Dear Friend,
What a joy it was for me to revisit a favorite young adult novel last month. Ziggy, Stardust & Me by James Brandon is a book that has so much to love about it, and it speaks to many of the things that make life worth living–friendship, romance, music, and wonder. In that way, it seems an apt turn we take, now, to Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. After all, if we want to continue living lives filled with all these wonderful possibilities, we need to make sure we have a habitable home in which to do so.
I want to dedicate my reading this month, and my commitment to preserving this planet as a loving and lovely place to live, to my late friend Vincent, who passed away suddenly on July 28th, 2024, at the age of 23. He once wrote a poem describing how much love he had for the world and how much he believed in humanity and human kindness, even when we seemed to be letting ourselves down. I will carry on in that spirit.
It’s not lost on me that the planet reached its highest-ever-recorded temperatures in the last month, and that the month of July was the hottest month on average of all time. In the Mojave Desert, where I live, we see the highest temperatures on the planet every summer, and we often experience years–if not decades–of drought at a time. I love my home, this small one in the desert but also the great big, blue ball we all live on, and I very much want to be a caretaker for it, not one of its destroyers.
As a Buddhist practitioner, one who was introduced to the practice by Thich Nhat Hanh himself, I can’t tell you how eager I am to dive into his meditations on this topic and to hopefully become more mindful, more informed, and more engaged.
Publisher’s description: “In these troubling times we all yearn for a better world. But many of us feel powerless and uncertain what we can do. Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) is blazingly clear: there’s one thing that we have the power to change—and which can make all the difference: our mind. How we see and think about things determines all the choices we make, the everyday actions we take (or avoid), how we relate to those we love (or oppose), and how we react in a crisis or when things don’t go our way. Meditation trains us to see reality as it is. But many of us have a distorted view, caused by negative stories about the world and ourselves that have become ingrained. To use our mind for change, we must see clearly. Thay shows us how us to alter our way of thinking, to break free from the notions that block our way, to find truth and touch reality as it is. By breaking down these old stories, we gain the insight and energy we need to take the right kind of action to save the planet and ourselves. Filled with powerful examples of engaged action he himself has undertaken, inspiring Buddhist parables, and accessible daily meditations, this powerful spiritual guide offers us a path forward, opening us to the possibilities of change and how we can contribute to the collective awakening and environmental revolution our fractured world so desperately needs.”
About the author: “Ordained as a monk aged 16 in Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh soon envisioned a kind of engaged Buddhism that could respond directly to the needs of society. He was a prominent teacher and social activist in his home country before finding himself exiled for calling for peace. In the West he played a key role in introducing mindfulness and created mindful communities (sanghas) around the world. His teachings have impacted politicians, business leaders, activists, teachers and countless others.” –Plum Village
Why Contemplative Reading?
Contemplative reading asks us not just what we’re learning about the book in our hands (or ears), but what we’re learning about ourselves through the experience of reading it. The aim is to create deeper awareness of ourselves and understanding of others. It is often described as “holistic,” but also as “heart-knowing.”
Heart-knowing. Doesn’t that sound nice?
The Plan
This book is broken into three uneven parts. I want to honor the structure of the book, and its themes, so to that end, I’m going to post three updates instead of the usual four, and stagger the timeframes for our responses to support the length of each section (Part 2 being much longer than the others.)
- August 9: Response to Introduction and Part 1
- August 23: Response to Part 2
- August 30: Response to Part 3 and Epilogue
Reading & Responding
Each set of reading will guide my responses here on the blog and on social media. I will sometimes share the most provocative line or passage, and what it makes me think about. Other times, I’ll ask questions about the reading, things I’m wondering about or confused about. And still further, I might compare what I’m reading to what it reminds me of from other readings or experiences. I don’t want to give too much guidance about how to read, except to say, read attentively, read slowly, and listen to yourself. What thoughts and feelings arise as you’re reading? Write them down and give yourself some moments to reflect on why you’re thinking what you’re thinking, or why you’re feeling what you’re feeling.
I encourage you to join these conversations and leave your thoughts in the blog comments or on your socials. On social media, please use #theCRPblog.
Meditation
“We have to wake up together. And if we wake up together, then we have a chance.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
May your feet touch the Earth,
~Adam
Contemplative Reading Project 
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