The World We Have

A we approach Christmas time it is important to examine the world we have right now.

Our world is full of political unrest, racial, economic and gender inequality, reliance on fossil fuels, climate and forest degradation, and over consumption.

How do we cope with such inequities at a time when we are singing, “Joy to the World?”

We take stock in the world we have and embrace the insight of interbeing – the interconnectedness of all things.

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh puts it this way:

There is no phenomenon in the universe that does not intimately concern us, from a pebble resting at the bottom of the ocean to the movement of a galaxy millions of light years away. All phenomena are interdependent…Our Sangha aspires to live in harmony with the land, with all the vegetation and animals, and with all our brothers and sisters. When we are in harmony with each other, we are also in harmony with the land. We see our close relationship with every person and every species. The happiness and suffering of all humans and all other species is our own happiness and suffering. We inter-are. As practitioners we see that we are part of and not separate from the soil, the forests, the rivers, and the sky. We share the same destiny.   

– Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh from The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology

Have a very Merry Christmas (if you celebrate it), otherwise have a wonderful day!

Books by Thich Nhat Hanh

The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology by Thich Nhat Hanh In this provocative book, noted Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh offers a dramatic vision of the future of a planet overheated by rapidly disappearing fossil fuels, degraded by massive overconsumption, and besieged by unsupportable population growth. Hanh finds answers to these critical problem… Buy now on Amazon