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Thich Nhat Hanh: Connect With and Love Mother Earth to Heal the Planet
"We need a real awakening"
Feb 20, 2012
Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk, peace activist and scholar, says that we must see the connection between the Earth and ourselves, and that we must fall back in love with Earth in order to heal the planet.
Guardian editor Jo Confino interviewed the 86-year-old at his Plum Village retreat center. Confino writes:
Thay, as [Thich Nhat Hanh] is known to his many thousands of followers, sees the lack of meaning and connection in peoples' lives as being the cause of our addiction to consumerism and that it is vital we recognise and respond to the stress we are putting on Earth if civilisation is to survive.
Thay believes that seeing the environment as separate from ourselves is the problem; change can only come when we move beyond that dualistic way of thinking:
"You carry Mother Earth within you," says Thay. "She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment.
"In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the Earth, which is the highest form of prayer. In that kind of relationship you have enough love, strength and awakening in order to change your life. [...]
"Fear, separation, hate and anger come from the wrong view that you and the earth are two separate entities, the Earth is only the environment. You are in the centre and you want to do something for the Earth in order for you to survive. That is a dualistic way of seeing.
"So to breathe in and be aware of your body and look deeply into it and realise you are the Earth and your consciousness is also the consciousness of the earth. Not to cut the tree not to pollute the water, that is not enough."
Thay says this disconnect is also making us sick:
"Many people suffer deeply and they do not know they suffer," he says. "They try to cover up the suffering by being busy. Many people get sick today because they get alienated from Mother Earth.
"The practice of mindfulness helps us to touch Mother Earth inside of the body and this practice can help heal people. So the healing of the people should go together with the healing of the Earth and this is the insight and it is possible for anyone to practice.
"This kind of enlightenment is very crucial to a collective awakening. In Buddhism we talk of meditation as an act of awakening, to be awake to the fact that the earth is in danger and living species are in danger."
Putting a pricetag on nature isn't enough either; rather, love is at the heart of change:
"We need a real awakening, enlightenment, to change our way of thinking and seeing things."
Rather than placing a price tag of our forests and coral reefs, Thay says change will happen on a fundamental level only if we fall back in love with the planet: "The Earth cannot be described either by the notion of matter or mind, which are just ideas, two faces of the same reality. That pine tree is not just matter as it possesses a sense of knowing. A dust particle is not just matter since each of its atoms has intelligence and is a living reality.
"When we recognize the virtues, the talent, the beauty of Mother Earth, something is born in us, some kind of connection, love is born.
"We want to be connected. That is the meaning of love, to be at one. When you love someone you want to say I need you, I take refuge in you. You do anything for the benefit of the Earth and the Earth will do anything for your wellbeing."
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Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk, peace activist and scholar, says that we must see the connection between the Earth and ourselves, and that we must fall back in love with Earth in order to heal the planet.
Guardian editor Jo Confino interviewed the 86-year-old at his Plum Village retreat center. Confino writes:
Thay, as [Thich Nhat Hanh] is known to his many thousands of followers, sees the lack of meaning and connection in peoples' lives as being the cause of our addiction to consumerism and that it is vital we recognise and respond to the stress we are putting on Earth if civilisation is to survive.
Thay believes that seeing the environment as separate from ourselves is the problem; change can only come when we move beyond that dualistic way of thinking:
"You carry Mother Earth within you," says Thay. "She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment.
"In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the Earth, which is the highest form of prayer. In that kind of relationship you have enough love, strength and awakening in order to change your life. [...]
"Fear, separation, hate and anger come from the wrong view that you and the earth are two separate entities, the Earth is only the environment. You are in the centre and you want to do something for the Earth in order for you to survive. That is a dualistic way of seeing.
"So to breathe in and be aware of your body and look deeply into it and realise you are the Earth and your consciousness is also the consciousness of the earth. Not to cut the tree not to pollute the water, that is not enough."
Thay says this disconnect is also making us sick:
"Many people suffer deeply and they do not know they suffer," he says. "They try to cover up the suffering by being busy. Many people get sick today because they get alienated from Mother Earth.
"The practice of mindfulness helps us to touch Mother Earth inside of the body and this practice can help heal people. So the healing of the people should go together with the healing of the Earth and this is the insight and it is possible for anyone to practice.
"This kind of enlightenment is very crucial to a collective awakening. In Buddhism we talk of meditation as an act of awakening, to be awake to the fact that the earth is in danger and living species are in danger."
Putting a pricetag on nature isn't enough either; rather, love is at the heart of change:
"We need a real awakening, enlightenment, to change our way of thinking and seeing things."
Rather than placing a price tag of our forests and coral reefs, Thay says change will happen on a fundamental level only if we fall back in love with the planet: "The Earth cannot be described either by the notion of matter or mind, which are just ideas, two faces of the same reality. That pine tree is not just matter as it possesses a sense of knowing. A dust particle is not just matter since each of its atoms has intelligence and is a living reality.
"When we recognize the virtues, the talent, the beauty of Mother Earth, something is born in us, some kind of connection, love is born.
"We want to be connected. That is the meaning of love, to be at one. When you love someone you want to say I need you, I take refuge in you. You do anything for the benefit of the Earth and the Earth will do anything for your wellbeing."
Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk, peace activist and scholar, says that we must see the connection between the Earth and ourselves, and that we must fall back in love with Earth in order to heal the planet.
Guardian editor Jo Confino interviewed the 86-year-old at his Plum Village retreat center. Confino writes:
Thay, as [Thich Nhat Hanh] is known to his many thousands of followers, sees the lack of meaning and connection in peoples' lives as being the cause of our addiction to consumerism and that it is vital we recognise and respond to the stress we are putting on Earth if civilisation is to survive.
Thay believes that seeing the environment as separate from ourselves is the problem; change can only come when we move beyond that dualistic way of thinking:
"You carry Mother Earth within you," says Thay. "She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment.
"In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the Earth, which is the highest form of prayer. In that kind of relationship you have enough love, strength and awakening in order to change your life. [...]
"Fear, separation, hate and anger come from the wrong view that you and the earth are two separate entities, the Earth is only the environment. You are in the centre and you want to do something for the Earth in order for you to survive. That is a dualistic way of seeing.
"So to breathe in and be aware of your body and look deeply into it and realise you are the Earth and your consciousness is also the consciousness of the earth. Not to cut the tree not to pollute the water, that is not enough."
Thay says this disconnect is also making us sick:
"Many people suffer deeply and they do not know they suffer," he says. "They try to cover up the suffering by being busy. Many people get sick today because they get alienated from Mother Earth.
"The practice of mindfulness helps us to touch Mother Earth inside of the body and this practice can help heal people. So the healing of the people should go together with the healing of the Earth and this is the insight and it is possible for anyone to practice.
"This kind of enlightenment is very crucial to a collective awakening. In Buddhism we talk of meditation as an act of awakening, to be awake to the fact that the earth is in danger and living species are in danger."
Putting a pricetag on nature isn't enough either; rather, love is at the heart of change:
"We need a real awakening, enlightenment, to change our way of thinking and seeing things."
Rather than placing a price tag of our forests and coral reefs, Thay says change will happen on a fundamental level only if we fall back in love with the planet: "The Earth cannot be described either by the notion of matter or mind, which are just ideas, two faces of the same reality. That pine tree is not just matter as it possesses a sense of knowing. A dust particle is not just matter since each of its atoms has intelligence and is a living reality.
"When we recognize the virtues, the talent, the beauty of Mother Earth, something is born in us, some kind of connection, love is born.
"We want to be connected. That is the meaning of love, to be at one. When you love someone you want to say I need you, I take refuge in you. You do anything for the benefit of the Earth and the Earth will do anything for your wellbeing."
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