March 26, 2026:
Contemplating Nirvana; Interbeing and Nonduality
The Path of Emancipation, Parallax, 2000
Chapter 11 - Practicing the three Dharma Seals - Pages 170 - 179

Chapter 12 - Transforming Our Suffering - Pages 181 - 195

Verse 15:

Contemplating nirvana (cessation), I breathe in.

(Or: I observe the nirvana nature of all dharmas)

Contemplating nirvana (cessation), I breathe out.

(Or: I observe the nirvana nature of all dharmas.)

Our practice sessions are open to anyone who would like to participate; there is no requirement to have attended prior sessions. 

Practice Exercises for March

1. 1. 1. Spend some time practicing walking meditation in a peaceful outdoor setting, following your breathing and touching the Earth deeply and with all your attention in every step. Stop from time to time to fully take in your surroundings. Choose a natural phenomenon that calls to you, such as a flower, a tree, a leaf, or a cloud. Sit quietly with that lifeform, looking deeply. Have a small notebook with you and create a list of all of the things that make that lifeform possible (as Thay describes in the example of the flower on page 172 in our readings). See if you can begin to touch the nonself nature of this lifeform, and its interbeing with the entire cosmos.

      2. Similarly, spend some time in meditation looking deeply into your own body. What is your "self" made of? What are all the causes, conditions, events, and phenomena that brought your "self" into being and that allow your "self" to continue to exist? Can you feel a spaciousness to your being as you touch the many elements that you are made of? If you have a practice journal, spend some time journaling about your experience.

      3. On pages 172-173 in our reading, Thay talks about the emptiness of transmission. Once again, spend some time in meditation considering your own body, which was transmitted to you by your ancestors. What are the physical and psychological traits and habits that have been transmitted to you? Can you touch the presence of your ancestors, alive in you in this moment? What are the aspects of transmission that you would like to cultivate or transform for yourself and your ancestors?

      4. This month Thay invites us to practice the Three Earth Touchings (referred to in our text as the Three Prostrations), which help us touch impermanence, nonself, and nirvana. Find a way to integrate the Earth Touchings into your practice this month. You can use this video of the Earth Touchings led by Sister Chan Duc:  Touching the Earth with Sister Chan Duc. Or you may like to read the Earth Touchings regularly, following the most recent text of this practice on the Plum Village Website:  The Three Earth Touchings | Plum Village  

Enjoy your practice, dear friends! 🙏

Optional Recommended Resources

• • Video and Song below