Sarvodaya & Shanti in Sri Lanka: Tend to Your Land and Grow Your Freedom
“Don’t try to force anything. Let life be a deep let go. See God opening millions of flowers every day without forcing the buds.” – Osho
Mindfulness practice has helped me fall in love with life because it has given me the tools I need to skillfully manage my emotions, touch peace even amidst chaos and difficulty, and cherish each moment so I’m living deeply, filled with gratitude and happy. Life is beautiful.
Some years ago I read about the Sarvodaya Movement and while in Sri Lanka I had the honor and privilege of meeting the founder, Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, and spent time with his beautiful, loving family. Sarvodaya literally means "uplift for all" and it is one of the leading Engaged Buddhist organizations in the world. I'm hoping to support their efforts related to peace education and feel so blessed to have spent time in Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne's space. When we spoke about mindfulness over lunch he stressed that mindfulness practice is only effective when it is based on an ethical foundation and deep understanding of interdependent co-arising. After 30 years of conflict there is finally peace in Sri Lanka and Sarvodaya is doing excellent work with the Internally Displaced Persons. Still, the need for peace and reconciliation is apparent and there is a lot of work to be done here. I also met a wonderful Priest, Reverend Mervyn Fernando, that is also a Buddhist Scholar and we had a beautiful connection/conversation about integral education and the need to articulate a nondual approach to education.
Traveling in South Asia isn’t always easy. I’m covered in mosquito bites, and aside from the delicious meal I ate at the Ariyaratne's home have been living off white bread and cheese as the vegetarian Sri Lankan food is minimal, have dealt with uncomfortable attention from men, used bathrooms that would make most people faint on the spot and slept in places that were definitely not clean but the itching, unappealing food, unwanted male attention, smelly bathrooms and dirty sheets were all opportunities for me to go to my breath, not lose it and deal with the situation at hand in a skillful way. Spending time in a country where the poverty is immense also makes it easier for me to really put things in perspective and realize that there are always conditions of happiness.
Some years ago an astrologer looked at my birth chart and said, “Even if you wanted to go off and meditate in a cave there would be a party going on right outside your cave—don’t fight your destiny…embrace the hand you’ve been dealt in this life of being a person intensely engaged in the world and with life.” While I’ve definitely embraced the hand I’ve been dealt and am an intensely social person that genuinely loves people I still deeply cherish my time alone. This past week in Sri Lanka I was able to really just spend time with myself and closely observe how I was feeling in my body, examine my thoughts as they arise and work with my emotions in a way I’m just not able to when I’m not alone. Meditating under the Bodhi tree here, visiting sacred Buddhist sites and connecting with Sarvodaya (though inspiring) were actually not the highlight of my trip in the land of Theravada. Rather, the highlight was mindful walking across the Sri Lankan shores, really feeling the sea breeze, sand on my feet and water splashing on my body—feeling this in its entirety as the sun set coloring the sky in beautiful shades of pink, orange, red and gold. As my feet “kissed the earth” I planted footsteps of shanti, footsteps of peace.
Below is a favorite song of mine sung by the Sisters of Plum Village, the lyrics are written by Thich Nhat Hanh. When I first heard it few years ago walking through fields of sunflowers in Plum Village I cried tears of joy, it felt as if the Buddha in me was speaking to me. I listen to it daily and my favorite lines are “You are the farmer, you are your field. Tend to your land. And grow your freedom.” For me, this is mindfulness practice…tending to my land and growing my freedom. Whenever I play it for my students the sacred space of my classroom grows still…
No Wait for Me
To Change Your Life
Look to the Miracle
Going On Inside You
Your Are the Farmer
You Are Your Field
Tend to Your Land
And Grow Your Freedom
In Each a Flower Unfurling
A Flower Unfurling
No Wait for Anything
Take to the Sky
You are a Phoenix Rising
You are a Monarch Butterfly
Survey Your Kingdom
With Awakened Eyes
See the Spring and Summer
In the Winter Moonlight
In Each a River Is Flowing
A River is Flowing
Don’t Wait for Anyone
For Your Peace of Mind
Know Your Rhythm
And Bide Your Time
You Are a Living Miracle
In Constant Change
When You See This Clearly
Nothing Will Contain You
In Each A Mystery Unfolding
A Mystery
Unfolding
In Each a Wonder To Be Born
In Everyone There’s a Flower
A Mystery
A Wonder
In Each a Story Being Told
In Each a River is Flowing…
