When you’re able to see the earth for the Bodhisattva that she is, you will want to bow down and touch the earth with reverence and respect. Then love and care will be born in your heart. This awakening is enlightenment. Don’t look for enlightenment elsewhere. This awake meaning, this enlightenment will bring about a great transformation in you. And you’ll have more happiness, more love, and more understanding than from any other practice. Enlightenment, liberation, peace, and joy, aren’t dreams for the future. They’re a reality available to us in the present moment.
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022) Vietnamese monk,
peace activist, founder of Plum Village in France,
author of many books including
Love Letter to the Earth
“Like he says, it’s right here, right now, right here in each of us. That’s our Buddha nature and we just have to access what’s already here. And, we can access that through the Earth, through this incredible Bodhisattva every time we touch the Earth with our awareness, with our feet, with our reverence, with our respect. When you contemplate the web of life and all the living systems working together, it’s a total miracle. Just look inside our own human bodies, all the bodies of life on Earth working together. It is so incredibly miraculous when you touch this caring. That understanding is enlightenment. That is it. It’s nothing else.”
Cynthia Jurs is the author of Summoned by The Earth:
Becoming A Holy Vessel For Healing Our World
