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A month has passed since spring’s arrival in the Northern Hemisphere, which brought with it the joyful scenes of sunshine, budding daffodils, sprouting crocuses, and an ever-growing chorus of morning birdsong. It’s easy to get used to these signs of spring as the months go on, but for now they still feel fresh — welcome gifts after the long dark of winter.

When I notice these spring treasures, I can’t help but think of the prolific Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings about the profound beauty of our planet. In many of his teachings, he encouraged us to appreciate and connect with the present moment through a deep sense of gratitude for the world around us.

“So many beings in the universe love us unconditionally,” Nhat Hanh writes in his book The World We Have. “A bird song can express joy, beauty, and purity, and evoke in us vitality and love. The trees, the water, and the air don’t ask anything of us; they just love us. Even though we need this kind of love, we continue to destroy these things. We should try our best to do the least harm to all living creatures.”

“We humans think we’re intelligent,” he continues, “but an orchid, for example, knows how to produce symmetrical flowers; a snail knows how to make a beautiful, well-proportioned shell. Compared with their knowledge, ours is not worth much at all. We should bow deeply before the orchid or the snail and join our palms reverently before the butterfly and the magnolia tree. The feeling of respect for all species will help us to recognize and cultivate the noblest nature in ourselves.”

With Monday marking Earth Day, I encourage you to explore Thich Nhat Hanh’s reflections below on the wonders of our world and our responsibility to protect it. By cultivating this appreciation and respect, we can deepen our connection to the earth and better fulfill our role as stewards of its miraculous beauty.

Only when we combine our concern for the planet with practice will we have to tools to make the necessary changes to address the environmental crisis.

It’s wonderful to realize that we are all in a family, we are all children of the earth. We should take care of each other and we should take care of our environment, and this is possible with the practice of togetherness. A positive change in individual awareness will bring about a positive change in the collective awareness. Protecting the planet must be given the first priority. I hope you will take the time to sit down with each other, have tea with your friends and your families, and discuss these things. Invite bodhisattva Earth Holder to sit and collaborate with you. Make your decision, and then act to save our beautiful planet Earth. Changing your way of living will bring you a lot of joy right away. Then the healing can begin.

Earth Gathas
These short verses bring awareness, peace, and joy to simple activities, and remind us that Earth provides us with precious gifts every day.

Earth brings us into life
and nourishes us.
Earth takes us back again.
We are born and we die with every breath.

The Earth is our mother. All life arises from her and is nourished by her. Each of us is a child of the Earth and, at some time, the Earth will take us back to her again. In fact, we are continuously coming to life and returning to the bosom of the Earth. We who practice meditation should be able to see birth and death in every breath. Touching the earth, letting your fingers feel the soil, and gardening are wonderful, restorative activities. If you live in a city, you may not have many opportunities to hoe the earth, plant vegetables, or take care of flowers. But you can still find and appreciate a small patch of grass or earth and care for it. Being in touch with Mother Earth is a wonderful way to preserve your mental health.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s Love Letter to the Earth
The earth is you. You are the earth. When you realize there is no separation, says the late Thich Nhat Hanh, you fall completely in love with this beautiful planet.

We need to recognize that the planet and the people on it are ultimately one and the same. When we look deeply at the earth, we see that she is a formation made up of non-earth elements: the sun, the stars, and the whole universe. Certain elements, such as carbon, silicon, and iron, formed long ago in the heat of far-off supernovas. Distant stars contributed to their light.

When we look into a flower, we can see that it’s made of many different elements, so we also call it a formation. A flower is made of many non-flower elements. The entire universe can be seen in a flower. If we look deeply into the flower, we can see the sun, the soil, the rain, and the gardener. Similarly, when we look deeply into the earth, we can see the presence of the whole cosmos.

—Lilly Greenblatt,
Digital Editor, Lion’s Roar
The World We Have
04/19/2024

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