As Simple As Walking Around The Block
ServiceSpace
--Pancho Ramos Stierle
1 minute read
Jul 9, 2011

 

We have a special guest at Casa de Paz. He is a Buddhist monk who was born in the part of the Planet we call the U.S.. He lived in Plum Village. He is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh. His monk name, Samata, means "equanimity" or "free from extremes". Now Samata is staying with us for the second time and he has stories like this one: A Monday ago, Samata walked around the Fruitvale neighborhood in Oakland to connect with the people of the community. As a student of Thay, this monk with white skin is very committed with "Engaged Buddhism". So he walked along 35th ave a few miles, all the way to the freeway. When he was coming back, three youngsters with black skin yelled at him: - Hey man! He turns around and looks at them... - Yes? - Are you a Buddhist monk? - Yes, I am. - You look _hella_ peaceful man! Sometimes, to bring peace to the World is as simple as walking around the block. The difficult part is to be the peace of the World. We are glad to have "some equanimity" at Casa de Paz :)

 

Posted by Pancho Ramos Stierle on Jul 9, 2011


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