Kayla (center, with shawl) was a member of the Sparkle “family,” in New Hamlet in the Summer of 2010.
It is with great sadness that Plum Village has learned of the passing away of our beloved dharma sister Kayla Mueller in Syria earlier this month. Kayla was a student of Thay’s and a lively, loving and passionate member of the Sparkle dharma discussion group that formed in New Hamlet in Summer 2010.
Kayla was captured by Daaesh militants in August 2013, as she was leaving a Spanish Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo, Syria, and had been held in captivity since. The militants claimed that she died in a Jordanian air-raid which hit her building on February 6th, 2015. Although it seems clear she has passed away, the circumstances of her death remain uncertain.
Here in Plum Village we have chanted for Kayla and held her lovingly in our hearts.
Kayla had been deeply inspired by Thay’s teachings, which guided her in her work of service. In her own words: “Do good things, don’t just hide away in a monastery and pray; also be active in the world and do good. Religion and spirituality tell us to be engaged with our fellow brothers and sisters and that is an essential and integral part of being a follower of God, caring for one another, which in the end is caring for yourself and God.”
Gabrielle, a fellow Sparkler (standing second from left in the photo), remembers Kayla as “a beautiful spirit, and so committed to others.”
Issa Souf and Neta Golan, Plum Village practitioners active in the International Solidarity Movement, and who knew Kayla well, have said that “Kayla was a bright light, an embodiment of Avalokiteshvara,” the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion. “We are grateful that Kayla received the teachings from Thay and had the practice that gave her strength both in her work and her imprisonment.”
In a letter she snuck out to her parents during her time in captivity, she wrote “I have learned that even in prison, one can be free.” (This teaching can be found in Thay’s book for prisoners, Be Free Where You Are.)
From Kayla’s blog, a few weeks after leaving Plum Village:
“Let’s all open our eyes and expose ourselves towards a direction of truth regarding this world we live in. There is sickness and beauty, there is magic all around us; I forget that sometimes. Plum Village helped me remember and forever I will believe it with all my fleeting existence.”
Kayla’s friends have created this blog with a selection of her writings, and you can read the very moving and courageous last letter she sent to her family here.
Xenia, a fellow member of the Sparkle family, standing to Kayla’s left in the above photo, offers this poem in her memory:
Kayla enjoying the home-made cakes during the annual Full Moon Festival around the lotus pond in Lower Hamlet.
Kayla made a commitment to practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings in her life after leaving the retreat. Here she is celebrating with other Sparklers and their guiding monastic, Sister Pine.
Read more:
Lion’s Roar article: “We have lost a great human being“
Just a simple monk!
Dear Friends,
I live in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA, which is the home of Northern Arizona University, from which Kayla graduated in 2009. I thought you might appreciate the following articles and photos, from Flagstaff’s newspaper, the Arizona Daily Sun, about the candlelight vigils for Kayla held at the university, as well as in Prescott, Kayla’s hometown:
http://azdailysun.com/news/local/flagstaff-prescott-mourn-as-death-of-nau-grad-kayla-mueller/article_70d9b81e-b205-11e4-b759-0bff42ea4015.html
http://azdailysun.com/kayla-mueller-candlelight-vigil/collection_1d52462d-1cbc-5575-b9ae-33f97506175d.html#0
http://azdailysun.com/news/local/memorial-in-kayla-mueller-s-hometown-honors-her-life-work/article_d270dcaa-4374-5f96-a0e8-cf6ae2702faa.html
I did not know Kayla, but the people who spoke at the vigil made it very clear that she was a truly remarkable person and was deeply loved by many.
Stepping with compassion
In the midst of suffering
Offering completely
A heart
Of loving kindness,
Courage, gentleness,
Mindfulness and insight.
May Avalokitesvara
Hear our suffering
And our grief!
May Kayla’s life
Heal the suffering
And bring peace.
May her captors
Awaken from fear
From violence.
May understanding
Bring the diamond
That cuts through
Illusion.
May the rememberance
Of Kayla
Be as the Great Bell
Of Interbeing.
Peace, love, respect and
tenderness to all.
Kayla clearly practiced compassion in action and was very brave putting those enduring terrible suffering concerns for her own wellbeing. Have a joyous rebirth.
Thank you Kayla,
Your light continues to shine in the midst of darkness. It is an impo thread of our sangha.
You live in our hearts and our aspirations for a peaceful and just world.
Kayla, you are a beautiful soul. Your eyes and smile says it all: you are a peaceful, compassionate and a wonderful human being. Sad to see you depart so young. Your compassion and giving will inspire many of us to do even more good in this bitter and violent world. May you rest in peace and may your family cherish your memories and find peace and strength in their lives.
a beautiful flower and many other flowers have been stepped on and withered by bitterness and violence. Such a big pity for human in the 21st century!
I am grateful for her compassionate and courageous life and thoughts. At the end of the following homepage, she beautifully explains TNHs influence on her dealing with despair: .
http://www.today.com/news/read-isis-hostage-kayla-muellers-last-letter-her-family-my-2D80504725
More on her thoughts: forkayla.org
I am grateful for her life and thoughts. At the end of the following homepage, she beautifully explains TNHs influence on her dealing with despair: .
http://www.today.com/news/read-isis-hostage-kayla-muellers-last-letter-her-family-my-2D80504725
more on her thoughts: forkayla.org
Namaste…
Very sad as she was there for the right reasons and not for just a money making/seeking fame reason.
Shalom,
I’m curious why the recognition of one of Kayla’s peaceful & loving Journies was referred to as Palestine then recounted she was in Tel Aviv which is in Israel. Thank you Kayla for your brave actions in the world.
In loving truth.
Friends may be interested in reading this article: http://thefederalist.com/2015/02/25/kayla-mueller-is-not-our-helen-of-troy/, which says of Kayla: “Mueller was not a woman who inspired wars. She inspired peace.”
I am grateful for her compassionate and courageous life and thoughts. At the end of the following homepage, she beautifully explains TNHs influence on her dealing with despair: .
http://www.today.com/news/read-isis-hostage-kayla-muellers-last-letter-her-family-my-2D80504725
More on her thoughts: forkayla.org