The Buddha said that he is neither the first nor the last Buddha, and that the next Buddha will come when all memory of him has vanished. Thich Nhat Hanh often said that he believed that the next Buddha will be a sangha (community) rather than an individual person. Last week I felt that with so much wisdom in the room when we finally returned to in person meetings at our Center after 2 1/2 years of meeting on Zoom. Actually, half of the eight of us were online--a good friend used technology to enable those not able or willing to come in person to continue on Zoom.
After we had meditated I asked each person to think of how their practice had grown over the past 2 1/2 years. Our responses fell into the following five categories which are in the next eight paragraphs. I didn't take notes but here is what I remembered. I was humbled and in awe.
Gratitude
I feel more gratitude more often: gratitude for things that I have taken for granted for so much of my life, and gratitude for things I have that so many humans do not, for example hot water and ample food.
Compassion
I felt compassion for the people who were working so hard, for example, health care workers. I felt compassion for people who were sick and dying, and for people who have so much less than I do.
Acceptance
When unexpected, unpleasant things arise, I am less likely to get stuck and more likely to simply let it go. I can see it in perspective: in the larger view of life, this event that I find irritating now is actually a little blip.
For so much of the past two years, things that I had were no longer available and then gradually became available, and then sometimes not available again. The advice from the CDC and scientists was constantly changing. This could easily, and sometimes was, irritating. However, when I just accepted that this was the way it is, the fact of life that things are constantly changing, it was much easier to be with.
Slowing down
Because so many things I was doing were no longer available, I was given the opportunity to do what I do more slowly. This has enabled me to see everyday moments more clearly at the 'external' and 'internal' level. Externally, when I am walking in the forest on in the town, I "see" the trees, the birds, the plants, the animals and appreciate them more deeply. Internally, I can see the effects of my behaviors on myself and others more clearly, and the result is I am more often kinder to myself and to others.
Sangha (community)
Having this sangha and other sanghas available every week on Zoom has made a huge difference.
It has literally helped me to deal with the isolation that I was feeling especially in the early days.
Zoom has enabled me to broaden my horizons while staying at home, as we can look into each other’s eyes, even when at great distance.
Each of these--gratitude, compassion, acceptance, slowing down, community-- could be a long article or even a whole book. All of them worthy of continued attention by each of us.