Farm Fresh February 2022: Thich Nhat Hanh

Farm Fresh News - February 2022

In this issue:

Thich Nhat Hanh, Mourning the passing of a beloved teacher
Choosing Shoes

Winter's Ice at The Farm's back door - photo by Steve Brady

Dear Friends,

This month we remember and celebrate the life of Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the most important voices for peace in our lifetime.

Thich Nhat Hann was a young man in Viet Nam as the war took over his country. In 1966 he began traveling around the world calling for peace, coming to the United States where he met Martin Luther King, asking King to speak out against the Viet Nam War. King went a step further, by nominating Thich Nhat Hahn for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called Thich Nhat Hanh “an Apostle of peace and nonviolence” - image provided by Plum Village

As an ambassador for peace, Thich Nhat Hahn was banned from returning to his home country by both the North and South governments, an exile that lasted 39 years.

In 1975, he founded a spiritual community near Paris, France, and in 1982, moved to a larger site southwest of Paris known as Plum Village, which today has approximately 200 residents.

The author of numerous books, known especially for the practice of Mindfulness, you can find lectures and interviews on YouTube and a variety of podcasts. He presents clear teachings and wisdom on all aspects of life, with a sampling presented below. An inspiring and beautiful soul.

Namaste,
Douglas

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The Wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh

This body is not me; I am not caught in this body, I am life without boundaries, I have never been born and I have never died.

Over there the wide ocean and the sky with many galaxies All manifests from the basis of consciousness.

Since beginningless time I have always been free. Birth and death are only a door through which we go in and out. Birth and death are only a game of hide-and-seek.

So smile to me and take my hand and wave good-bye. Tomorrow we shall meet again or even before. We shall always be meeting again at the true source, Always meeting again on the myriad paths of life.

image provided by Plum Village

Peace is every step.

The shining red sun is my heart.

Each flower smiles with me.

How green, how fresh all that grows.

How cool the wind blows.

Peace is every step.

It turns the endless path to joy.

Waking up this morning, I see the blue sky.

I join my hands in Thanks for the many wonders of life; for having twenty-four brand new hours before me.

The sun is rising.

The forest becomes my awareness bathed in sunshine.

Peace is every step.

During our travels in Titusville, Florida, Deborah and I happened upon the White Sands Buddist temple in the same lineage as Thich Nhat Hanh.

“Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.”

“An oak tree is an oak tree. That is all it has to do. If an oak tree is less than an oak tree, then we are all in trouble.”

“To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.”

“Root out the violence in your life, and learn to live compassionately and mindfully. Seek peace. When you have peace within, real peace with others is possible.”

“We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.”

“Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.”

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”

A classic statue, representing, “The Buddha during his last illness, about to enter Parinirvana, the stage of great salvation after death that can only be attained by enlightened souls.”

"Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and argument. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change”

“Because you are alive, everything is possible.”

“To be beautiful means to be yourself.You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. When you are born a lotus flower, be a beautiful lotus flower, don't try to be a magnolia flower. If you crave acceptance and recognition and try to change yourself to fit what other people want you to be, you will suffer all your life. True happiness and true power lie in understanding yourself, accepting yourself, having confidence in yourself.”

“Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible.”

“My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.”

“Only the present moment contains life.”

“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That's the message he is sending.”

“Our own life has to be our message.”

“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.”

“If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence”

“I have lost my smile, but don't worry. The dandelion has it.”

“Freedom is not given to us by anyone; we have to cultivate it ourselves. It is a daily practice... No one can prevent you from being aware of each step you take or each breath in and breath out.”

“Life is available only in the present moment.”

“Understanding someone’s suffering is the best gift you can give another person. Understanding is love’s other name. If you don’t understand, you can’t love.”

“Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.”

Returning to Viet Nam after four decades of exile - image provided by Plum Village

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Choosing Shoes

In my career as a writer, I have taken things I have learned and shared them, in hopes there are others who can relate or benefit. For the last year, my wife Deborah and I have been traveling across the country hiking almost every day. And during the course of this it became clear that her hiking boots were not working. It is typical for us humans to have one foot slightly larger or smaller than the other, and her boots were rubbing uncomfortably against her little toe on the left foot. The solution, we learned, was to buy shoes with a Wide Toe Box.

Left, a narrow shoe and right, a wide toe box

When we walk barefoot, the bones in our feet and toes spread apart to provide support and a better foundation.

Many, perhaps even most of the shoes sold today push our toes together for fashion appeal and that can produce all sorts of problems, from numbness to bunions.

One of the primary causes of Bunions are tight, narrow shoes.

Another common problem in modern footware is the raised heal, which produces unnatural pressue on the joints of the toes. High heels are an extreme example, but even typical running and walking shoes may have a heal elevation or "stack height" of 10 millimeters (almost half an inch).

The solution is a "Zero Drop" shoe. There are a number of brands sold today which feature both a wide toes box and Zero or minimal heal to toe drop.

I chose a brand called Topo and Deborah liked another brand called Altra.

I have to say these are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn!

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Peace,

Douglas

Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com