We are deep into the fall season, which by a long stretch may be the most conflicting and complicated season of all. Here in unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone, we were briefly enveloped by the reverberation of summer’s warmth, only to be followed by an abrupt rain storm, reminding us of fall time’s very paradoxical nature… mirroring our own inner complexities. While the fall season is about the shedding of leaves from trees in transition, it also welcomes the abundance of harvest, the fruit of our labor from earlier seasons. Fall time poignantly invites us to consider “what remains abundant amidst the shedding of our own leaves?”
It is an inquiry that sits at the center of my daily practice. I hold the question tenderly yet unequivocally as I move through the loss of leaves in my own life, and more broadly, as the violence of war and climate disaster continue to ravage and devastate people across the world. The essence of this inquiry implores us as humans, as practitioners, to continue diving deep into ourselves. Now more than ever is a time to go further inwards, rather than continue our usual survival habits of distraction and avoidance.
I know this struggle intimately. Three months ago, my 77 year old mother suffered a massive stroke which has left my family navigating the loss of a mother we once knew. We are so thankful and fortunate she lived, yet sometimes it can still feel impossible to recognize abundance while steeped in grief and adjustment to a new and unfamiliar reality. And in such a difficult period, I choose to keep practicing, to keep contemplating where abundance remains, to keep letting go of the decaying leaves, and to keep myself surrounded by the support of beloved community.
This is why I’ve signed up as a participant for Braided Wisdom’s upcoming program Introduction to Cross-Cultural Mindfulness starting November 6th. I know deepening my practice can only support my ability to recognize, embrace, and move through the pains and joys of life. Please consider joining our community!
Photo of my beloved mom and me, in her fourth week at the hospital,
where she received acute inpatient rehabilitation therapy. She's making progress weekly!
Some people regard sitting meditation as the heart of formal meditation practice. The four universal postures include walking, lying down, and standing. Many consider the sitting posture as optimal because it allows the practitioner to relax and focus at the same time. Whatever posture we choose to practice, the intention is essentially the same — to connect to our own inner peace, joy, and wellbeing, and to ease our anxiety and stress by being present to whatever arises - thoughts, feelings, pain, or discomfort.
Dharma Teacher and Author Larry Yang writes, “The Buddha-to-be, decided with unwavering resolve to sit in meditation and not rise until he experienced the wisdom of the true nature of his existence.” In a moment of great obstacle all around him, under a bodhi tree, the Buddha reached his hand down, with the gentlest of ease, to touch the earth with the middle finger of his right hand. “This is the moment that the Buddha called upon Mother Earth to witness his inalienable right to his Dharma seat — to his place in the world, and to his belonging to this life.”
Here, the Buddha teaches us that despite our human frailties, we can awaken like him — by being with nature, both inner and outer. Contemplative practices such as going for a walk, working in the garden, nurturing our relationships with self and others, sitting in silence, cooking and eating food with intention — these are just some of the ways we can “touch the earth” daily to move towards our own liberation.
Whenever we sit down in meditation, let us remember the Buddha’s great gesture. We must not forget that we are deeply and inextricably connected to the earth. The way we live, our practice, our thoughts, our actions, and our words must be one with nature. It is the path to wisdom, healing, and joy.
Braided Wisdom Consultancy In Action
L-R Janet, Ramón, Imee, Carmela, Carol, and Danny
At the end of September, our consultant team spent an afternoon facilitating collective care and mindfulness sessions at the national StriveTogether 2023 Cradle to Career Network Convening. StriveTogether works with communities to build strong civic infrastructure to support equitable outcomes for every child across the country. We offered mindfulness practices and tools to members of frontline organizations working daily towards racial and economic equity and mobility for Black, Indigenous, Latine and Asian children and children experiencing poverty.
