Morning of Peace: A Day of Mindfulness

Our Day of Mindfulness today will offer a session of Questions and Answers. Bring your questions and hear from four monastic Dharma teachers.

This event is In-Person and requires advance registration (at the bottom of the page). If you are not able to join us, the Dharma talk will be live streamed (see Calendar of Online Events for details)

Important Information

Please register by 8 AM on the day of the event. If you need to cancel, please login again on this page and indicate you are not attending.

We ask that all guests please observe our dress code: out of respect for our monastic brothers and sisters, please wear sleeves that cover the shoulders (short sleeves are acceptable), shirts that cover the midriff, and long pants or long skirts that are loose-fitting and cover the knees at all times. Please do not wear shorts, tank tops, nor tight-fitting clothing. We kindly ask friends to dress modestly for the duration of their time with us and to share this information with anyone attending the event with you. 

There is no cost incurred for participation in the Day of Mindfulness, but a donation is greatly appreciated to keep the monastery open and able to receive guests. You will find donation boxes in the meditation and dining halls or you can donate online.

Scheduled events occur rain or shine.

Poem – Morning of Peace

Treading the path that leads to the moon,
I look back and can’t stop marveling.
I see a bubble of water on the immense ocean of space.
It is the Earth, our green planet,
her sumptuous beauty sparkling and proud,
yet oh so fragile.
In her, I discover myself.

Walking mindfully on the earth,
a grassy path,
my feet make the promise
to embrace the early morning
and touch the peace of the present moment.

Autumn leaves fall and cover the path,
unrolling a carpet of walking meditation.
A shy squirrel, hiding behind the oak tree,
looks at me, surprised,
then dashes to the top of the tree
and disappears behind a cluster of leaves.

I see a clear stream
flowing between cracks in the rocks,
its water laughing,
while the trees whistle.
Together we celebrate a morning of peace.

At the same time,
I see places of deep suffering
where men imprison men,
and make each other suffer—
the waves of discrimination, hatred, and greed,
inevitable causes of catastrophe,
crash upon the earth.
Chicks of the same hen
wear different colors in order to fight with each other.
Heartrending cries declare the horrors of war.

Brothers and sisters,
the beautiful Earth is us.
I embrace her and hold her tenderly against my chest.
Breathing together in the same rhythm
we restore our calm, our peace.
Let us accept ourselves
so we may accept one another.
Let us share the vision and make it possible
for Great Love to arise.

Call Me by My True Names: The Collected Poems
Thich Nhat Hanh