LA Times article - Peace Walk (10/8)

http://peaceiseverystep.net/press_room.htm

peace walkin' the streets

peace walk meditation-action at macarthur park with thich nhat hanh

this morning, drove up to macarthur park with a friend to participate in peace walk headed by thich nhat hanh. fun, fun, fun - we were being peace walking on the streets around the park. silent "peace walk" meditation action on the side streets of macarthur neighborhoods, folks walking out of their stores or walking by, embraced by collective silence peace walk breath activists. powerful stuff. don't know how many folks came through altogether, but the hillside where the stage is was pretty full, not to mention folks around the park lounging a bit further from staging area.

highlights:
morning chanting of namo avalokiteshvaraya
seeing friends (rjc, brother m, sister l) and having lunch together
watching siblings and listening to them sing on stage sharing the music that represents their consciousness and tradition
and of course, walking meditation action on the street, on the street, demonstration style, minus all the screaming and chanting. just walking, silence, walking, silence, breathing, walking, flow, river, peace, silence.

hip hop stands for...
(H)ardcore
(I)nner-city
(P)erformer
(H)urdling
(O)bstacles
(P)oetically
_________
"and this is real hip hop and we don't stop..."

at peace walk: saw a young woman with a tank top screened with this message. i had to write it down before forgetting it to share here. wonderfully beautifully powerfully expressive and liberating hip hop. maintaining this culture for the next generations to come...

new moon in october

tonight's new moon

welcomes all of me

into being

into the openness

to begin again

to breathe a little differently

working with ease

each night

supported by my mindfulness

and the awakening

buddhanature within

knowing that we are already complete

that we already possess the wisdom

and strength and compassion

to continue on in this journey

step by step

breath by breath

moment in and out

whatever crosses our path

we continue

new moon evenings

reminding me

to connect

to seek support

to give myself another chance

to begin

yes

yes

yes

to begin again

yes

yes

yes

young adult sangha grows...

E-news about upcoming events with the Deer Park Sangha and the young adults group, Deer Park Friendship. :-) PEACE WALK THIS SATURDAY, OCT. 8th @ MACARTHUR PARK, LOS ANGELES.
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Hello all the Brothers and Sisters of Deer Park Friendship,

1) Attached are information about the PEACE WALK flier with Thay this Saturday October 8, 2005. Also please check out the following website:

http://www.peaceiseverystep.net/oct_peace_walk_with_thay.htm


Because the walk starts at 10:00 am, we should plan to be there by 9:00 am. Parking is very limited, so please try to carpool as much as possible.

2) Attached is also a schedule of upcoming retreat events for the rest of this year and next year (the same one we had passed around yesterday meeting).

3) Friday Morning October 7th, 2005: TWO Vietnamese weddings to take place in the morning. Those of you who are available, please join the couples in celebrating their happiness and wishing the best in their marriage.

4) Updates/ Summary of the past 3 weeks:
An and Linh had accompished so much in fundraising to help poor children in remote areas. Yesterday alone, they had raised $540 plus, and a total of over $1,800 over the three weekends. WAY TO GO , SISTERS!!!

CONGRATS to Mike (aka Hoang), Phi and An in becoming Order of Interbeings (O.I.)!!! We look forward to your leadership and suppport!!!

Brother Phap Dung was there at the meeting and enjoying ice cream with us. The direction of this group, in the long run, as Thay's wish as well as the Deer Park community's, is for us to grow strong by serving our local communities. One example would be to plant trees in a remote area to decrease fire hazard. Another would be to visit a nursing or retirement home and play board game. Or, to create children's book or programs of Buddha's teachings. We can also go camping together at the local mountains, go hike or play at the beach, etc. There are many ideas, however, we must share at the following meetings and stay strong as brothers and sisters with each other.

Some of us, later on after the meeting, also had an opportunity to meet Sister Chan Khong by chance and just talked to her. She is very supportive of our group and also suggested some other projects to serve the community while enhacing and developing our personal growth.

5) Next Sunday October 9th, 2005: Meeting with Thay (Su Ong). Immediately after the Dharma Talk (Dharma talk from 10 am to 12 pm), we will get our own dish of lunch food quickly and all gather together at the palm trees outside the dining area, and we will walk together to Thay's Hut. We will all eat lunch with Su Ong. Please plan to be there on time and together.

Thank you for your support. See you next week.

the yoga of relationships

source: offerings - buddhist wisdom for every day compiled by danielle and olivier follmi

sept. 24: our companion or partner is perfect, but we may wish that they were still as beautiful as they once were. this only proves that we have forgotten the imminence of death. --dilgo khyentse rinponche

sept. 25: from the moment that a man and a woman are united in their karma, they should spend every moment in search of harmony. --dilgo khyentse rinponche

sept. 26: the act of acceptance, of acknowledging that change is a natural part of our interaction with others, can play a vital role in our relationships. these transitional periods can become pivotal points when true love can begin to mature and flower. we are now in a position to truly begin to know the other. to see the other as a separate individual, with faults and weaknesses perhaps, but a human being like ourselves. it is only at this point that we can make a genuine commitment, a commitment to the growth of another human being - an act of true love. --howard cutler

sept. 27: our capacity for intimacy is built on deep respect, a presence that allows what is true to express itself, to be discovered. intimacy can arise in any moment; it is an act of surrender, a gift that excludes nothing. --jack kornfield

sept. 28: peace must develop on mutual trust. --the 14th dalai lama