Vietnam gathering brings peace, fulfillment.Byline: FROM HEART TO HEART By Nancy Nina For The Register-Guard I recently returned from a trip to Vietnam accompanying my teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, on his return home after 39 years of exile. I traveled with a delegation of 100 of his monks and nuns Monks and Nuns See also church; religion. anchoritism the practice of retiring to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion. — anchorite, anchoret, n. — anchoritic, anchoretic, adj. and 90 lay practitioners from around the world. In Hue, Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh was invited to give a talk to the people of the city. We walked to our destination from our downtown hotels, through the busy city and along the wide Perfume River The Perfume River (in Vietnamese is Sông Hương or Hương Giang, Hán nôm 香江) is a river crossing capital city of Huế, in the central Vietnamese province of Thừa Thiên Huế. . The talk was to be held in a large brick government building overlooking the river. Thousands of local people gathered as the light of the sun faded. Settling into stillness, I was struck by the fact that when my teacher was last here, this river had been a corridor of hell, filled with mines, guns, terror and death. Now he had returned from his exile and together we were breathing the antidote antidote Remedy to counteract the effects of a poison or toxin. Administered by mouth, intravenously, or sometimes on the skin, it may work by directly neutralizing the poison; causing an opposite effect in the body; binding to the poison to prevent its absorption, to that suffering and terror, embodying healing. Finally, everyone stirred, and stood up. Thay (teacher) had arrived and walked mindfully to his cushion, surrounded by flowers. He encouraged us to sit. Then he sat and spoke quietly and gently. The loudspeakers transmitted his words, and we heard him (through our translation headphones Head-mounted speakers. Headphones have a strap that rests on top of the head, positioning a pair of speakers over both ears. For listening to music or monitoring live performances and audio tracks, both left and right channels are required. ) encouraging everyone to relax and get comfortable ... to let go, be present. He invited his monks and nuns to come and chant the name of Avalositeshvara (the Bodhisatva of compassion, known in Vietnam as Qan Yin or Quan Te Am). He asked everyone to notice their breathing as they relaxed into their bodies. "There is no special posture to adopt," he said, "no mudra mudra In Buddhism and Hinduism, a symbolic gesture of the hands and fingers used in ceremonies, dance, sculpture, and painting. Hundreds of mudras are used in ceremony and dance, often in combination with movements of the wrists, elbows, and shoulders. to hold, no position to maintain. Just relax into this moment and be comfortable and open to the sounds of this chant and let the words and the sounds drift over you and enter your heart. Allow the healing and nourishment nour·ish·ment n. Something that nourishes; food. offered through this chant to fill you." The chanting danced out through the speakers, drifting along the water, surrounding the dragon boats gliding gliding, n massage technique that comprises long and smooth strokes toward the heart. Commonly used for preparation and warming. Also called effleurage. by, waves of chanting over and over again, spilling out from the building, across the river, filling the airspace and the heart-space. As we sat in stillness, mindful of our breathing, breathing with ourselves and one another, with the whole city, with the water and the bridges, with the past and the present, with the wars and suffering of the past, with the simple stillness of this moment, the chanting flowed like fragrant fra·grant adj. Having a pleasant odor. [Middle English, from Latin fr  gr fog off the river, through the city, through time past and
yet to come - the ancient chanting of the name of compassion, of
understanding and love. The chanting mingled with the city lights on the
river; the past and present mingled in my mind.
I sat in quiet peacefulness and fulfillment, where once, both in my mind and heart and in this very physical city, there had been such fear and rage. What a blessing to have been part of this precious moment. I hope that this communication might benefit all beings, and bring peace. Nancy Nina sits with the Cedar Sangha sangha: see Buddhism. sangha Buddhist monastic order, traditionally composed of four groups: monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. Established by the Buddha, it is the world's oldest body of celibate clerics. each Tuesday and Thursday in Eugene, where they practice in the lineage of their teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. This column is coordinated by Two Rivers Two Rivers, city (1990 pop. 13,030), Manitowoc co., E Wis., on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Twin River; inc. 1878. Two Rivers is closely associated with its twin city, Manitowoc, both of which are highly industrialized. Interfaith Ministries, a network of more than 35 religious and spiritual traditions in the Eugene-Springfield area. For more information, visit www.interfaith eugene.org or call 344-5693. |
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