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Both Dreadful and Wonderful
July 5, 2007

Dear Still Water Friends,

The first section of Thich Nhat Hanh's Being Peace is titled "Suffering is Not Enough." In it, he reminds us that although there may be suffering all around us, "We must also be in touch with the wonders of life. They are within us and all around us, everywhere, any time."

For many of us, learning to live more mindfully includes slowing down and connecting more fully with the experiences of our life. We become connoisseurs of our breath, our physical sensations, our emotions, our thoughts and intentions. We rediscover simple joys. We encounter moments of peace and deep contentment.

Thich Nhat Hanh also reminds us, however, that although we learn to appreciate what is wonderful, we can't simply abandon the suffering of the world. We should not be lulled into a life of pleasant distractions. "Life is both dreadful and wonderful." he writes, "To practice meditation is to be in touch with both aspects."

Some years ago I asked a high-ranking Soto Zen Roshi who was living in a dormitory with other Plum Village retreatants what brought him to Plum Village. He answered that he came simply to be in the presence of Thich Nhat Hanh. He was, the Roshi said, "one of the few people on the planet who can eat a cookie and enjoy it and still hold the suffering of the world."

This Thursday evening after our meditation period we will explore together how we are learning to stay in touch with both the dreadful and the wonderful. What concrete practices work for us? What do we still need to work on?

We will also have our monthly Still Water Orientation this Thursday, beginning at 6:30 pm. It is a time for practitioners to learn the basics of meditation and to ask questions about beginning mindfulness practice and being part of the Still Water community. If you are planning to attend, it is helpful if you email us at info@stillwatermpc.org.

You are invited to join us for our orientation, our meditation hour, and our program. If you are not attending the orientation, the best times to join us are just before our meditation period begins at 7 pm, just before our walking meditation at 7:25, or just after our walking meditation at 7:35.

Our Sharing Silence Day of Practice this Sunday at Blueberry Gardens is just about full. Please email us at info@StillWaterMPC.org as soon as possible if you are planning on attending. (Information about the day is available on our Website.)

Warm wishes,

Mitchell Ratner
Senior Teacher

Suffering is Not Enough, from Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh

Life is filled with suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders of life. They are within us and all around us, everywhere, any time.

If we are not happy, if we are not peaceful, we cannot share peace and happiness with others, even those we love, those who live under the same roof. If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace. Do we need to make a special effort to enjoy the beauty of the blue sky? Do we have to practice to be able to enjoy it? No, we just enjoy it. Each second, each minute of our lives can be like this. Wherever we are, any time, we have the capacity to enjoy the sunshine, the presence of each other, even the sensation of our breathing. We don’t need to go to China to enjoy the blue sky. We don’t have to travel into the future to enjoy our breathing. We can be in touch with these things right now. It would be a pity if we are only aware of suffering.

We are so busy we hardly have time to look at the people we love, even in our own household, and to look at ourselves. Society is organized in a way that even when we have some leisure time, we don’t know how to use it to get back in touch with ourselves. We have millions of ways to lose this precious time we turn on the TV or pick up the telephone, or start the car and go somewhere. We are not being with ourselves, and we act as if we don’t like ourselves and are trying to escape from ourselves.

Meditation is to be aware of what is going on-in our bodies, in our feelings, in our rninds, and in the world. Each day 40,000 children die of hunger. The superpowers now have more than 50,000 nuclear warheads, enough to destroy our planet many times. Yet the sunrise is beautiful, and the rose that bloomed this morning along the wall is a miracle. Life is both dreadful and wonderful. To practice meditation is to be in touch with both aspects. Please do not think we must be solemn in order to meditate. In fact, to meditate well, we have to smile a lot.