The Earth Is One

This Suffering Is Not Me:
The Diamond That Cuts Through
Illusions and the Avataṃsaka Realm
by Magda Cabrero
I have recently met many people deeply impacted
by the actions of the new administration in the
United States government. Many of us internalize not only our personal suffering but also the
suffering around us. Some feel profoundly alone
in their pain, believing it to be permanent. I, too,
know what it is to feel unable to detach from suffering—to feel as if I were one with it.
We often find ourselves trapped in mental
loops that reinforce the illusion of permanent
suffering. Recognizing the deeper reality of interbeing helps us release our attachment to it.
I have experienced this firsthand. After the
recent election, I found myself identifying deeply
with the suffering of marginalized children and
youth. It was an echo of the despair I witnessed
when President Trump was first elected in 2016—
like an old wound reopening. For weeks, I felt
unable to detach from this suffering.
Through meditation and mindful collaboration with others, including my sangha’s Engaged
Buddhism group, I learned to loosen my clinging
and transform this energy into compassionate
action. Beginning each day with gratitude and
reminding myself this suffering is not me continues to support my efforts to let go of ego and
experience the profound emptiness of the self.
As Thầy explains, this emptiness is not
nihilism; it is freedom from the illusion of a fixed
identity. To be empty is to be free—free from false
notions of self, from attachment, and from suffering. Nonself is an embrace of impermanence:
no birth, no death. To stay true to my path, I must
move beyond my attachment to suffering and
cultivate a broader, more liberating perspective.
I am learning to let the diamond cut through
the illusion that suffering defines me. More clearly
than ever, I see how suffering is bound to my
deep-seated belief in a separate self, ingrained
since childhood. But nothing exists in isolation—
there is no separate self, only interbeing.
Through meditation, suffering transforms into
compassion, for both ourselves and others. When
my suffering felt unbearable, simply sharing it
lightened the burden, helping me see that we
ultimately belong to each other.
At a recent retreat with the Opening Heart
Mindfulness Community, we reflected on Thầy’s
teachings on Kṣitigarbha, a revered bodhisattva
in East Asian Buddhism known for their deep
compassion for all sentient life and their vow to
guide beings in the hell realms to a better rebirth.
Many find inspiration in this bodhisattva, especially during these challenging times.
Just as Kṣitigarbha took refuge in the sangha,
Thầy views the sangha as a refuge for individuals, recognizing the immense burden they carry.
The Earth Is One
Earth Holder Community Care-Taking Council members
share their experiences on growing love and
understanding in fractious times.

Sanghas must be places of support and nourishment for those who tirelessly help others, places
where they can rest and restore themselves.
Suffering intensifies when we isolate ourselves; in solitude, we can forget that suffering is
universal. Thầy urges us to find a sangha, which
he calls Maitreya, the Buddha of Love. The Sangha
nurtures mindfulness and peace; it sustains
bodhicitta, the awakened heart-mind. By offering
community, sangha gives us a chance to heal.
During this time of despair for many, I have
witnessed people come together to support one
another and engage in meaningful action. I see
our sangha as a sign of hope.
Personally, I have felt very supported as a
sangha member. I know I am not alone in my suffering, and I feel safe expressing it in a space held
with confidentiality and compassion. Recently,
the head of our sangha reached out to me directly
to offer her support, which made me feel truly
seen and cared for. Many of our meditations and
Dharma topics have centered on themes such
as No Mud, No Lotus, offering both comfort and
insight during challenging times. During Dharma
sharing, several members have expressed how
much support they have received from the
sangha, and how relieved they feel knowing that
it is always there for them as a refuge.
Being able to attend my Opening Heart
Mindfulness
Community
sangha
regularly
—sometimes as often as three times a week—and
to be surrounded by many members who aspire to
follow Thầy’s teachings and The Five Mindfulness
Trainings gives me a deep sense of belonging
and safety. Moreover, as an Earth Holder and a
member of One Earth Sangha, I feel a strong kinship with others who share my concerns for the
environment and social justice. We seem to speak
the same language and share the same heart. I
don’t feel alone in my suffering for the world.
One particularly meaningful effort has been
the work of our sangha’s Engaged Mindfulness
group, of which I am a part. We came together
with a shared intention to find ways to support
immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, and
we presented our reflections and resources
to the larger sangha. This information is
now permanently available on our website,
openingheartmindfulness.org, and individuals
and groups within our community are choosing to
take part in these efforts. These endeavors have
helped me transform my suffering into meaningful
action. Rather than dwell in the pain I perceive in
myself and in the world, I now channel my energy
into mindful engagement and service.
Reflecting on how Thích Nhất Hạnh engaged
with the world to relieve suffering and share his
peace, I feel deeply inspired to do the same. I have
discovered meaningful ways to take mindful and
compassionate action in the world. When I feel
Beginning each day with gratitude and
reminding myself this suffering is not me
continues to support my efforts to let go
of ego and experience the profound
emptiness of the self.

tired or overwhelmed by suffering, I know I can
return to my practice and to the sangha as a place
of refuge. The practice not only helps me find the
island within myself, but also offers a place of
solace, compassion, and understanding—a place
where I can truly rest, hand in hand with people
who share my values and are committed to easing
suffering through mindful, loving action.
Are You Sure?
by Kat Liu
Not long ago, I had breakfast with someone I
know from activist circles, someone with whom
I’ve been friendly but do not often speak. Instead,
most of our interactions lately have been via posts
and comments on social media. The impression
that I had of this person was that they ran with
a clique of people who are deeply and passionately committed to social justice, angry over the
many injustices in our nation and world, and so
committed and angry that they are unable to see
the humanity of those who actively (or passively)
perpetuate these injustices.
However, as we conversed face to face over a
shared meal, it became ever clearer to me that the
impression I had been holding of this person in
my mind was inaccurate, distorted. I realized that
the person sitting across from me actually had
a much more nuanced and compassionate view
of the so-called “other side” than I thought. This
realization made me smile to myself as I recognized that I was doing the same thing others have
done to me—seeing one aspect of a person, the
aspect that shows up in social media posts and at
protests and rallies, and thinking that is all there
is to the person.
Although my conversational partner is not
Buddhist and probably would not describe it
this way, we talked over breakfast about the
recognition that everyone’s beliefs and actions
are the results of many causes and conditions
in which they were raised and continue to exist.
For example, a person who grew up being taught
that humans have dominion over the earth will
more likely believe that to be true, whereas someone who grew up being taught that we are all
part of an interdependent web of existence will
more likely see the world that way. While the first
person’s views may cause harm to Mother Earth
and our sibling animals, plants, and minerals, the
person isn’t inherently inferior; nor is the second
person inherently better. For those of us who seek
to make our communities and world more equitable, such judgements of inferiority and superiority
can be tempting but are generally unhelpful and
unskillful. Instead, we need to meet each person
with compassion, seek to understand the causes
and conditions that lead to certain beliefs and
actions, and where it is possible and beneficial to
try to change those conditions.
The realization that someone I know was
actually much less angry and intransigent than I
had thought made me wonder how many other
people I might have misjudged, including people
whom I may feel at political odds with. This is not
to say there aren’t real divisions between people—
divisions that have serious consequences for the
well-being of marginalized peoples, our sibling
species, and Mother Earth—but those divisions
may not be as big as they appear, and therefore
not as insurmountable either. The conversation
was like a mindfulness bell, reminding me that
what I perceive may not be all there is, and to try
to remain curious and open.

How to Live Together
by Maíra Fernandes de Melo
Our current worldviews tend to divide us into not
only two sides, but also a few more. From a binary
perspective, there are those of us who are against
(someone/something) and those in favor. Beyond
this, there are also those in favor of not being
against something, people against being in favor
of anything, and some of us trying to find some
fun in this confusing and endless circle of being
right and wrong.
No matter how open we think we are or how
free we think we are from our wrong perceptions, they are always waiting in the corner for
an unaware moment. I remember a Dharma talk
given by Sister Eleni during the 2023-2024 Rains
Retreat in Plum Village, France. She mentioned
a cartoon about many parts of an elephant and
talked about the thousand ways of not really
seeing the elephant in the room.1
Sanghas are a safe space where we can “test”
our ability to coexist with—and even love—those
who think differently from us. “How come you are
a Plum Village practitioner and support this one
or that one?” I sometimes think to myself. “This
doesn’t make any sense, you haven’t understood
the teachings!” When I notice these thoughts, I
have to laugh at myself. The time between thinking
and laughing has become shorter and shorter—a
sign I’m evolving in the practice! But we “train”
in sanghas to build community and connection
wherever we go, not only in safe spaces.
Recently, I had the opportunity to work on a
partnership project between a research institute
and a conservative Christian church designing
an online course about climate change for their
youth. Having been working on interfaith dialogue
for a while now, I know some dogmas are undiscussable and yet some peace is possible. Working
together daily to design the course helped me see
that “they” are not as judgmental as “we” usually
think “they” are. (Who’s the judgmental one here?)
I still have a side: I still believe that whatever
god is, It is not worried about the gender of my
love as much as the quality of it. Though the
people I collaborated with are probably not going
to become my best friends, it was interesting to
see that they are not only nice people but also
interested in science—“who would imagine?!”
says my prejudice.
Peace is the ability to sustain divergency,
accepting that although we do have many differences (thanks to biodiversity), that doesn’t mean
we should want to annihilate the other. Are we up
to this? Or do we want to live with “our” people,
“our” friends, “our” team? Coming from a country
where soccer is a national identity, I’ve seen the
team thing create bonds and generate marriages
as well as dismantle families and kill people. As
the Martinican philosopher Édouard Glissant
The realization that someone I know was
actually much less angry and intransigent than
I had thought made me wonder how many
other people I might have misjudged, including
people whom I may feel at political odds with.

says, identity is constructed in relation—and so
is oppression. How can we foster and engage in
relationships with those who think, speak, and
act so differently from us, even if their actions are
complete opposites of our own—and even if they
are ultimately threatening our lives?
OF JOY IN SUCH HARD TIMES?
On Water Day, the activist movement I’m part of
(a kind of interfaith Wake Up Water group full of
wonderful people who work at the intersection
of spiritual and environmental activism) came
together to host a water festival in the capital of
Brazil. We planned the program with love and
care. Since it was a youth-focused event, we
didn’t want it to be sad or boring. We had round
tables and serious discussions about the worsening state of water in the country, but we also
invited many people to present already-existent
solutions, including social technologies in progress all over the country, and to address diverse
water-related issues. We had playful activities, artistic performances, rituals and ceremonies from
different spiritualities, artisans offering beautiful
crafts, good music, good food, and lots of bonding
and connecting. Everyone who attended—including us, the coordinators—left feeling gratitude for
life, for people, and for Water.
The most beautiful part was testimony of one
of the young indigenous boys who attended the
event; it warmed my heart. On the last day, asked
if he had liked the festival, he said, “We are used
to attending many environmental events, but
we always listen and talk about violence, about
genocide, about death. What I liked the most is
that here we haven’t heard about it even once. It
was all joy, love, and beauty. It was nourishing and
refreshing!”
I then remembered a class on the fifty verses
Sister Clear Grace (today Venerable Clear Grace
Dayananda) gave.2 Something they said stuck
with me: “If we want the tug of war to end, we
have to drop the rope.” But how can I drop the fear
that if I put the rope down, “they” will come and
get me—even kill me? The Plum Village practice
keeps teaching me that it is not only a matter of
dropping the rope, but also of starting to play
different games—having fun in different ways
and enjoying the kindergarten of life from new
perspectives.
1 Sister Từ Nghiêm (Sister Eleni), “The Festival of Stars is Here,”
October 29, 2023. Plum Village YouTube channel https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpHzA1rlpOo&list=PLaX_
vxbhs8fhQGz5eHPpMIgKDfMbUlH7m&index=6
2 Thích Nhất Hạnh, Understanding Our Mind (Berkeley: Parallax
Press, 2002) https://deerparkmonastery.org/collections/fiftyverses-on-the-nature-of-consciousness/?page=1
Ksitigarbha pottery by Kat Liu
Water Festival photo by Kadan Lopes
pages 38-39:
Diamond and Avatamsaka illustration by Magda Cabrero

Maíra Fernandes de Melo, PhD/True Powerful Earth
(she/it) is a Brazilian journalist, poet, activist, and Order
of Interbeing member. Born in the lands of Tupinambás,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she grew up surrounded by
the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the mountains
of the Atlantic Forest. She also lived in Argentina,
land of Guaraníes—the dense stream of Paraná River
embracing her body. Living in the Global South, she
has witnessed all sorts of colonialism, imperialism, and
social, racial, and environmental injustices. Maíra has
Indigenous and European human ancestors, and is a
daughter of Oxóssi, orisha of the forests in Brazilian
candomblé. She dwells happily in hammocks and
jabuticaba trees, loves the scent of wet earth, lots of
coffee, and walking barefoot, and she is super happy to
live the Zen teachings in a Brazilian kind of way.
Dr. Magda De La Paz Cabrero/Bodhi Heart from
the Source (she/they) is the author and illustrator of
Walking on Earth with Thích Nhất Hạnh: My Experiences
with Silence and the Sanctuaries and Kindred Spirits I
Found in Many Places, and its Spanish version, Mis
Andares Por La Tierra Con Mi Maestro Zen Thich Nhat
Hahn. She is a member of Opening Heart Mindfulness
Community, where she is a Dharma facilitator, CareTaking Council member, and coordinator of Engaged
Buddhist projects. She is also a member of the
Chesapeake Earth Holder Community and a council
and board member of the Earth Holder Community. Her
website is www.truejustice4youth.org.
Kat Liu/Joyful Engagement of the Heart (she/her/
ta) is the daughter of Chinese immigrants to the United
States by way of Taiwan. She grew up with a cultural mix
of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and folk traditions from
her family and exposure to Christianity from the larger
dominant society. Kat received The Five Mindfulness
Trainings in 2016 during an Earth Holder retreat at
Deer Park Monastery. In addition to sitting on the
Care-Taking Council for Earth Holder Community, Kat
works as a coordinator for ARISE Sangha (Awakening
through Race, Intersectionality, and Social Equity).
She finds joy in helping beautiful things to arise in the
world, mainly through community organizing, writing,
gardening, ceramics, and stained glass art.

Amidst these divisive times, the Plum Village Happy Farm project in France, now in its
thirteenth year, continues to bring together people from all over the world to practice
mindfulness and grow food for our communities. This past winter, we experienced a legendary
moment as Deer Park Monastery (California, US) broke ground on its own Happy Farm
project. The now global Happy Farm project is not passive in the face of the present global
political and social situation. Our Happy Farm project is radically political in its contribution to
the evolution of local and global food systems. Collectively, we view the work we undertake
as spiritual activism in the face of the polycrisis, as we act directly on behalf of climate,
nature, and our society. We take pride in acting as a catalyst for other forms of activism in
these realms that manifest all over the world. Happy Farm is committed to building sangha
and common unity. We share the aspiration to cultivate a foundation of spiritual friendship,
kindness, and understanding, supporting personal and collective stability, capacity, healing,
and transformation.
I had the good fortune to be able to travel to Deer Park Monastery this past winter to
offer what experience and skills that I could to help Deer Park Happy Farm come to life. Thầy
Pháp Dung and Thầy Pháp Lưu are two of the tall trees in the monastic sangha at Deer Park
Monastery. They are trailblazers and manifesters. Together with the equally dynamic efforts,
Growing Peace