Earth Touching
by Thich Nhat Hanh
Here is the foot of a tree.
Here is an empty, quiet place.
Here is a cushion.
Brother, why don’t you sit down?
Sit upright.
Sit with solidity.
Sit in peace.
Don’t let your thoughts lift you up into the air.
Sit so that you can really touch the Earth and be one with her.
You may like to smile, brother.
Earth will transmit to you her solidity, her peace, and her joy.
With your mindful breathing, with your peaceful smile,
you sustain the mudra of Earth Touching.
My heart, along with thousands of Beings around the world, was broken wide open by the transition of one of our most beloved Buddhist teachers, Thich Nhat Hanh. One of my favorite stories about him is that as a young ordained monk living and studying in Saigon, he was also “one of the first six monks to ride a bicycle around the city,” an accomplishment about which he was evidently quite proud.
As the poem above implies sitting on our cushions, sitting atop the Earth, I am of course drawn to the cushion of my saddle, the empty, quiet place atop my bike; sitting upright, sitting with solidity, sitting in peace; mindfully breathing, mindfully pedaling….
With deep bows of respect, reverence and gratitude, I ride with this poem in my pocket.
Peace is in every pedal.
Pedal on!
Beautiful, thank you, dear One.