Engaged Buddhism
Taking Mindfulness to the World
“When you are mindful, you are fully alive; you are fully present. You can get in touch with the wonders of life that can nourish you and heal you. And you are stronger, you are more solid in order to handle the suffering inside of you and around you.” Thich Nhat Hanh, 2003, with “On Being”
Engaged Buddhism moves the wisdom learned in meditation into efforts to protect and care for all beings and the Earth. It encourages practitioners to use the awareness they’ve cultivated—of compassion, suffering and interconnection—to work for positive change.
You can move your practice into everyday life as you mindfully go through the day, whether brushing your teeth, driving your car or shopping for groceries. Engaged Buddhism invites practitioners to also see and respond to what is happening in the world, from wars to environmental destruction to social injustices. “Once there is seeing, there must be acting,” Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn has said. “We must be aware of the real problems of the world. Then, with mindfulness, we will know what to do and what not to do to be of help.”
Many SnowFlower practitioners choose to bring the benefits of their meditation to social causes. Earth Holders and the Wisconsin Prison Mindfulness Initiative are two of those opportunities. SnowFlower sangha also belongs to two interfaith organizations in the Madison area, the Dane Sanctuary Coalition and MOSES (Madison Organizing in Strength, Equity, and Solidarity).
More on Engaged Buddhism, which was born as a response to the Vietnam War, can be found in the 14 precepts of Engaged Buddhism and on the Plum Village Earth Holder Community website.
SnowFlower Earth Holders
“The Earth Holder works to preserve this planet for living beings by taking care of the air, water, and soil…Only mindfulness, awareness of what is happening, can save us from the path of certain disaster we are currently on.” Thich Nhat Hanh, “The World We Have.”
The Plum Village Earth Holder Community began in 2014 based on Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings, and it supports Earth Holder communities across the world. The SnowFlower Earth Holders meet monthly and explore how to apply the teachings of engaged Buddhism, mindful living, social and racial justice, and inter-being with the Earth. The group follows core tenants of the Plum Village community to grow the movement, share earth-based mindfulness practices, support marginalized communities and advance earth-healing.
Key activities of the SnowFlower Earth Holders:
- Acting for social and environmental justice by participating in local climate and social justice work.
- Expanding Opportunities for practice by gathering in nature, in book discussions and in an annual half-day of mindfulness.
- Connecting Globally by joining the annual international Touching Simplicity Walk.
How to participate: All are welcome to Earth Holder gatherings; they are listed on the calendar.
For more information: Email questions@SnowFlower.org
Wisconsin Prison Mindfulness Initiative
The Wisconsin Prison Mindfulness Initiative (WPMI) trains volunteers to teach secular meditation and mindfulness to incarcerated men and women across Wisconsin. Begun in 2011 by SnowFlower practitioners, the circle-based model allows the imprisoned to practice together with volunteers and support each other. Prison groups range from a dozen participants to 50 and sometimes include one-on-one visits.
Key activities of the Wisconsin Prison Mindfulness Initiative:
- Alleviating suffering and helping incarcerated men and women move more skillfully and with greater ease through life by teaching meditation and mindfulness.
- Creating community by meditating and meeting with those in prison, showing them that someone cares and serving as witnesses to the challenges of prison life.
- Encouraging wholeness by listening deeply, being fully present and helping these men and women understand they are intelligent and inherently good human beings capable of change.
- Expanding the circle by training and organizing volunteers to visit Wisconsin’s 22 prisons and create practice communities to support them.
How to participate: Volunteers must have practiced daily meditation for at least two years and commit to volunteering at least twice a month for a year.
To learn more: Email questions@SnowFlower.org
Dane Sanctuary Coalition
A project of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, in collaboration with Voces de la Frontera and Centro Hispano, the coalition offers and supports physical sanctuary for immigrants and organizes rides to government-required hearings and appointments in Milwaukee, Waukegan and Chicago. Its newsletter provides information on trainings for immigrants and their allies and upcoming legislation related to immigration.
Learn more at: wifaithvoices.org/immigration
MOSES (Madison Organizing in Strength, Equity, and Solidarity)
Committed to social justice and racial equity, the non-partisan interfaith organization is an affiliate of WISDOM, a statewide interfaith network. MOSES’ mission, according to its website, is “to build collective power to dismantle the systems of mass incarceration and mass supervision and to eradicate the racial disparities in our community that contribute to them.”
Learn more at: mosesmadison.org
“We practice meditation and mindfulness not only for ourselves; we practice to relieve the suffering of all beings and of the Earth itself. With the insight of interbeing – that we are inherently interconnected with all other beings – we know that when other people suffer less, we suffer less. And when we suffer less, other people suffer less.” Thich Nhat Hanh, “Good Citizens: Creating Enlightened Society”