I have been using one of Thomas Keating’s meditation booklets to help me focus and be more diligent about my sitting meditation practice lately. I really need to start with first-thing-in-the-morning practice to give anchor to my presence these days. There probably isn’t any reason to explain this yearning — the times we are living in explain it well enough.
This quote caught my heart, so I share it here in case it touches you too.
In 1957, Thomas Merton wrote:
In the night of our technological barbarism,
monks must be as trees which exist silently in the dark,
and by their vital presence purify the air.
Please note this was written nearly 70 years ago.
Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk and interspiritual writer and pioneer who blended his devoted Catholic faith with deep study of Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Sufism. He believed, practiced and lived an understanding that at the highest level of spiritual experience, different traditions meet in a shared, non-dualistic “ground of being”.
Before you say, “well, I am not a monk”…… would you take a moment to wonder with me?
I wonder if some of the change in the 70 years reflects who it is who is called to be as Trees, purifying the air by their vital presence?
What if the who is all of us, everyone devoted to cultivating an energy of mindfulness, concentration, loving-kindness and understanding with a focus on practice: living in harmony, cultivating love, gratitude and presence?
If you are reading this, this means you.
Thich Nhat Hanh famously predicted that “the next Buddha will be the Sangha”. If you don’t already know the term, sangha is the Buddhist term for a supportive, harmonious group fostering spiritual practice. The idea of the Buddha as the Sangha emphasizes collective action and shared higher consciousness as the evolving path toward enlightenment, rather than reliance on messianic figures as has been typical during the last axial age of consciousness through figures such as Jesus/Yeshua, Siddhartha Gautama/the Buddha and Patanjali.
It’s given me something to think about. Maybe for you too.
Who would I be as Tree? How would I be?
Maybe simply Tree, rooted where I live and reflecting the ecosystem, situated with my local plant family, my kin. Just photosynthesizing light and water and CO2. Breathing in my food and breathing out what no longer serves — which happens to be breathing in humans’ exhaled CO2 and breathing out fresh clean O2. Providing shade and food and protection to the other-than-tree beings by my lived presence.
Perhaps more specifically Hawthorn, dedicated to the health of the physical heart, protective and gnarly with thorns, devoted to the continuation of life and love through ripening spring blossoms and fall berries.
Perhaps Maple, sharing sweetness of sap, lifeblood, for delight and nourishment.
Perhaps Fir or Cedar, the aroma of the forest, the smell of co-evolution, a portal to remembering who we humans are called to be.
Perhaps Oak, sturdy and seemingly invincible, with a taproot as deep as my above-ground height.
Perhaps Ginkgo, a sage carrying the wisdom of ages past, freely given at the right moment, like the release of my golden leaves.
Envision a Forest.
Who are you as Tree? How do you Be?
In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer writes “Sometimes I wish I could photosynthsize so that just by being, just by shimmering at the meadow’s edge or floating lazily on a pond, I could be doing the work of the world while standing silent in the sun”.
Again I wonder….May we contribute something infinitely precious and necessary by our Being and Becoming who we are meant to be, moment by moment as we breathe, rooted in kindness, equanimity and love.
And, who are we practicing with? Who is your sangha? If this aspect of your life needs a refresh, let me know what calls to you. I am beginning to envision a new practice group — not yoga or breath or movement, not church by dogma, not a book group, but possibly with aspects of all those….right now I know more about what it isn’t than what it is. We can see what arises together!
Also, Monday evening distance group healing begins again in April. Interested? Economical, practical, simple and beneficial. Let me know and I will put you on the list for more info coming soon.
Thank you for taking time to read this offering.
What if……
In the night of our technological barbarism,
we get to be as Trees which exist silently in the dark,
and by their vital presence purify the air.
My emails and writing in this format are always free and will continue to be. If you enjoy my writing, click here to buy me a tea while I think about and research the next one. Or just email me back! I love to hear from you when something I share touches your heart or your life. Have a topic you are interested in? Let me know.
May you live at ease of heart with whatever comes to you in life.
I wish you many blessings on your path.
Love Elizabeth
PS If you want to schedule a 1:1 energy balancing session with me, reply to this email, go to my website www.elizabethcombs.com or text me. I have distance sessions and also limited in-person options. I am happy to be of service to your service, your being, your work, your presence, your healing. Your trust means the world to me.
