J 'Bell - The Mindfulness Bell

Introduction of Thay
by Richard Baker-Roshi
Mrs. Raisa Gorbachev, President Gorbachev, and all the
wonderful and distinguished people who are here. Rigoberta
Menchu in her keynote address yesterday said thatthere
is a lot of powerfor goodin this room. I knowof no conference
in the last 35 yearsthat has brought so many extraordinary and
accomplished people from the social, political, scientific,
academic, and spiritual worlds together—and especially in
such an intimate and trusting atmosphere. I am very honored to
introduce to you one of the most influential and empowering
spiritual persons of today, the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.
I first met Thich Nhat Hanh in 1982at the "Reverence for
Life Conference"in New York City. I immediately saw that he
had that anticipated—but rare—traitof Zen masters that he not
only was what he was teaching—is what he is teaching—but
that he also has that even rarer power to produce a direct
understanding in others of what he is teaching. It was deeply
gratifying to see and know that this is possible. At that time, we
decided to march together with six friends in the upcoming
and, I believe, last great Peace March in the United States.Over
one million persons marched, andit was immediately apparent
that he was not in this parade simply to be countedas someone
who was against the missiles installed in Western Europe
aimed at the Soviet Union, he was acknowledging with each
step the potential use of these missiles and the unimaginable
destruction of which they are capable. His presencewas so big
that it carried to the eightofus walkingtogether—very slowly
and peacefully—and to the whole of the march,so that the six
lanes' wide of people behind us simply did not pass us. The
experience of this tangible powerto moveandbe in a spiritual
space that is not our ordinary social or psychologicalspace,and
the direct experience of this teacher changed my life.
There are many other things that can be said about him.
Martin Luther King, Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Peace
Prize for his work to end the Vietnam War both in Vietnam and
in the United States. And I could speak about his work in
Vietnam as a young man before and then during the war—
helping anyone needing help; his teaching in Europe and the
United States—and recently in China, Taiwan, Korea, and
Japan; his work bringing the plight of the boat people to the
attention of the world; his presence at the Paris Peace talksin
1969; his monastic and lay retreat center called Plum Village
in southern France; his scholarly and popular writings, poetry,
and translations—but this would take a great deal of time.
There are 1.5 million copies of his books in print in English,
and these books are also in print in more than 20 other
languages. He has taught Buddhism andhisdirect practice of
mindful walking in 25 countries and on every continent. His
most well-known booksare Peace Is Every Step, Being Peace,
The Miracle of Mindfulness, and his new—just published
book—Living Buddha, Living Christ. I give you one of the
great teachers of this century, the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.
State of the World Forum
by Joan Halifax
In September, Thich Nhat Hanh quietly stood before nearly
1,000 people in San Francisco and asked the question, "How
dowe realize peace?" Gathered were world leaders, business
leaders, religious teachers, and others. This meeting was
initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev and colleagues from around
the world, including Nobel Laureates, Presidents and Prime
Ministers, and other luminaries. The meeting began an initiative
on the part of Mr. Gorbachev to create a global community
of individuals committed to a deep inquiry into the challenges
that will face us in the coming century.
In the midst of the Forum,Thay sat like a Buddha reminding
us of what we were really looking for. As some raced to
meetings, Thay and 100 others did a meditation walk through
the halls and on the roof garden of the Fairmont Hotel. In the
steady quietness of the walk, people who were hurrying slowed
down, and many joined us. At his keynote address, Thay
offered the precepts as guidelines, whether we are Buddhist,
Christian, Jewish, Hindu, or Muslim. He reminded us of the
ravages of war and the giftsof peace. He encouraged us to slow
down and to look deeply into the present moment.
As Thay has said, if we care for the planet, we care for
ourselves. If we take care of hungry children, we feed all
beings. This sensibility of compassion in action was the
awakening bell throughout the gathering. In the closing plenary
session, biologist Jane Goodall said, "For me, stewardship
hascometo mean caring as much aswe can, notonly for
each other but for the creatures, the nonhuman beings with
whom we share the planet. It is when every one of us has the
empowerment to know that we have the stewardship of this
amazing planet in our hands, then gradually we can move
towardstrue human potential for compassion, for respect, and
for love."
Richard Baker-Roshi is abbot of Crestone Mountain Zen
Center in Colorado. Joan Halifax is leader of Upaya Sangha
in Santa Fe. See next page for more about this conference.
8