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Winter Retreat
Today the year 2000 rings like a bell of mindfulness, calling us to recognize how the 20th century’s individualism has led to suffering and to prepare ourselves to live as a Sangha—with humans, animals, vegetals, and minerals as partners. True happiness cannot be sought alone; it arises when we free ourselves from the prison of self, embrace the insights of no-self and interbeing, and learn to respond with collective joy. Thay reminds us that the next Buddha may come as a Sangha, each of us a cell in the Buddha-kāya, and invites us to touch our āśraya (base) deeply so we can dissolve separation and see Sangha happiness as our own.
The 21st century is imagined as a hill to climb together—with faith, joy, and insight. To embark on this ascent, we begin with two hours of solitary meditation on December 31st to:
- Look deeply into our past perceptions and suffering
- Make a solemn promise to ourselves, our ancestors, and our children to live differently—relying not on individual eyes but on Sangha eyes and heart
- Vow to cultivate the insights of no-self, interbeing, and interconnectedness daily
Program highlights for the last day of the century:
• Morning: two-hour solitary retreat, with guidance on how to work deeply with our suffering and make our commitment
• Midday: simple lunch (with optional continuation of meditation) and collective walking meditation to prepare for the evening
• 17:00–18:30: last Dharma talk of the century, relayed to Germany and North America
• Afterward: practice of Touching the Earth to connect with ancestors, the land, and future generations
• 23:00: dinner, followed by silent walking meditation under kerosene lamps—“walking like a centipede” as a Sangha—reaching the hilltop just as the new millennium bell rings
• At the hilltop: children lead a candlelit chariot bearing “2000,” we gather before the altar, offer incense and water, read our personal promises aloud to sky and earth, perform four bows of Touching the Earth, and close with Hugging Meditation—vowing that the Sangha’s happiness is our own.
