This week, we continue with Thich Nhat Hanh’s No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life, moving to chapter eight (Fear, Acceptance, and Forgiveness).  Thay’s words are juicy, lots to take in, and we’ll spend the next three Fridays with this chapter.  The theme words that Thay repeats, in his gently insistent way, is touch the ground.  In Buddhism, touching the ground refers to both a specific practice and a specific moment in the Buddha’s own awakening.  Thay invites his readers (most of whom – like us – might not identify as Buddhist) to think creatively about what touching the ground means.  On Friday mornings, I often invite us to imagine what touch or ground look like (“notice whatever comes to awareness!”), as we stretch Buddhist practices and language toward our own unique, three-part practice.  There’s no one right way, no single ground we all get to, no one way to touch it.

Touching the Ground also invites us to reflect upon our place in relation to our ancestors and our descendants; those who have gone on before us and those who will come after.  Time is not the straight line we imagine, and neither death nor birth necessarily mean the end of one thing or the beginning of something else.  Ending and beginning are always and ever happening, and touching the ground invites us to connect with past and future in this very present moment.

Tomorrow, we will connect with experiences with teachers we’ve known – that particular subset of forbears who have instructed or schooled us in life lessons.  What have we learned from teachers, mentors, friends, parents who have gone on before?  What lessons have we learned, what are we learning, still?  What might we like to pass along to those who follow us?

Come and sit gently with yourself and others, and hold these questions with openhearted curiosity.  You do not have to be reading along to join in, though reading along might enhance your experience.

Friday Reflection meets weekly at First Parish Scituate from 9:30-11:00, and is open to members and friends of Mindfulness Plus.  There is parking out front and on the right side of the church building.  Come in through the front doors, we meet in the Sloop Room straight ahead.