildlife sanctuary, dogs and other pets are not allowed in the sanctuary. (Helpful resources: Information about the sanctuary, Woodend trail map.)

Please register online so we know how many will be coming and so we can send you more information about the event.

Questions? Please email Barbra (our registrar) at freewhereyouare@gmail.com.

Warm wishes,

The Honoring Thay Walk Organizing Team

PS  Did you register?