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miracle of SANGHAA Living ThayBy Caleb LazaroWords about a sickly Thay were on the lips of most of us duringthe first two days of retreat. But as our practice deepened, thisnotion withered away, it slowly left our thoughts, and the realityof a living Thay––within us and among us––began to fill ourbroken hearts. Whatever peace, love, and compassion the monksand nuns had during these six days, they poured over us selflessly,as if we were their own blood children. And the very experienceof this community became Thay’s presence––the spirit of relentlessand compassionate love being expressed mutually, mindfully,and unconditionally wherever we turned. To hear about this is notenough. To experience it is to know that the Kingdom of God istruly at hand.Caleb Lazaro, Selfless Strength of the Heart, is a member ofSun Mountain Sangha in Colorado Springs. He is developing aninnovative Christian community called “The Light.”Present in Thay’s AbsenceBy Lucy MailI am a Buddhist at heart but I’m not a disciplined practitioner. Icome to the retreats every year to listen and see our dear Thay. In2005, when I first heard Thay speak, he broke my heart and then putit back together with his words, compassion, and wisdom. Sincethen, my practice has been to do what Thay asks of me. I joined aSangha, I use the skills he taught me to live in harmony with mysignificant other, I practice compassion with my co-workers andmy patients, and during the retreats, I try to move as one with theSangha. During the YMCA retreat in Colorado, I worried aboutThay’s health to the degree that I was almost unable to participatein meditations or Dharma talks without breaking down. I realizedat this retreat that everything I have done in my practice has beento please my teacher and not to find my own way. Thay’s absencehelped me realize this. I love Thay dearly and want him to be atpeace, not experience pain or disease, and be pleased with the progressof the Sangha, to the point that I missed his message. Thay’steachings are present even in his absence.The Buddha of the FutureBy Trish Nelsonphoto by Bonnie WiesnerIn 2007, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Thich Nhat Hanhquoted Master Lin Chi: “Don’t come to me for your enlightenment!”I was a little stunned to hear him say that. You can imaginehow I felt at the Colorado retreat two years later when he was notthere at all.Thich Nhat Hanh is made of non-Thich Nhat Hanh elements.This is the teaching of non-self, and we all got to practice it at theColorado retreat––like a kid who had just lost the training wheelsfrom her bike, and didn’t know if she was going to wipe out orkeep flying down the hill. Non-self means a flower could not bewithout the sunshine, the water, the earth. Likewise, Thich NhatHanh could not be without his students, without the practice,without the community that supports the practice, or without thebeautiful earth that is always nurturing the practice through herbeauty and freshness.Facing the absence of our teacher, who turned eighty-four inOctober, helped prepare us for what it will be like when his formpasses. We have been told by him, “All forms are impermanent.”Yes, but, don’t leave us! We saw together that although all formsare impermanent, the seed of awakening is in every one of us. Andjust as we carry our blood ancestors in our DNA, we also carryour spiritual teacher in our heart.It has been said that the Buddha of the future, Maitreya, is notan individual but a community. If so, it is certainly a communityof people practicing to live in the present, transform their ownsuffering, and help awaken others. It is a community of peoplewho care about each other. Letting their own light shine, and beinga light unto themselves, they also make light for the rest ofthe world.Trish Nelson, Compassionate Understanding of the Heart,practices with the Santa Cruz Heart Sangha afterrelocating from Oregon to Northern California.photo by Zachiah MurrayLucy Mail, Gentlest Diligence of the Heart, is a physicaltherapist on the Texas Gulf Coast. She finds Thay’s teachings tobe very powerful when assisting her patients.16 Winter/Spring 2010