the tree of life sangha

trees for life ~ may 2022 newsletter

Tree News - May 2022

Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.   ― John Muir

89,000 trees grown on the nursery   Since autumn we have carefully nurtured and grown 89,000 trees - ranging from aspen to willow. These trees are now in West Affric, the Forest of Hope in Beldorney and at Dundreggan itself, where the team planted 1,440 trees in Carn na Caorach last week, marking the end of the spring planting season.  As they grow, seed and support natural regeneration, these young trees will transform the landscape of the Scottish Highlands - and provide a home for a host of plants, birds, mammals and insects.  Thank you to everyone who has purchased a tree certificate or grove with us.

How to spot a red squirrel This month we released a new video on how to identify a red squirrel. From its feeding habits to its distinct mating call, nature educator, Dan Puplett reveals all the tell-tale signs to spot on your next walk in the woods. Watch here.

The Shieling Project Skills for Rewilding trainee, Alice, recently helped lead a week at The Shieling Project in Strathfarrar to build on her community engagement experience. She worked with primary school children to care for livestock and learn traditional crafts, such as natural dying and willow weaving.

Rare hawk moth visits Dundreggan A rare moth has landed at Dundreggan nursery. Resembling a bumblebee, the narrow bordered bee hawk moth flies between May and June, feeding on flowers like marsh thistle and lousewort. Dundreggan provides a perfect home of natural grasslands and shrubs.

Riverwoods screening We joined the Drumnadrochit community to watch Riverwoods  from SCOTLAND: The Big Picture. Riverwoods follows the plight of Scotland’s salmon and the call to restore river woodlands to help save them - our Affric Highlands initiative is working to do just that. Sign up to view the film here.

By donating to Trees for Life, you can help us rewild the Scottish Highlands. Please consider donating here.

Forest Champions A special thanks to outdoor enthusiasts Meg and Sammy, who will take on 26 Munros in July to raise money for rewilding.  Their 122km walking challenge is an opportunity to celebrate Scotland’s mountains and help us rewild the landscape of the Highlands. Their fundraising expedition will take four days, beginning at Glenshee and ending on Ben Wyvis on Saturday 16 July. Support Meg’s and Sammy's fundraising challenge here. Thanks to everyone who has donated to Trees for Life this month.

meditation on a leaf

Meditation on a leaf  ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

 

I asked the leaf whether it was frightened because it was autumn and the other leaves were falling.  The leaf told me,

“No.  During the whole spring and summer I was completely alive. I worked hard to help nourish the tree, and now much of me is in the tree. I am not limited by this form. I am also the whole tree, and when I go back to the soil, I will continue to nourish the tree. So I don’t worry at all. As I leave this branch and float to the ground, I will wave to the tree and tell her, ‘I will see you again very soon.”

 

That day there was a wind blowing and, after a while, I saw the leaf leave the branch and float down to the soil, dancing joyfully, because as it floated it saw itself already there in the tree. It was so happy. I bowed my head, knowing that I have a lot to learn from the leaf.”

 

” … So please continue to look back and you will see that you have always been here. Let us look together and penetrate into the life of a leaf, so we may be one with the leaf. Let us penetrate and be one with the cloud or with the wave, to realize our own nature as water and be free from our fear. If we look very deeply, we will transcend birth and death.

 

Tomorrow, I will continue to be. But you will have to be very attentive to see me. I will be a flower, or a leaf. I will be in these forms and I will say hello to you. If you are attentive enough, you will recognize me, and you may greet me. I will be very happy.

no escape retreat

Here's a moving article from Sr Tam Muoi, recently shared by Plum Village. It is such a beautiful and honest account of taking care of her elderly parents during the pandemic - the difficulties, the joys and the many aspects of our practice that have supported her.

 

https://plumvillage.org/articles/no-escape-retreat/

dear mother earth

Dear Mother Earth, I bow my head before you as I look deeply and recognize that you are present in me and that I’m a part of you. I was born from you and you are always present, offering me everything I need for my nourishment and growth.

You are the mother of all beings. I call you by the human name Mother and yet I know your mothering nature is more vast and ancient than humankind. We are just one young species of your many children. All the millions of other species who live - or have lived - on Earth are also your children. You aren’t a person, but I know you are not less than a person either. You are a living breathing being in the form of a planet.

I promise to keep the awareness alive that you are always in me, and I am always in you. I promise to be aware that your health and well-being is my own health and well-being. I know I need to keep this awareness alive in me for us both to be peaceful, happy, healthy, and strong.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

embracing anger

We can embrace all of our feelings, even difficult ones like anger. Anger is a fire burning inside us, filling our whole being with smoke. When we are angry, we need to calm ourselves: "Breathing in, I calm my anger. Breathing out, I take care of my anger." As soon as a mother takes her crying baby into her arms, the baby already feels some relief. When we embrace our anger with Right Mindfulness, we suffer less right away.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

still water

Breathing in, I see myself as still water.

Breathing out, I reflect things as they are.

 

Near the mountain, there is a lake with clear, still water reflecting the mountain and the sky with pristine clarity. You can do the same. If you are calm and still enough, you can reflect the mountain, the blue sky, and the moon exactly as they are. You reflect whatever you see exactly as it is, without distorting anything.

 

Have you ever seen yourself in a mirror that distorts the image? Your face is long, your eyes are huge, and your legs are really short. Don’t be like that mirror. It is better to be like the still water on the mountain lake.

 

We often do not reflect things clearly, and we suffer because of our wrong perceptions. Suppose you are walking in the twilight and see a snake. You scream and run into the house to get your friends, and all of you run outside with a flashlight. But when you shine your light on the snake, you discover that it isn’t a snake at all, just a piece of rope. This is a distorted perception.

We need to make our water still if we want to receive reality as it is.

 

When we see things or listen to other people, we often don’t see clearly or really listen. We see and hear our projections and our prejudices. We are not clear enough, and we have a wrong perception. Even if our friend is giving us a compliment, we may argue with him because we distort what he says.

 

If we are not calm, if we only listen to our hopes or our anger, we will not be able to receive the truth that is trying to reflect itself on our lake. We need to make our water still if we want to receive reality as it is. If you feel agitated, don’t do or say anything. Just breathe in and out until you are calm enough. Then ask your friend to repeat what he has said. This will avoid a lot of damage. Stillness is the foundation of understanding and insight. Stillness is strength.

 

Thich Nhat Hanh from “Touching Peace: Practicing the Art of Mindful Living"

yesterday evening (26 April 2022)

We looked at diagrams of the seeds in our store consciousness, different ways to maximise the positive seeds and minimise those less helpful

a change of name and a change of practice

Of our regular sangha members, some of us have gathered for nearly 20 years and others for over 7.  

Until Spring of 2021 we were known as 'Amida Scotland'. Following the dispersal of some of the Amida Order in various directions, we looked for, first, a new name, deciding on being known as the 'Tree of Life' sangha.

We then explored different forms of practice and different Buddhist sanghas to find what practice we felt comfortable with and also who seemed to be inclusive.

After practicing with several Plum Village UK sanghas via Zoom and feeling at home with the practice (which Sujatin had previously offered at Newcastle and Northumbria Universities) we feel we have found a new emphasis and home with Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings. So we affiliated with Plum Village UK at the beginning of February. 

We continue to offer some Pureland practice.

We will continue to meet via Zoom as this allows sangha members who live further away to join us.

Updated 18.01.23

 

 

Our gathering on 21 February 2022

Last night four of us gathered via Zoom - one person who has been a member of the sangha for nearly 20 years, another for 7 and a new person. The format for the meeting was the one we have been following for almost a year. We started with a quick check in - 'internal weather, external weather', followed by a guided mindfulness meditation. Then time for walking (or sitting quietly or tea-drinking meditation). Then guided Metta meditation and, finally, the opportunity for speaking from the heart.

It's a troubling time just now - in the world and in people's lives. So we were grateful to share a time of peace, friendship and tranquility, bringing us back to our True Home.

 

The Story of a River

'The Story of a River' by Thich Nhat Hanh

 

"Born on the top of a mountain, the little spring dances her way down. The stream of water sings as she travels. She wants to go fast. She is unable to go slowly. Running, rushing, is the only way, maybe even flying. She wants to arrive. Arrive where? Arrive at the ocean. She has heard of the deep, blue , beautiful ocean. To become one with the ocean, that is what she wants.

 

Coming down to the plains, she grows into a young river. Winding her way through the beautiful meadows, she has to slow down. "Why can't I run the way I could when I was a creek? I want to reach the deep, blue ocean. If I continue this slowly, how will I ever arrive there at all?" As a creek, she was not happy with what she was, she really wanted to grow into a river.

But, as a river, she does not feel happy either. She cannot bear to slow down.

 

Then, as she slows down, the young river begins to notice the beautiful clouds reflected in her water. They are of different colors and shapes floating in the sky, and they seem to be free to go anywhere they please. Wanting to be like a cloud, she begins to chase after the clouds, one after another.

The Sound of the Rising Tide

The Sound of the Rising Tide

(by Phap Linn)

We children of the Earth
Scattered far and wide
We heard the call, the distant call,
the mighty call, of the of the rising tide

And our hearts aflame with remembering a memory beyond recall
We came to build
A community of love
To learn, to train, to serve
To embrace all our pain
And though we stumble and fall
we vow never to abandon
Our community, our path
And you, our teacher
We walk for you,
for our forbears and descendants
and on the long road
each step becomes legend

Long did we seek, long did we wander

On lonely paths, and broken roads until we found you
Our teacher of old

And not in vain, our fallen tears
Now rain of new hope together again

We’ll go on,
Our trust restored, our faith renewed
Our anger calmed, our joy reborn,
Many hearts one aspiration
Side by side
in times of joy, and through despair
in times of light and through the darkness

We release all our afflictions
heal and transform

Oh, children of the earth brothers and sisters
now let us go forth together to live the holy life

with the earth our mother as witness
to the strength of our vow
And we’ll bring back the refreshing spring

To the mountains and to rivers,
Rising thunder, cresting waves,
We go on
And we will cross the valley,
Of birth and death

To find you,
And look once more in your eyes

In the ancient forest, the old path white clouds overhead,
We stand together
smiling to the mystery

All sorrows at an end
All fear forsworn,

Compassion springs anew

Great love is in our hearts

In the vast sky, both sun and moon, are lighting our way

And our hearts aflame with remembering
A memory beyond recall
the sound of the rising tide (4x)

a confirmation of an affiliation

We have been practicing in a similar way to Community of Interbeing groups for nine months now. Some of us have attended other groups' meetings.

Today our Sangha affiliated with the COI UK, in confirmation of the change in our practice.

this evening's meeting

We started the evening with a  quick check in, then listened to the introduction to Thich Nhat Hanh's book about Pureland Buddhism: 'Finding Our True Home', followed by silent sitting or chanting, as each participant preferred. This was followed by a reading of  Thay's translation from the Chinese of the Smaller Amitabha Sutra. Following this we had the opportunity to take turns sharing from the heart.

something old, something new

The Tree of Life sangha are meeting on-line again this evening. My own practice has changed recently as I continue looking at what works for me, what can be reclaimed or redefined. Wanting to offer what benefits the sangha and is also authentic. So I'm going to share practice based on the 'Meditation For Relaxation' sessions I used to offer at Newcastle University - phrases from Thich Nhat Hahn's "The Blooming of a Lotus", some walking meditation, Metta meditation, sitting. Those who wish can chant during the walking meditation time. We will follow this with time for sharing and deep listening to each other. 

trees for life newsletter - march 2021

Tree News - March 2021 "The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." ― Nelson Henderson Spring has come Throughout March we spotted some brilliant signs of spring at Dundreggan. Our aspen are in flower! Below are some photos of the flowering aspen. The smaller catkins are female, the others are male. If you look closely you can see pollen on the males. Bottom left, a Rannoch brindled beauty moth, a rarity in the UK, only found in Scotland and quite rare here too. The female is flightless and sits about on fence posts (where trees are unavailable) and the males find her using her pheromone trail. Middle right, is a male lichen running spider in the aspen tunnel. A UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species, listed as in decline. A very welcome find. Last, but by no means least, a family of badgers. With their distinctive striped faces, the badger is an unmistakable animal in the forest, but as a nocturnal species, are rarely seen.

our grove of trees is growing

     We now have 17 trees in our grove!

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Nembutsu

NEMBUTSU

by Christopher Kakuyo

Namu Amida Butsu is Nembutsu

It is the call of Buddhas to put everything down.

We need only one thing . . . less.

 

So stop torturing yourself

with all those made-up stories

of who you think you are

 

and aren’t, regardless of who

you are or are not, regardless

of what you have done

 

or have left undone.

 

Namu Amida Butsu

Namu Amida Butsu

Namu Amida Butsu

 

Let us attend to each other

right now, right here

Let us attend to each other

 

to our own funerals

to our own births

in that order

 

Namu Amida butsu

 

Do let us attend to each other,

to our lives
to all of life,
as it is,
as you are

 

Right here

Right now.

Namu Amida butsu

 

:: link

ordaining trees

TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT, BUDDHIST MONKS ARE ORDAINING TREES

:: link

Traveling from several provinces across the heavily logged Cambodian landscape, two dozen Buddhist monks met at a local pagoda last October to attend a workshop held by The Alliance of Religions and Conservation. For Cambodia’s emerging network of “ecology monks” working in an increasingly authoritarian climate, the meeting was a critical and rare opportunity to discuss best practices for local conservation projects. And then two cops showed up and shut it down.

“They’re very wary of the monks getting together,” Chantal Elkin, a program manager for The Alliance of Religions and Conservation, told Sojourners. “Forest activism is [seen as] a threat to the government.”

Several of the monks were visibly upset, Elkin said.

Though traditionally revered in Cambodia’s majority-Buddhist society, monks today are not immune to the government’s crackdown on civil society actors. But where efforts at civic organization meet rebuke, Cambodia has seen the rise of one act of conservation — the holy ordination of trees — which originally emerged in Thailand and has risen in practice under the auspices of the Buddhist faith.

The most venerable of the group took the two officers, local cops not antagonistic to the meeting but seemingly following orders, up the hill where the group ordained a tree into the Buddhist faith, and then dispersed.

waiting for the sangha to assemble