A Peace Treaty with the Earth
Heat the vegetable oil in a wide pot over
medium heat. Add the lemongrass (you
may need to cut it to fit in the pot), onions,
and black pepper. Stir for one minute, then
add the carrots and potatoes. Stir for three
minutes.
Add one teaspoon of curry powder and
a pinch of salt. Continue to stir the mixture
for another minute.
Pour in water. When the water starts
to boil, add the lemon leaves, 1 teaspoon
salt, sugar, mushroom powder, and chickpeas or cubed tofu. Let everything boil until the carrots and potatoes are almost soft.
Add two tablespoons of curry powder, the can of coconut milk, and the fresh
mushrooms. Let the mixture boil for a couple more minutes.
Please taste and add more curry powder, coconut milk, salt, sugar, and/or water
if needed, depending on your preferences.
Garnish the curry with the chopped
spring onion and lime wedges. Serve with
bread, rice, or rice noodles.
Serves 2–4.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 sticks lemongrass, tough outer
layer removed, bruised with the
back of a knife
½ onion, diced
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup carrots, sliced
2 cups potatoes, cubed
2 ½ tablespoons curry powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 quart water
5 lemon leaves, sliced thin
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon mushroom powder
⅔ cup cooked chickpeas or
fresh tofu, cubed
1 can coconut milk
(13.5 oz, about 1 ⅔ cup)
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch spring onions, sliced thin
1 lime
Chân Trời Đại Lực, or Brother Strength (pronouns he/him), was ordained in 2019 at Blue
Cliff Monastery in New York, US. He came to the
United States in 1990 and grew up in Virginia.
He worked in Washington D.C. before encountering the teachings and becoming a monk.
Brother Strength currently resides at Blue Cliff
Monastery. He loves soccer, hiking, nature, history, and, of course, meditation. He also enjoys
music and cooking vegetarian food.
Lemongrass Curry for Mother Earth
A Peace Treaty
with the Earth
Touching the earth practice, Vesak in
Plum Village 2023; photo by Đức trú
A few inspired monastics, including Brother Pháp
Dung, Sister Lăng Nghiêm, and I, approached Thầy
in 2007 as he embarked on a US tour from the newly opened Blue Cliff Monastery. We hoped Thầy
would institute a worldwide ecological initiative
across all of our centers. The initiative we had in
mind was based on what we were developing at
Deer Park Monastery; it included solar panels for
our electrical needs, the practice of a no-car day
once a week, and cars altered to run on used vegetable oil. Thầy, as Zen master and teacher, took our
intentions even further and declared: “What we
need is a peace treaty with the Earth.” That night,
I drafted the first version of the Earth Peace Treaty
Commitment Sheet based on our collective aspirations. The current version of this treaty, recently
updated, is reprinted in this Mindfulness Bell issue.
In the years following its inception, thousands of
people committed to the actions suggested by
the Earth Peace Treaty; many sent a copy of their
pledge to us at Deer Park Monastery.
When I returned to Deer Park during the pandemic in August of 2020, one such recently completed pledge was in my mailbox. I took it as a
reminder from Thầy to continue my own commitment of shepherding the Earth Peace Treaty
movement. In the following summer of 2021, the
community offered me two weeks to write and
sleep in a hammock amongst the Engelmann Oaks
in the wild of Deer Park’s hidden mountain. There,
I composed the first draft of the contemplation
below—a more integrated path that flows from
the Earth Peace Treaty commitment sheet and is
based on the Eightfold Path. This draft expresses
my own insights and practice of reconciliation with
Mother Earth.
In the lead-up to COP26 in the fall of 2021,
Sister Lực Nghiêm asked Thầy Pháp Dung and I to
draft a statement to our international community.
Our statement included a revision of the contemplation I created while on writing retreat in
Deer Park. Further helpful insights and edits were
contributed by Sister Thệ Nghiêm, Sister Hiến
Nghiêm, Sister Đẳng Nghiêm, Hisae Matsuda,
Heather Weightman, John Bell, Felipe Viveros,
Aaron Solomon, and many others. Ánh Hương
and Thư Nguyễn contributed a decisive shift in the
tone, and together we created a contemplation
that now stands as a practice of touching the earth:
an intimate conversation with Mother Earth. After
the initial group of fifty people read the text and
gave input, I let it sit for a while in the crucible of
my own practice. With this issue of The Mindfulness
Bell, we offer it to a wider public. Any shortcomings
or hidden dualisms are due to my own stillgrowing understanding of the Dharma and Thầy’s
teachings.
I hope it contributes to your own path of making peace with the Earth.
Brother Pháp Lưu
offers a new series of
earth-touching
meditations.
Mother Earth, I open myself to your joy and your
pain. Recognizing that we inter-are, I see that my
views and actions affect your well-being and suffering, and the well-being of myself and all other
beings.1
[Bell: You may like to bow deeply, or practice a
prostration while the contemplation is read]
Breathing with mindfulness, I am in touch with
the insight that I am not separate from you, Mother
Earth, or from all beings; your well-being and mine
are connected. When I cling to and act on views
based in ignorance, craving, fear, and aversion, I
contribute to corporate and governmental policies
and systems that have harmed others, degraded
the environment, and brought our climate into crisis. With compassion, I bear witness to the sacrifice
zones2, melting permafrost, rising sea levels, extreme temperatures, and wildfires, as well as to the
steep decline and extinction of species. I recognize
that these events arise from generations of neglect
and violence that stem from wrong views about our
collective relationship with you, Mother Earth.
Knowing that suffering and happiness inter-
are, I draw strength from your great equanimity. As I see and meet these challenges, I aspire to
train myself not to fall into despair, escapism, or
paralysis, but instead to cultivate loving kindness,
compassion, joy, and equanimity toward my body,
feelings, and others. Through the concrete practice of nonviolence, I am determined to find ways
to change the situation, both in my own life and in
society.
Touching the earth, I am aware that I am part
of a larger planetary body, and I share limited resources with countless others. I see clearly that
when I live more simply and share with others, I
already have enough conditions for happiness and
can better support equitable living conditions for
everyone.
[Bell & Stand Up]
Mother Earth, I see that my thoughts influence my
actions and have real effects on the world. I aspire
to give rise to loving thoughts toward myself and
all beings.
[Bell & Touch the Earth]
Mother Earth, I witness your great capacity
to hold and embrace all beings as your children.
When I can connect with this same quality of inclusiveness in me, I am able to embrace the current
climate emergency without falling into judgment,
anger, grief, or despair. As I reflect on those doing
harm and worsening the situation, I practice sending them loving thoughts and recognize they are
not my enemy. The roots of harmful actions are
wrong perceptions and misunderstanding. Letting
go of my tendency to think of others as separate
from me, I feel compassion arise toward all of us
for our collective situation.
Looking deeply, I am aware that my lifestyle
and my community’s lifestyle also contribute to
ecological suffering. I am determined to develop
and maintain bodhicitta, the mind of love, to give
me strength to embrace and transform my habitual ways of thinking and acting and to support others on the path of awakening and healing. I know
that cultivating inclusiveness and bodhicitta will
help me transform challenging situations and act
to bring about a positive, regenerative future for all
of us.
[Bell & Stand Up]
Touching the Earth to Guide Our Engagement
with Climate and Social Justice
Note: “We/us” can be used in place of “I/me” where appropriate.
The contemplations can be practiced as a whole, or individually in a series of shorter sessions.
You may also like to read the contemplations as inspiration for reflection and intention-setting.
Mother Earth, I am inspired by your capacity to
receive my unskillful words and strong emotions
with compassion and solidity.
[Bell & Touch the Earth]
I realize my words can create division and despair in others if I am not mindful. When I practice
loving speech, I can water positive seeds instead,
like hope and compassion. When I practice deep
listening, I gain more clarity and understanding
about myself and others. I know deep listening
and loving speech help me skillfully engage in
constructive dialogue about the climate crisis in
ways that move the heart. In the past, I have spoken out of anger or fear and caused others to turn
away or react defensively and angrily. Now, when I
am called to speak in support of climate action or
to address perspectives conflicting with my own,
I will practice speaking in a way that inspires others to engage positively. I realize true dialogue can
only occur when both parties are willing to be fully
present with each other.
When the energies of anger, impatience, and
despair come up in me, I will practice mindful
breathing and walking to calm myself. When I reestablish my capacity to listen deeply to myself
and the other person, I will transform those energies into understanding and compassion. Only
when I communicate in this spirit might the other person receive my words with openness. I will
learn to communicate in ways that inspire individuals, corporations, and institutions to recognize
the harmful effects of their actions, to give up the
culture of consumption, to transform our dependence on fossil fuels, and to support regenerative
economies that honor and protect you and all your
children.
[Bell & Stand Up]
Mother Earth, so much has been done to hurt you.
I bear witness to this pain, and wish to begin anew
now that I see clearly how my actions and those of
so many of us have harmed you, bringing about a
dangerous and uncertain imbalance for all life.
[Bell & Touch the Earth]
I see that the pollution and disruption of communities and ecosystems and the destruction of
biodiversity stems from destructive and exploitative patterns of consumption—including the
burning of fossil fuels—that have brought much
harm and suffering to you, Mother Earth, and to all
of us. Deep in my heart, I earnestly wish to reduce
harm and engender healing. I know nonviolent
direct action can bring real social change. I realize
that to practice true nonviolent action, I first must
learn how to deal peacefully with my own suffering. That is why I touch the earth now, letting go of
my fears, anxieties, and anger, so I may cultivate
the clarity, compassion, and courage to act wisely.
Like the Earth Holder Bodhisattva, Dharanimdhara, who supports, preserves, and protects the
air, water, soil, and all beings without exception, I
am committed to practice the way of Earth holding for the safety and well-being of all beings and
environments—especially those most impacted
by ecological degradation. Upholding reverence
for life, I am determined not to engage in the destruction of life and life systems and not to support
any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, or in
my way of life. I see the profound interrelationship
between social, racial, and environmental justice. I
am moved to act to bring an end to the inequitable
distribution of natural resources and discriminatory policies that continue to harm your children and
destabilize communities around the world.
I can no longer close my eyes to the industrial
food system, which contributes directly to greenhouse gas emissions, the suffering of living beings,
soil depletion, the massive draining of aquifers,
and the destruction of biodiversity. Aware of these
harms, I see that it is not difficult to reduce my
consumption of harmful industrial products or to
abstain from them completely. I am inspired by
the many Indigenous cultures all over the Earth
and seek to honor their wisdom and knowledge
for living more simply and harmoniously with you,
Mother Earth.
I see that we are your stewards, Mother Earth,
and with this insight comes great responsibility to
act for your well-being and for future generations. I
know the best way to care for the future is to prac
tice dwelling happily and mindfully in the present
moment, unattached to the fruits of my actions.
In this way, I am able to work with ease and joy,
fully present and fully appreciating the conditions
around me. When a community of Earth holders
embodies this spirit, that community can impact
society and produce social change. In the pres
ent moment, I am committed to protecting those
most harshly impacted by the climate crisis by sup
porting direct, local actions. I am motivated to help
communities, corporations, and governments
look deeply into their past, present, and future
impacts so they may change their ways, adopting
new low-carbon policies, renewable energies, and
sustainable resource use. Reverence for the lives of
all future generations moves me to live lightly on
the Earth using present-moment sources of energy, including sunlight.
[Bell & Stand Up]
Monastic tour, Freiberg, Germany,
Mother Earth, I know you are truly there for me and
that I can trust you. So that I may regain your trust
and be truly there for you, I am learning how to live
and consume in a way that preserves my health,
that of other beings, and future generations.
[Bell & Touch the Earth]
Just as inflammation indicates imbalance or
illness in my own body, climate and ecological disruption indicates imbalance in your body, Mother
Earth. I deeply wish to reduce this inflammation.
Now I see that doing so requires me to make meaningful changes in how I make a living. I know that
the desire for wealth, power, fame, and sensual
pleasures can blind me to how my livelihood may
contribute to releasing toxins into my own body
and into our atmosphere, soil, and rivers. This inspires me to choose a vocation that does not exploit other people or you, Mother Earth.
I know that many human cultures have fallen into the habit of stealing from and oppressing
others, exploiting the land and each other for labor, and using violent means to extract natural resources so we may consume them in excess. With
compassion in my heart, I am determined to live
and consume in a way that transforms the habit of
exploitation and preserves my own health, as well
as the health of other living beings, future generations, and you, Mother Earth, by adopting a way of
life that is fulfilling, creative, and in harmony with
nature. In that way, I may be present for loved ones
and support our most vulnerable communities.
[Bell & Stand Up]
Mother Earth, I admire your enduring capacity for
regeneration as you diligently transform decaying
matter into new life. I see that I too have this capacity, and that I can find more skillful ways to handle
my difficult emotions. I will not neglect them or let
them spread like a wildfire in my consciousness,
but will learn how to embrace, honor, and transform them into insight and wise action.
[Bell & Touch the Earth]
When I look deeply into the climate crisis, I see
that emotions like anger, fear, greed, and despair
have led to violence and harm toward one another and to the desecration of our environment. This
strongly motivates me to take care of my emotions, to recognize, accept, embrace, and look
deeply into them as soon as they arise. Shining the
light of mindfulness on my emotions, I help them
transform so I may have more calm, clarity, and insight. I will learn to cultivate appropriate attention
and be more vigilant about what I am consuming
through my senses, including news, social media,
and conversations. In this way I can understand
clearly what is fueling my emotions and whether it
is beneficial or harmful.
Your capacity for regeneration reminds me that
conditions for happiness are already available in
the present moment. I will train myself with mindful breathing and walking to keep this awareness
alive. I will use my mindful steps to invite positive
emotions like compassion, understanding, and
love to come up and thrive in my consciousness
for longer periods of time. I know there are pathways of healing in community that will allow me
to transform the roots of painful emotions that belong primarily to my past and my ancestors’ past.
Immersion in nature, enough rest, and community living all help to contribute to my own mental
solidity, peace, and joy, keeping my engagement
with Earth-holding sustainable.
[Bell & Stand Up]
Mother Earth, your deep love penetrates all of us,
your children. Thanks to this love I have learned
how to shine the light of mindfulness on the pain in
our collective consciousness to bring about healing and transformation in myself and in the world.
[Bell & Touch the Earth]
I know now that the climate and ecological
crisis, including the mass extinction of species, results from our individual and collective ignorance
about the full effects of our actions. Mindfulness allows us to be fully present, alert, fearless, and free
to see how our choices have real effects on you,
Mother Earth—on the climate and on people, animals, plants, and minerals. In this way, I see clearly
what to do and what not to do. I commit to cultivating the energy of mindfulness in my daily life by
remembering to stop, come back to my breathing,
and become aware of what is going on within me
and around me in the present moment. I see it is a
joy to be alive. I will practice to nourish myself with
the wonders of the present moment so I have more
energy to act for change and to help myself and my
community heal the collective wounds at the root
of the climate and ecological crisis. Mindful that
all states, governments, and institutions are of the
nature to form and to collapse, I will continually do
my best to address real social and ecological injustice by building resilient and regenerative communities. Doing this, I plant seeds that will sprout into
new cultures and societies.
[Bell & Stand Up]
Monastic tour, Darmstadt,
Germany, May 2023; photo
by Thien Khai, courtesy of
monastic Sangha
Mother Earth, your capacity to endure fills me with
genuine awe and respect. With the energy of concentration, I open myself to the experience of oneness with you and touch the unconditioned.
[Bell & Touch the Earth]
I know my mind is often dispersed and unable
to come back to and focus on what is really going
on in the present moment. I easily get attached to
concepts, images, sounds, words, points of view,
emotions, and other sense impressions. Unifying
my body and mind right now through mindfulness
of breathing, I let go of these perceptions and conditioned phenomena and see that my mind has the
capacity to become stable, calm, and free. There is
nowhere to go, and nothing to do: just the experience of the breath and the body in this present moment. From here, noble action is possible.
The Buddha taught the Three Doors of Liberation as themes of meditation to help us become
free from our concepts and notions and to maintain
that freedom. I see that the Three Doors help me act
in the world with joy and happiness without getting
trapped by devastating emotions like despair.
Practicing the concentration on emptiness, I
let go of the view that this body is me, mine, or myself; that this culture, society, or civilization is me,
mine, or myself; or that the human species is me,
mine, or myself. In this body is the entire cosmos—
stardust, water, wind, atoms, and quarks—yet it is
empty of one thing: a separate self. All is action and
process, cause and effect. This is the wondrous
nature of interbeing; everything is intimately connected. With this realization, I am filled with joy
and clarity. For so long I have clung to the perception that I am a separate self. This perception cuts
me off from others, leaving me alone and isolated
from you, Mother Earth, and I get caught in the belief that when this body dies, everything ends. Now
I see that these are mere notions; even as I grasp
them they slip through my fingers, change, and disappear. Touching emptiness, I touch the fullness of
all things, everywhere. I can remain stable in the
face of losing everything I hold dear: those I love
and care for; the institutions, businesses, states,
and governments that support and sustain me;
even the extinction of humankind and countless
species. I learn to touch the ultimate dimension—
nirvana—in this present moment and receive the
gift of nonfear: bright, beautiful, and open. I see
that you and I, Mother Earth, have not ever been
separate in this dance of birth and death spanning
billions of years. Sorrow, despair, and fear can no
longer overwhelm and paralyze me. I can act with
love and compassion unburdened by fear.
Practicing the concentration on signlessness,
I am no longer caught by appearances. This body,
these feelings, these perceptions, these mental formations and consciousness are flowing
streams3; I stop grasping at sights, sounds, smells,
tastes, touch, or thoughts—experiencing events in
the world but not getting caught by the sign or appearance of those events. Seeing this frees me to
touch the love that pervades the millions of people
who have contributed and are continuing to contribute to transforming the situation of the climate
crisis in unacknowledged ways. Touching this fills
me with determination to help, to serve, and to act
wherever I am, with the scope and capacity available to me.
Practicing the concentration on aimlessness, I
do not let myself be carried away by the emotions
and desires of the majority, or by expectations of
what must happen in the future. I no longer look
for happiness outside of myself, or at some point
in the future, but dwell happily in the present
moment, knowing the future is forged right here
in this moment. This way I naturally manifest a
deep aspiration to help without expectation of result. I am able to access the deep stores of energy transmitted to me by my blood, spiritual, and
land ancestors who worked tirelessly in the spirit
of service and love for the sake of your well-being,
Mother Earth, and to transform situations of social
injustice. With this energy, there is no limit to what
is possible, and I can continue to work for the liberation of all beings, in whatever form they may take
in the future.
[Bell & Stand Up]
Together we know that a future of human
flourishing on this beautiful blue planet—a jewel
of the cosmos—is possible, but it is neither simple
nor easy, and it is not a given. Changing our way of
living for a future to be possible is the great challenge of our time. During the darkest moments of
the war in Vietnam, Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh reminded his student activists in the School of Youth
for Social Service that everything is impermanent;
our individual and global cultural habits are also
impermanent. Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible. Thích Nhất Hạnh inspired his students to never give up hope, to never give up their
dreams and efforts to build a more positive future.
Buddhist practice empowers us to walk this path of
compassion, freedom, and responsibility.
Recordings of the contemplation are available on the
Plum Village app and at deerparkmonastery.org/ept to
support your own practice of touching the earth.
For a more in-depth and expansive contemplation on
Mother Earth, and for the inspiration and source for
many of the practices presented here, please consult
the book Love Letter to the Earth, by Zen Master Thích
Nhất Hạnh. For an ethical way of living that informs and
is integrated into all of these contemplations, please
consider reading and putting into practice The Five
Mindfulness Trainings. For further teachings by Thích
Nhất Hạnh on the climate crisis, read Zen and the Art of
Saving the Planet.
1 “Because the practice of nonattachment as it is taught
in the sutra can liberate us completely from wrong
views, the happiness that results from this practice is far
greater than any kind of happiness. Virtuous acts still
based on the ground of self, person, living being, and life
span may bring some happiness, but compared to the
happiness of true liberation, it is still quite small. When
a person is absolutely free from wrong views, his or her
actions will greatly benefit the world.” Thích Nhất Hạnh,
The Diamond that Cuts Through Illusion.
2 “A sacrifice zone or sacrifice area (often termed a
national sacrifice zone or national sacrifice area) is a
geographic area that has been permanently impaired
by heavy environmental alterations or economic
disinvestment, often through locally unwanted land use.”
Wikipedia. Accessed July 11. https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Sacrifice_zone.
3 “23rd Tenet: We can talk of a person as a continuous
and ever-changing stream of five aggregates. This
stream is always flowing. It is in connection with and
interchanges with other streams of phenomena. We
cannot speak of a person as an unchanging and
permanent separate self.” Thích Nhất Hạnh, Plum Village
Looks at Vulture Peak.
Brother Pháp Lưu; photo
Brother Pháp Lưu’s bio can be
found on page 1.
Following photo by
Adrián Rivera