We all Need a Sangha
The late Buddhist icon, Thich Nat Hanh, tells this story.
This person/the hero(ine) of the story, lived for three weeks in a Buddhist community, a Sangha. During that time s/he participated fully in the daily life of the Sangha. One of the key features of a Sangha is a daily meditation practice. Sometimes the meditation is about mindful breathing; sometimes it is about mindful walking. The emphasis is always on being mindful in the present moment.
While this person was living in the Sangha, meditation was easy and he - it could have been a she - found it easy to stay in the present moment. S/he lived in an energy of peace.
Then one day this person was sent to do the shopping. in the market place they were surrounded by people of quite a different energy, the energy of rushing. All around them people were rushing to get stuff done and move on to the next thing on their list. To their horror, our hero/ine found that they had stopped being mindful! The energy of peace had been replaced by the energy of rushing.
Until they returned to the community. Once again, they were surrounded by the energy of peace and once again, the practice of mindfulness become easy and fulfilling.
The Moral of the Story
We all need a support team because we are all fueled, not just by our own individual energy but by the collective energy of those around us.
Like it or not, we do take on the energy of those around us. Hence the importance of being part of a community with similar values to our own.
Individul willpower and individual routines can take us part ot fhe way: but it is the collective will power and collective energy that we often need to stay focused on what is most important to us.
Some people like to talk about finding their tribe.
I used to think this was just a nice way of talking. But now I realise that this goes deeper.
One of the strengths of Dementia Marathon is that we are global. We who live with dementia and other chronic conditions and who are willing to talk and share our experience - we live in different places. We are different people with different traditions and culture but we share a sense of connectedness.
One of my own hopes and goals for 2023 is for us all to find ways to tap into a collective energy of support. When we rely on ourselves we get part of the way. When we hold hands and get support from others we tap into the power of collective energy.
What are your thoughts on this? Can you think of similar stories?
Please leave your comments below.