Last night I was with my sangha for our regular meditation time. We did our usual 10min. sit, & 10 min. walk. Then we experienced a guided meditation by our dear teacher, Tich Nhat Hanh via an archived podcast. I felt so peaceful, so calm. After the dharma talk by one of our wonderful order of interbeing leaders, we discussed our teacher, Thay, and what meaning his continuation (death) last month meant to us. It was very beautiful and restoring. I gratefully bow deeply to the Plum Branch Sangha of San Antonio.
The Third and Fourth Kind of Nutriments & Sister True Dedication’s Commentary from "Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet" by T N Hanh Consciousness is the third type of Nutriment and Thay says we can call it by two names, collective consciousness and individual consciousness. The two types inter-are. Individual consciousness reflects the collective. We consume both every day and they are very real! Thay says our thoughts, feelings and states of mind are a kind of food entering our body and mind. We need to be mindful and not ruminate over sadness or suffering, or our consciousness can become unwholesome food. We can use appropriate attention to different kinds of thoughts. Mindfully we choose thoughts we know will nourish us and help us grow. Thay gives the example of seeing a friend carried away by his/her thinking and their face expresses anxiety and sadness. W
Thay will be sorely missed, but at least we have his many books that we can read and revisit when we feel the need of his guidance . The more I read his books, the more I feel that he was in fact a Buddha. I know he would never claim that, but he was such a wonderful teacher and guide to so many people around the world, it is hard for me to think that he wasn't the latest of our world's Buddhas. Hopefully, one day he will be recognized as a Buddha!
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