Thich Nhat Hanh leads 3,000 in silent LA march
I was really glad I decided to be there. I'd considered going when I first heard about it weeks ago, but then didn't make any plans. A few days ago I asked C if she was interested and she gave a resounding YES! and then sent an email to our group about it. So four of us loaded into her Kia early yesterday morning and headed up to LA.
McArthur Park is located just north of the downtown high rise buildings in a largely Latin American neighborhood. The famed Olvera Street, Koreatown and Filipinotown are all in the vicinity. We found street parking a few blocks from the park, and were joined by another LA friend in the park. A lot of LA CodePink women showed up too, but they were way over on the other side of the crowd (we're easy to pick out in a large group) so we just stayed put for the first part of the program. We sat for about 15 minutes for a guided meditation, a Buddhist nun taught us a song, the monks from Plum Village and Deer Park sang and chanted, and then Thich Nhat Hanh spoke about finding peace in one's own self in order to spread peace throughout the world. Then we all stood and followed him in a silent walking meditation through the park and surrounding streets. It was both gentle and very powerful, and at the moment, I'm not sure of how to describe the energy there that day. Normally music blares from the shops, but even that was quieted while we walked, and we could hear our feet hitting the ground and the bird songs you seldom hear in the heart of a city. I could smell the sage burning from somewhere near the front of the crowd.
The article says there were counter protestors, but I didn't see them. Frankly, I really don't get how anyone can protest what Nhat Hanh offers to the world. That's sad. Anyway, after the walk the crowd sat silently in the park and ate their picnic lunch. Silence at mealtime is typical, so one can eat mindfully (hmmm....I should do a little more of that).
We didn't bring a lunch since we didn't know about the lunch part ahead of time, but we gathered with the other pinksters outside the edge of the group who were sitting to enjoy their food, and we chatted and took some pictures. Jody Evans was there. So was Cindy Sheehan. We ran into Lynn Gonzales from SD too.
I'm very glad we went. It was truly a special day, where we were able to reflect with our friends and ourselves, on the nature of peace.
edit- photos from the walk
I was really glad I decided to be there. I'd considered going when I first heard about it weeks ago, but then didn't make any plans. A few days ago I asked C if she was interested and she gave a resounding YES! and then sent an email to our group about it. So four of us loaded into her Kia early yesterday morning and headed up to LA.
McArthur Park is located just north of the downtown high rise buildings in a largely Latin American neighborhood. The famed Olvera Street, Koreatown and Filipinotown are all in the vicinity. We found street parking a few blocks from the park, and were joined by another LA friend in the park. A lot of LA CodePink women showed up too, but they were way over on the other side of the crowd (we're easy to pick out in a large group) so we just stayed put for the first part of the program. We sat for about 15 minutes for a guided meditation, a Buddhist nun taught us a song, the monks from Plum Village and Deer Park sang and chanted, and then Thich Nhat Hanh spoke about finding peace in one's own self in order to spread peace throughout the world. Then we all stood and followed him in a silent walking meditation through the park and surrounding streets. It was both gentle and very powerful, and at the moment, I'm not sure of how to describe the energy there that day. Normally music blares from the shops, but even that was quieted while we walked, and we could hear our feet hitting the ground and the bird songs you seldom hear in the heart of a city. I could smell the sage burning from somewhere near the front of the crowd.
The article says there were counter protestors, but I didn't see them. Frankly, I really don't get how anyone can protest what Nhat Hanh offers to the world. That's sad. Anyway, after the walk the crowd sat silently in the park and ate their picnic lunch. Silence at mealtime is typical, so one can eat mindfully (hmmm....I should do a little more of that).
We didn't bring a lunch since we didn't know about the lunch part ahead of time, but we gathered with the other pinksters outside the edge of the group who were sitting to enjoy their food, and we chatted and took some pictures. Jody Evans was there. So was Cindy Sheehan. We ran into Lynn Gonzales from SD too.
I'm very glad we went. It was truly a special day, where we were able to reflect with our friends and ourselves, on the nature of peace.
edit- photos from the walk
posted by Terry at 9:16 AM
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