Our Great Mindful Launch! (aka Adventurous Detours of our First 2 Weeks)
Guden tag dear community and big smiles from Germany! :)) We have officially arrived, ich bin angekommen, and are off to a wonderful start to our project!
While other posts can cover the community magic of the two centers we have visited, I can’t help but share some of the more fun and funny side stories and excursions on our trip so far.
Where to begin?! First off, we departed our temporary work-life as the resident practitioners at A Quiet Place Molalla, (in northwest Oregon), in a haste but with boundless warmth in our hearts. Our experience there was one of great joy, along with unbelievable generosity from the Quiet Place community and the wider Sangha in Oregon. Practicing with the community there set a beautiful tone and a gas tank full of gratitude for us to go out into the world to discover community … Thank you to everyone that was part of our Oregon chapter.
After packing every inch of David’s 2005 Hyundai Accent, we made the 5-hour car trip to Bellingham, WA, to say one final farewell, (and multiple hugs) to my parents, to leave the rest of our belongings at my Dad’s house (not the first time in my life), and to pack for the next 8 + months of our international mindfulness tour. Astonishing that I can survive 8 months with just one bag!!
Just a shuttle, plane trip, and a train ride away we found ourselves on the bustling streets of New York City. While en route to our first community on the East Coast, we squeezed in a short and last visit with my Brother who I won’t be seeing for the next whole year.
Being in New York is a bit like visiting the circus, there is so much to look at and be amazed by, and so many sensations being roused.
Looking up at the tall sky scrapers is like peering up at the trapeze artists standing on high on their miniature platforms, in sheer awe at the height they and these structures can take. Very occasionally even New Yorkers will take a brief pause in midst of their busy lives to pay respect to the high rises that make this city so famous.
And the New York metro is a clown circus during rush hour. Everyone going every which way, complete and udder madness if you’re not used to it, resembling a true daily life circus, yet somehow there is a system to it all.
After this brief and intense city visit, (including a wonderful stay with my Bro and his partner), we made our first ‘official’ stop on our world tour project: Morning Sun Mindfulness Community. As we entered the serene peace and quiet of the forest, this calm blanket began to ground us once again in the energy of mindfulness.
Morning Sun, situated in southwest New Hampshire, spans 250 acres of forest which includes protected land that cannot be developed or built on. The combination of natural beauty, depth of practice offered by the community, and tremendous warmth and ease, makes it a shining example of the kind of community where I hope to put down roots someday. After a beautiful yet quick farewell to the Morning Sun crew, we bussed it to Logan International Airport in Boston for our red-eye flight to Frankfurt.
Being averse to airplane food and a bit of a health food snob, I always prepare plenty of wholesome snacks to munch on during these long transcontinental flights. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to bake the organic purple sweet potatoes I had bought several days earlier from the Coop in Keene, a college town close to Morning Sun. I couldn’t bear to let these prized taters go to the wayside so I brought them along in hopes that somewhere in the Airport we would find a microwave to cook them. No such luck.
Disappointed, but still determined, I went from food vendor to food vendor, persistently and hopefully inquiring about their cooking capabilities. I feared that either we would be eating raw sweet potatoes in flight, or that these precious tubers would find their way to German soil. I was dissatisfied with either scenario.
Finally, a ray of sunshine appeared as I spotted a Sparro’s Pizza and went to try my luck. After explaining my situation with the sweet potatoes, this kind, unassuming Sweet Potato Bodhisattva not only took pity on sweet little me and my sweet sweet potatoes, but generously wrapped each potato lovingly in aluminum foil, placing them carefully on a pan at the back of the fire roasting oven.
Success!! Not a minute to spare before our plane departed, I ran back to retrieve my prized sweet potatoes, which were roasted to perfection. As others grudgingly opened their prepackaged snacks and peanut bags, we smiled at our freshly roasted spuds, enjoying every bite of prized nourishment. Deep bows to the kind staff at Sparro’s for their supreme generosity and kindness.
We arrived in Frankfurt at 11 am local time and a day later than when we left. Germany welcomed us with splendidly clear skies which apparently had been the first time in weeks. Only days prior, snow and frost still covered parts of the country. Somehow, we helped bring the sunshine and have been enjoying the first appearances of spring ever since.
I am already loving Germany! The countryside landscape is absolutely stunning and everything seems to come out of a fairytale. Rolling hills, open meadows with wild flowers and herbs, enchanting little cottage like homes, chapels on hilltops and all sorts of cafes and bakeries. And everything is so well maintained here! I can definitely feel the German work ethic coming through in the manicured gardens and lawns, and all-around cleanliness that Germany offers.
We had an entire day to kill in Frankfurt before a night bus to our first Euro community destination. We decided it would be much nicer to roam around outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine than cooped up in some museum, however many stars they have on Trip Advisor. We elected to try our luck at the Frankfurt Zoo. At just 10 Euros a pop this zoo is a steal!
I have not visited the zoo since learning the practice so was surprised at what a mindfulness practice it can be. Nothing can bring you more fully into the present moment than being up close to animals, especially remarkably enormous ones like a rhino or hippopotamus as they are feeding. You can feel the tremendous power of these amazing creatures, and sense their deep presence just by being around them. But the most unforgettable encounter was our visit to the great apes.
Observing the gorillas and bonobos, I was so keenly aware that they are our ancestors. Their mannerisms, facial expressions, and hands resemble our own. After many minutes of simply watching these incredible creatures, I realized we were the only people left in the exhibition.
As I turned the corner to visit the gorillas once more before the zoo closed, I saw a female gorilla with her tiny baby on her back. She was pacing back and forth near the window and for a brief minute she stopped and I peered into her eyes. The intensity and depth of her stare was almost startling and I quickly got into a crouched position so she would not feel threatened. Or perhaps it was an instinctual reaction out of respect for this great being. Either way, I felt in total awe of her presence.
After a short while, David joined me along with the zoo keeper. She informed us that this female had had twins recently but that one of them had not survived. The other, also sick after birth was nursed back to health by this woman. Every day, the zoo keeper would show the baby to her mother so she would know her baby was alright. Eventually when the gorilla baby was strong enough, she was returned, literally from human arms to her gorilla mother’s arms, and to the gorilla pack.
Since then, every time the zoo keeper goes near, the mother gorilla comes out to show her baby to the zoo keeper, so she knows that her baby is alright. We were there to witness this incredible human-animal connection.
Fully aware of the sensations in my body, my breath moving in and out of my lungs, I delicately walked away from the great ape exhibit, enjoying every step, every breath and feeling truly grateful to be alive. (What a great fortune to have been born a human, and to fully witness this miracle of life.)
Guden tag dear community and big smiles from Germany! :)
We have officially arrived, ich bin angekommen, and are off to a wonderful start to our project!
While other posts can cover the community magic of the two centers we have visited, I can’t help but share some of the more fun and funny side stories and excursions on our trip so far.
Where to begin?! First off, we departed our temporary work-life as the resident practitioners at A Quiet Place Molalla, (in northwest Oregon), in a haste but with boundless warmth in our hearts. Our experience there was one of great joy, along with unbelievable generosity from the Quiet Place community and the wider Sangha in Oregon. Practicing with the community there set a beautiful tone and a gas tank full of gratitude for us to go out into the world to discover community … Thank you to everyone that was part of our Oregon chapter.
After packing every inch of David’s 2005 Hyundai Accent, we made the 5-hour car trip to Bellingham, WA, to say one final farewell, (and multiple hugs) to my parents, to leave the rest of our belongings at my Dad’s house (not the first time in my life), and to pack for the next 8 + months of our international mindfulness tour. Astonishing that I can survive 8 months with just one bag!!
Just a shuttle, plane trip, and a train ride away we found ourselves on the bustling streets of New York City. While en route to our first community on the East Coast, we squeezed in a short and last visit with my Brother who I won’t be seeing for the next whole year.
Being in New York is a bit like visiting the circus, there is so much to look at and be amazed by, and so many sensations being roused.
Looking up at the tall sky scrapers is like peering up at the trapeze artists standing on high on their miniature platforms, in sheer awe at the height they and these structures can take. Very occasionally even New Yorkers will take a brief pause in midst of their busy lives to pay respect to the high rises that make this city so famous.
And the New York metro is a clown circus during rush hour. Everyone going every which way, complete and udder madness if you’re not used to it, resembling a true daily life circus, yet somehow there is a system to it all.
After this brief and intense city visit, (including a wonderful stay with my Bro and his partner), we made our first ‘official’ stop on our world tour project: Morning Sun Mindfulness Community. As we entered the serene peace and quiet of the forest, this calm blanket began to ground us once again in the energy of mindfulness.
Morning Sun, situated in southwest New Hampshire, spans 250 acres of forest which includes protected land that cannot be developed or built on. The combination of natural beauty, depth of practice offered by the community, and tremendous warmth and ease, makes it a shining example of the kind of community where I hope to put down roots someday. After a beautiful yet quick farewell to the Morning Sun crew, we bussed it to Logan International Airport in Boston for our red-eye flight to Frankfurt.
Being averse to airplane food and a bit of a health food snob, I always prepare plenty of wholesome snacks to munch on during these long transcontinental flights. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to bake the organic purple sweet potatoes I had bought several days earlier from the Coop in Keene, a college town close to Morning Sun. I couldn’t bear to let these prized taters go to the wayside so I brought them along in hopes that somewhere in the Airport we would find a microwave to cook them. No such luck.
Disappointed, but still determined, I went from food vendor to food vendor, persistently and hopefully inquiring about their cooking capabilities. I feared that either we would be eating raw sweet potatoes in flight, or that these precious tubers would find their way to German soil. I was dissatisfied with either scenario.
Finally, a ray of sunshine appeared as I spotted a Sparro’s Pizza and went to try my luck. After explaining my situation with the sweet potatoes, this kind, unassuming Sweet Potato Bodhisattva not only took pity on sweet little me and my sweet sweet potatoes, but generously wrapped each potato lovingly in aluminum foil, placing them carefully on a pan at the back of the fire roasting oven.
Success!! Not a minute to spare before our plane departed, I ran back to retrieve my prized sweet potatoes, which were roasted to perfection. As others grudgingly opened their prepackaged snacks and peanut bags, we smiled at our freshly roasted spuds, enjoying every bite of prized nourishment. Deep bows to the kind staff at Sparro’s for their supreme generosity and kindness.
We arrived in Frankfurt at 11 am local time and a day later than when we left. Germany welcomed us with splendidly clear skies which apparently had been the first time in weeks. Only days prior, snow and frost still covered parts of the country. Somehow, we helped bring the sunshine and have been enjoying the first appearances of spring ever since.
I am already loving Germany! The countryside landscape is absolutely stunning and everything seems to come out of a fairytale. Rolling hills, open meadows with wild flowers and herbs, enchanting little cottage like homes, chapels on hilltops and all sorts of cafes and bakeries. And everything is so well maintained here! I can definitely feel the German work ethic coming through in the manicured gardens and lawns, and all-around cleanliness that Germany offers.
We had an entire day to kill in Frankfurt before a night bus to our first Euro community destination. We decided it would be much nicer to roam around outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine than cooped up in some museum, however many stars they have on Trip Advisor. We elected to try our luck at the Frankfurt Zoo. At just 10 Euros a pop this zoo is a steal!
I have not visited the zoo since learning the practice so was surprised at what a mindfulness practice it can be. Nothing can bring you more fully into the present moment than being up close to animals, especially remarkably enormous ones like a rhino or hippopotamus as they are feeding. You can feel the tremendous power of these amazing creatures, and sense their deep presence just by being around them. But the most unforgettable encounter was our visit to the great apes.
Observing the gorillas and bonobos, I was so keenly aware that they are our ancestors. Their mannerisms, facial expressions, and hands resemble our own. After many minutes of simply watching these incredible creatures, I realized we were the only people left in the exhibition.
As I turned the corner to visit the gorillas once more before the zoo closed, I saw a female gorilla with her tiny baby on her back. She was pacing back and forth near the window and for a brief minute she stopped and I peered into her eyes. The intensity and depth of her stare was almost startling and I quickly got into a crouched position so she would not feel threatened. Or perhaps it was an instinctual reaction out of respect for this great being. Either way, I felt in total awe of her presence.
After a short while, David joined me along with the zoo keeper. She informed us that this female had had twins recently but that one of them had not survived. The other, also sick after birth was nursed back to health by this woman. Every day, the zoo keeper would show the baby to her mother so she would know her baby was alright. Eventually when the gorilla baby was strong enough, she was returned, literally from human arms to her gorilla mother’s arms, and to the gorilla pack.
Since then, every time the zoo keeper goes near, the mother gorilla comes out to show her baby to the zoo keeper, so she knows that her baby is alright. We were there to witness this incredible human-animal connection.
Fully aware of the sensations in my body, my breath moving in and out of my lungs, I delicately walked away from the great ape exhibit, enjoying every step, every breath and feeling truly grateful to be alive. (What a great fortune to have been born a human, and to fully witness this miracle of life.)
Watering Powerful Seeds: The Wake Up Center at Morning Sun (Part 2)
Michael Ciborski shares our deepest intentions for creating a Wake Up Center at Morning Sun
Heading Back to Morning Sun
And Ready to Start Visioning!
After a blissfully warm visit in August, we were back at Morning Sun for springtime action in May. Last year, I soaked in the community life, history, structure, and culture in depth. With fresh eyes, I caught my first glimpses of this community, which appeared like bright fluorescent green maple leaf flowers under the warming sunshine of spring. The community clearly has so much glowing enthusiasm and brightness for growth, it’s both awe-inspiring and contagious. Most of the residents are in their mid to early 30’s with a few in their 20’s, along with some grandparents and kids along for the mindfulness adventure.
But our aims of this round were different, especially in regards to me and Vanessa. Our intentions for this weeklong visit were threefold – for Vanessa to explore Morning Sun as a possible future home, for us both to continue partnering with Morning Sun in building a Wake Up Center, and to connect with some of our treasured friends! (like playing together with Annie and the tulips one morning for a photo shoot)
But as I look back at our weeklong visit at Morning Sun, one conversation in particular continues to visit me. It’s a great window to share as the brief words convey the depth of our visit and aspirations there. We were capturing video interviews from different Wake Uppers and Morning Sun residents. Michael shared that when we first started thinking about the Wake Up Center, one thing stood out bright and clear for him, and has remained with him ever since: “Who do we want to leave the future of our world to?” Yes, we’re all engaging in valuable projects and relationships in our lives and in the world. But at the end of the day, and especially at the end of our life, who have we helped empower to truly care for our world and lead our society? If you’re like us, you want to leave this world in the hands and hearts of young people who have been training and developing more understanding, compassion, and wisdom to most skillfully take care of their lives and our world.
So that is the foundation behind this Wake Up Center we aim to build at Morning Sun. And what is this Wake Up Center, you may ask? Good question! We’ve been trying to explain that to potential donors all week!… and with as much inspiration and insights as we could convey.
Here are some fruits of our time together: quotes that best capture our vision and plans for the Center:”
“Our programs will be developed from one basic question and premise:
What are the most powerful things that we wish to transmit to future generations?”
“The Center is a powerful intersection of Bodhissatva training, enabling young people to develop tools for personal, psychological, and spiritual maturation, as well as respond compassionately and communally to the suffering in the world.
“A homebase for supporting, training, and growing Wake Up programs; a place where many young people can come to develop a solid mindfulness and meditation practice with other experienced young practitioners.”
“It will have a multidimensional approach, with a variety of programs, mentored by Dharma Teachers and Morning Sun founders, Michael and Fern, and supported by the practice community at Morning Sun.”
“A home for young people to learn to live harmoniously together; not merely teaching mindfulness in society, but embodying mindful living and communication in our daily lives.”
“Consistent trainings and workshops for many young adults to learn to facilitate mindfulness practice in diverse realms of society, such as schools, universities, hospitals, juvenile hall, and more.”
“Young people will learn to organize and facilitate quarterly Wake Up retreats together, focusing on issues that are strongly alive for young people, such as:
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Relationships and communication
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Practicing at work and right livelihood
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Social and climate change justice
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Healthy fun living and mindful consumption
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Family life and parenting
We’ll have more to come soon!
But if you feel inspired to support this initiative or partner with us, please contact us so we can further discuss our aspirations. No need to wait to join this adventure of Sanghabuilding together.
Watering Powerful Seeds: The Wake Up Center at Morning Sun (Part 1)
Seizing this opportunity even on our “lazy day”, Vanessa, Dave, and I headed to town after getting word that Fern and Johanna were available and ready to meet at Brewbakers cafe. When one feels such a calling and inspiration to create, even a community designated day off of work is perfect time for us to throw our aspirations into a cafe and blend up our project visions together. During our short visit to Morning Sun, we’d been seizing such opportunities and gathering in groups of 2, 4, or 5 of us at a time, whether after breakfast, in the meditation hall, or in this bustling little college town down the road from the community.
Dave, formerly known as the Brother Heart, had recently transitioned from living four solid years in the monastery, having shed his brown robes and laid down his alms bowl. Leaving the monastery a few months before, he decided to spend the entire summer program at Morning Sun, a destination already known as a safe-haven and respite for former monastics. Having spent a few years in monastic life myself, I couldn’t imagine a more supportive, inspiring, and wonderful place for him to be right now. A wise and blessed choice for him, no doubt. Having practiced with him for some months at Deer Park, Vanessa and I also couldn’t be happier to see him at Morning Sun.
I dropped off Vanessa and him in front of the cafe, as the spring morning sunshine had quickly turned to puddles that afternoon. By the time I reached the cafe only a block and a half from the car, I was half-sopping wet. The warm and rich roasted coffee bean and pastry aromas infused every nook, cranny, wooden table, booth, and person in this cozy cafe. Straight back, there was Fern and Johanna. A 27 year old aspiring artist and dedicated Wake Up community enthusiast, Johanna had arrived at Morning Sun a few months before. Each with a mug of hot cocoa and whipped cream on top, and cozily seated towards each other in the booth, their intimate sisterhood session had clearly already begun.
After some warm greetings and smiles, Fern shared with us that she had to leave by 6pm, so we had only about one hour together. Between attending her children’s dance at school, forging out time for a biweekly date with her husband Michael, and shopping for Morning Sun, her time is squeezed. By the genuine freshness in her smiles as we sat down, and the spontaneous bright beams of compassion in her eyes, you wouldn’t know it. But this is the life of a mother of three, senior lay Dharma teacher, and one who’s devoted the last 10 years of her life to creating a thriving mindfulness community. We’d gratefully take each minute offered of her time.
We hunkered together, intending to write a video script intend that would excite and inspire potential donors for the Wake Up Center. We knew that our brainstorming time was short, so we jumped in with our creative ideas, passion, insights, and schemes all together. It was a short amount of time and it was messy. We tried our best to listen to each other’s inspiration while still searching for our own, talked over each other at times, disappointedly let go of personal ideas that were initially exciting but altogether not working out, and tried again to listen to each other. We seemed to grind down each other’s ideas to the core, sometimes patiently, and sometimes less so, but the air of safety and care never left the circle.
In the midst of our brainstorm grinding, the cafe was grinding its own beans, and so loudly that we couldn't hear each other anymore. We stopped, relaxed our postures, and took a few minutes to just breathe, and re-establish our presence of calm, ease, and connection together. Then Dave started making over-exaggerated facial gestures of concentration, acting as if he was thinking just as hard as the coffee bean machine was grinding. We all burst into laughter watching him make such ridiculous faces of concentration - but we were also really laughing at ourselves being so serious about our work together. Good thing the air of humor and playfulness never fully left our circle either.
Michael, Morning Sun co-founder #2 and Fern’s husband, joined us after an hour and a half; to our happiness, he was 30 minutes late to meet Fern. He came to take Fern on their Friday night date, but our conversation was all too powerful and moving to leave. So we then had Michael’s creative genius and fresh eyes to join us.
Our momentum and vision were coalescing together slowly, steadily, increasing, brewing, and finally, Aha!! We had it. What finally came out was a damn fine vision for our video, and most importantly our collective harmony, happiness, and celebration together.
We had a vision to deeply inspire and uplift others, no matter if they were to partner with our project or not. Our video would be a mini-Dharma talk in itself, watering seeds of hope and peace in anyone who watched it, while also creatively imparting our deep collective dream and message to others. Each one of us would have an important role in the video’s creative expression. It was perfect.
These moments together, hashing out our aspirations and dreams, and putting them into concrete expression, these are what great community memories are made of. This, my friend, is Sanghabuilding.
Residential Practice Communities?.... What's Your #1 Question?
Imagine if you were visiting all of the lay practice residential communities around the world in our tradition, and you could ask each community just one or two questions....
What would your question be?!
Hello Worldwide Friends,
As you may guessed or read about, my partner, Vanessa Loucky and I are traveling this year to all of the lay practice residential communities around the world in the Plum Village Buddhist tradition. Our intention is to bring more understanding, discussions, and insight as to what it takes to create, grow, overcome challenges, and live happily together in mindfulness-based intentional communities. And several of these are young adult communities too, stemming out of Wake Up! (an international movement of young adults building mindfulness communities).
Our aspiration for this journey is to travel with the curiosity and heart of our Sangha (especially our readers!) as we research communities and share the findings with our greater community.
We would love to hear what questions you would like for us to ask these residential communities we visit. What are you questions, aspirations, or needs for living in an intentional community?
We already have an initial set of questions, but we don't want to influence others' authentic questions and needs with ours. Please keep in mind that the 14 or so communities that we visit this year are a diverse array of Wake Up Houses, long established practice centers, smaller retreat centers with residents, larger practice communities, and everywhere in between.
Looking forward to hearing where your curiosity takes us!