A very beautiful meditation on the nature of birth and death. 

 

Cosette Mai Piland

On December 4th, 2021 our second granddaughter was born in Asheville, North Carolina. She was eagerly awaited and came a week early, much to mom's general happiness. She was 8.5 pounds and 21 inches long, so running out of space for sure. Her sister Willa was overjoyed, but had to wait a little longer before meeting her to give her parents, Sam and Claire, time to recuperate. We were happy to have Willa here at our house a few doors down from her house for 4 days. This was the longest she had been separated from her family, but she handled it with no problem at all! We were very impressed and believe this was a testament to her great sense of self esteem and confidence in the love that surrounds her. 

Thay's passing into the cloudland

 A poem to commemorate the passing of Thich Nhat Hahn on January 22, 2022 at midnight.

The winds blow with no coming and no going

The waves roll but do not move

The mountain sits firmly on shifting ground

What is essential remains in that groundless expanse

I first met Thich Nhat Hahn in 2009 when I went to Omega Institute in New York. I was expecting there to be about 50 people, as it was billed as a small gathering for a weekend meditation. It turned out to be an overflow of 500 people crammed into the main hall. At first I was disappointed thinking the experience would be dimmed by the numbers. In fact I couldn't have been more wrong. Being in the presence of Thay with 500 other people of single mind and purpose only served to magnify his peaceful presence and spiritual power. Have you ever been with 500 people and could hear a pin drop? Very moving. I especially remember the walking meditation. Thay gathered the children around him, They had the choice position, some even holding his hand. I was just beautiful to see how deeply they were connected. Thay knew that the idea of Interbeing was most fully appreciated by young childre who didn't need much convincing to believe in their connection to everything and everyone, especially children lucky enough to have parents that would bring them to Omega for a meditation retreat!