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| Between Son Ha and Upper Hamlet is Buddha Hill. On this hill sit several stone Buddha sculptures in the lotus position under a grove of trees in a clearing. Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment while meditating under a giant Fig Tree in India. |
One of the reasons why I wanted to do a week-long retreat was to take my meditation practice in a new direction. I've felt like I had plateaued on my own for some time and decided that a week-long immersion experience might help me push through this glass ceiling. Before I arrived at Plum Village, I didn't have a predetermined expectation of what would take place, nor did I have a plan for accomplishing my goal. Instead, I focused on immersing myself in the experience while discovering the traditions of Plum Village. I knew that if I did this, the rest would fall into place.
Thich Nhat Hanh (Tik Not Haan, a.k.a Ty) was a Vietnamese Buddhist Zen Master who founded Plum Village in 1982. His goal was to share the teachings of Buddhism with the Western World while modernizing the teachings. Ty (i.e., means Teacher and is commonly used to refer to Thich Nhat Hanh) believed that the philosophy of Buddhism could help everyone with the challenges of the modern world. However, unlike other monks, Ty also thought that the teachings could be practiced in a manner that transcended the meditation cushion.
Hanging on one of the halls in Son Ha was another quote by Thich Nhat Hanh. The quote is related to happiness. This one resonated with me the first time I read it. "Happiness cannot be found. It can only be experienced." - TNH. It reminds me of all the people I know searching for happiness instead of living the beautiful moments around them. I was once there too. 
One of my favorite Service Meditations happened when Daniel (from England), Micheal (from Germany), Guss (from the Netherlands), and I helped Brother Pháp Khoi prepare the vegetable garden for planting. Brother Pháp Koi reached down to pull up a small weed while carefully extracting all the roots. He begins to inform us we will be pulling weeds today. He says, "I don't care about the weeds. I am asking you to pull the weeds mindfully for your benefit." As he dangles the small weed carefully by his fingertips, he says, "Why do we pull weeds when the plants are small?" Micheal responds in a German-English accent, "Because they are easier to pull." "That is correct, just like in life. When we are mindful of what we feel in the moment, we can touch our suffering. In those moments, we can weed the gardens in ourselves with mindfulness. When we neglect our suffering, the weed will grow. Then it will be much harder to pull up," he says.
The four of us begin pulling weeds in a raised planter bed. As we pull up weeds, I notice we disturb several insects, including ants and many spiders carrying egg sacks. As we continue, I reflect on how my actions sometimes unknowingly affect others. How can I be more mindful of my impacts in these moments? How can I ease the suffering around me in these moments? I continue watching. The disturbed insects quickly relocate to new areas. And just like that, their difficult moment passes quickly.
Soon we have the entire planter bed cleared of weeds. Micheal volunteers to continue preparing the planter since he is the only one with a small shovel. The rest of us move into the greenhouse to pull more weeds. I begin pulling weeds where the soil is firm and dry. The weeds are difficult to remove. Often I find I leave the roots below the surface. I notice Daniel and Guss have a much easier time working on the margins where the soil is moist. I ponder relocating to make it easy on myself. Instead, I decide to stay. I find a small hoe to help me break the soil. A few minutes later, I start chuckling. What does this say about where I am currently in tending to my own garden? I recall having to dig deep inside myself to pull some firmly planted weeds. These weeds affected my relationship with my father when I was younger. At that time, I chose to ignore them. When I finally decided to tend to them, pulling those weeds by myself was challenging. And just like today, I could not have done it without help.
After 1.5 hours, Brother Pháp Khoi instructs us to clean up and put the tools away. "The service is over," he says. Micheal spent the entire time at the first planter. As we walk back together. He says, "You know Martin, this is incredible. The fucking roots were everywhere. The more I dug, the more I found. Even when the planter looked clean, I always found more roots." We laugh together. Yeah, I know. I had a similar experience. Sometimes it isn't enough to simply pull the weeds above the surface. "Yes. It made me think of all the shit I buried inside of me. I have a lot of work to do to get those roots," he says. We both laugh.
Micheal is here because he frequently finds himself ruminating on his past. His wife recently left him, and he wants to process this difficult time differently now. It didn't take long for him and me to become friends. He is from the Black Forest region in southern Germany and belongs to the Black Forest Society, which helps maintain trails. "If you like to walk, you should come down to the Black Forest. We have trails everywhere," he says. Do I need camping gear, or are there places to stay? I ask. "There are many places to stay in the towns below the trails," Micheal replies.
J’ai laissé tous mes soucis
Nulle part où aller et rien à faire
Pas besoin de me presser
Le bonheur, c’est maintenant
J’ai laissé tous mes soucis
Quelque part où aller, quelque chose à faire
Mais à présent j’ai tout mon temps
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