Beloved Community Circles is a close-knit, decentralized network of people in many countries working towards climate and racial justice in our communities, grounded in nonviolence, emotional healing, spiritual practice, and mindful action.
A Lotus in a Sea of Fire: Context for Our Work in This World
“A lotus in a sea of fire” is a phrase that Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh used to describe the cauldron suffering during the Vietnam-American War and the essence of our true nature that sits unharmed and upright in the midst of the flames.
Currently, we are in our own sea of fire. The climate is on fire. Racist, authoritarian regimes are gaining ground around the world, imperiling democracy. Our capitalist economies are growing more and more unfair—and they are failing, pushing millions of people deeper into poverty.
In those war years in Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh told his followers that it was not enough to sit in the temple cultivating peace when the world around them was in flames. Rather, he encouraged his followers to take mindful action to alleviate the suffering in the world.
“When I was in Vietnam, so many of our villages were being bombed. Along with my monastic brothers and sisters, I had to decide what to do. Should we continue to practice in our monasteries, or should we leave the meditation halls in order to help the people who were suffering under the bombs? After careful reflection, we decided to do both – to go out and help people and to do so in mindfulness. We call it engaged Buddhism. Mindfulness must be engaged. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. Otherwise what is the use of seeing?“
- Thich Nhat Hanh