Dear friends,
When I was about eight or nine years old, I accompanied my father on a work trip near Mombasa, on the coast of Kenya. At one point I climbed into what was probably a huge old banyan tree and leaned back to lie down on one of its branches.
The air was hot and humid. The sound of cicadas filled the space around me. I remember being in this cave of green, the immense sky beyond the leaves, and the solidity of the branch beneath my body.
And there was this deep knowing:
Nothing was missing. Nothing was wrong. I belonged.
I was completely at ease without needing to do anything.
There was love.
That moment has stayed with me my whole life.
So many children are drawn to climbing trees, hiding in trees, spending time in trees. I sometimes wonder if part of what draws us there is something ancient in us remembering.
And I think many of us carry moments like this. Moments with the living world that stay with us because something in us recognizes them as home.
Maybe it was a forest, the ocean, a garden, a mountain trail, a park bench, birds outside a window, or simply the feeling of breathing a little more freely outdoors.
These experiences are important to remember. They are more than pleasant memories, they are actually a kind of spiritual food, reminders of our belonging.
When we reflect on and revisit these moments, they nourish us. They remind us of what Mary Oliver called our place in the family of things.
Thích Nhất Hạnh once said that one of the most important things we can do in response to the climate crisis is to fall in love with the earth.
Because when we love something, we naturally want to protect it. Not out of fear or obligation, but because we cannot bear to lose what we love.
So I’d like to invite you, for a few breaths, to remember one moment when you felt deeply connected to the living world.
Let that memory live in your body for a moment.
~
A few years ago, my partner and I were offered a monastery in upstate New York that we are now renovating into a center for engaged spirituality rooted in relationship with the earth.
In the first year or so I was often focused on the buildings. Meeting with architects. Determining what could be renovated, what needed to come down, what had to be rebuilt.
But one day during a day of practicing in nature there I invited everyone to find a spot they felt attracted to and really be present there for forty-five minutes to hear what that place had to say to them.
I stood with my back against a tree, became still, and listened for what the earth there might want me to know.
And what I heard was:
“You can enjoy me now. Don’t wait for the buildings to be finished.”
I was surprised to realize I had been postponing a relationship with all the life there while waiting for a future moment to arrive.
I became aware of how much pleasure and goodness was already available without any structure being renovated or rebuilt. In the forest. In the meadow. In the grasses and trees.
Our culture conditions us to relate to ourselves, other beings, and the earth through usefulness, productivity, consumption, and control. We begin to objectify life and maybe even treat our bodies like machines.
We approach the earth, each other and ourselves as resources instead of living presence. And gradually we lose access to reverence, intimacy, humility, and relationship.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, a scientist and a member of the Potawatomi Nation, writes that in English we speak mostly in nouns, while Potawatomi is largely verb-based. In that worldview, the world is alive. A hill, a river, even the day itself are not objects but living presences.
She points out that in English we would never refer to a loved one as “it.” And yet we constantly refer to the living world that way.
This way of seeing shapes how we live.
Perhaps some of the loneliness, anxiety, and exhaustion many of us experience comes not only from overwork or overwhelm but from separation.
Separated from our bodies, from silence, from one another, and from the living world.
Part of what separation does is numb us. So the return begins somewhere very ordinary. In the body.
The Thai meditation master Buddhadasa once said:
“Don’t do anything that takes you out of your body.”
The body is always in the present moment. The mind can travel into worry, planning, regret. But the body remains here.
So in moments of stress or overwhelm we can return and feel the breath, the feet touching the earth. Feel the body sitting or standing, relax the jaw.
Notice the support beneath us. We can take refuge in the earth herself.
Thích Nhất Hạnh often spoke of Mother Earth as a great bodhisattva, embodying patience, stability, and generosity.
When the world feels too heavy, we can lean against a tree, lie on the ground or sit quietly outside. We can place a hand on the earth and ask to be held.
Many of our spiritual traditions have known this for centuries. We can enjoy the earth—and all she is offering us—now.
~
Years ago I led a wilderness retreat for teenagers. Before bed we would lie under the stars with our heads together in a circle, calling out each time a shooting star crossed the sky.
During the retreat they each spent twenty-four hours alone in silence in the natural world. One teenager later shared:
“I learned that this world can be trusted. And I can be trusted. I don’t have to try to control everything.”
I have never forgotten that. Wonder heals us. Awe heals us. Joy heals us.
And in times of ecological collapse, political instability, and collective fear, wonder is incredibly important.
It is medicine.
The earth is intelligent and full of wisdom if we slow down enough to listen.
Because when we lose touch with wonder, we lose touch with why we are trying to protect anything at all.
I want to close with a few lines from a poem by John Roedel:
What I ask—
what I have always asked—
is that you return.
Return to the holy intimacy of being alive.
To the humility of being temporary.
To the sacredness of not knowing.
My love—
sit in the dirt with me tonight.
Let my embrace undo you back into innocence.
Let the stars remind you
that your smallness is not your shame—
it’s your entry point.
May we learn to perceive life again with intimacy and aliveness.
May we remember our belonging.
May we return, as the poet invites us, to the reason we were planted.
Below is a full list of my upcoming events but here I want to highlight a few key ones, many coming up soon!:
Thursday, June 18, 6:30 to 8:30 pm ET, Beyond the Separate Self – Emptiness and the Freedom of Awareness in person and online
June 20 - 24, Join me in person for Wisdom for Meeting the Storm Together: Holding and Transforming Our Fear with Compassion and Collective Care, our annual BIPOC retreat with Dr. Marisela Gomez, Joe Reilly and Judy Nakatomi
More info on these below.
Upcoming retreats, day longs, and talks:
Thursday, June 18, 6:30 to 8:30 pm ET
Beyond the Separate Self – Emptiness and the Freedom of Awareness
At New York Insight Meditation Center Part of The Body Remembers Freedom Series with Kaira Jewel Lingo and My Tong
What if the aliveness we call ‘me’ is not a solid thing at all, but vast and open like the sky?
In this session, we begin with meditation on awareness itself, resting in the nature of consciousness and touching the spacious freedom that is always already here. From this ground, we explore the teaching of not-self through playful group forms that invite us to hold and be held by one another’s stories. Together, we discover that when the sense of a separate self softens, what remains is not emptiness as absence, but emptiness as connection, intimacy, and belonging.
For more info and to register here for June 18 — Beyond the Separate Self – Emptiness and the Freedom of Awareness
In-person and online.
June 20 - 24
Wisdom for Meeting the Storm Together: Holding and Transforming Our Fear
Annual Retreat for Black, Indigenous, People of Color
Held at Garrison Institute with Dr. Marisela Gomez, Kaira Jewel Lingo, Joe Reilly and Judy Nakatomi
In a time of intensifying uncertainty, grief, and pressure on our communities, it is essential for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to have spaces of refuge, truth-telling, and collective care. This retreat offers a place to pause, breathe, and remember that we are not meant to meet these storms alone.
Together, through mindfulness and embodied practice, we explore how fear lives in our bodies, histories, and communities, and how it can be met without turning away or becoming overwhelmed. We strengthen our capacity to stay present, to draw on ancestral and communal wisdom, and to support one another in meeting this moment with integrity and love. Inner transformation becomes the ground from which collective healing and wise action can emerge.
Mindfulness will be at the heart of all we do. The retreat will include daily dharma teachings, sitting and stationary meditation, mindful walking or movement, mindful eating, singing, dharma writing, and small-group sharing. We will practice for one full day and a half in silence and engage in optional somatic movement and nature practices that invite us into deeper presence with the land. Rooted in compassion and collective care, this retreat supports us in meeting the storm together and remembering our capacity to rest, heal, resist harm, and build Beloved Community.
In-person retreat.
Info and registration here.
June 24 - 30
Insight Meditation Society Teen Retreat, ages 15-19
Held at the Insight Meditation Society Retreat Center with Kaira Jewel Lingo, Cara Lai, Jean Esther, Anthony “T” Maes, nico hase, and movement with Monica Williams
The retreat is especially designed for young adults, aged 15-19 who, as of August 31, 2026, will be at least 15 years of age. The course offers 1/2 hour periods of sitting and walking meditation with ample instruction, along with two daily facilitated discussion groups. In addition there will be daily workshops offered in the field of meditative arts, music, nature as well as other focused topics pertinent to teens. Daily periods of free time for socializing or rest are also included. This retreat allows young adults to develop and value their natural spirituality within a supportive environment committed to inclusivity of all. Along with the teaching team, a group of trained and dedicated adult mentors will support the teens’ experience. Extensive supervision is provided.
More info and to register here.
In-person retreat.
Thursday, July 9, 6:30 to 8:30 pm ET
Touching the Sacred in the Ordinary – Finding Meaning, Connection, and Aliveness Right Where We Are
At New York Insight Meditation Center Part of The Body Remembers Freedom Series with Kaira Jewel Lingo and Linds Roberts
The sacred is not something we have to seek out, but something quietly waiting for us in the midst of our ordinary lives.
Through meditation, embodied practice, shared inquiry, and moments of stillness, we arrive more fully in the present moment, softening the habit of overlooking what is here. As we slow down and listen deeply, we begin to notice how meaning, connection, and aliveness naturally reveal themselves. Together, we discover that the ordinary is not separate from the sacred, but is itself the ground from which belonging, wonder, and presence unfold.
Here for July 9 — Touching the Sacred in the Ordinary – Finding Meaning, Connection, and Aliveness Right Where We Are
In-person and online.
Saturday, July 18, NOTE DATE CHANGE 11:00 am to 12:30 pm ET
Harvest: Beloved Community for Engaged Spirituality July Gathering
The Beloved Community for Engaged Spirituality with Kaira Jewel Lingo and Father Adam Bucko, meets monthly on a Saturday mornings from 11-12:30pm ET.
We invite you to join us on Saturday, July 18, from 11 am to 12:30 pm ET for our Saints of the Beloved Community series, the last of the series for the first half of 2026. (This was previously scheduled for June 13 and had to be rescheduled).
No gathering in June
As we move toward a summer pause, our July gathering will be a time to gently review together over the first gatherings of this year, harvesting the wisdom, insights, and practices that have touched us most. Through reflection and a few interactive elements, we’ll explore how to carry these lessons more fully into our daily lives. Rather than a guest speaker, this gathering will be a facilitated session led by Adam and I.
For more info here
To register here
Online
Thursday, August 6, 6:30 to 8:30 pm ET
This Is It – The Opportunity of This Moment
At New York Insight Meditation Center Part of The Body Remembers Freedom Series with Kaira Jewel Lingo and Linds Roberts
What if this moment—just as it is—is already enough? In this closing session of the Body Remembers Freedom series, we turn toward the immediacy of our lived experience, discovering that the freedom we’ve been exploring is not somewhere else, but right here in how we meet this moment. Through meditation, embodied practice, and shared inquiry, we integrate what has been touched throughout the series—allowing insight, presence, and compassion to settle into the body and take root in our daily lives. We also take time to reconnect with our deepest aspirations for how we want to live, sensing what feels most true and life-giving now. Whether you are returning or joining for the first time, this session offers a space to arrive fully, trust your inner knowing, and explore what it means to live what we remember—right here, in this moment.
Here for August 6
In-person and online.
Wednesday, October 14, 7-8:15pm PT/ 10 pm to 11:15 pm ET
We Were Made for These Times: Coming Home to Ourselves in the Age of AI
a keynote at Stanford University’s Contemplation by Design Summit
In an era of artificial intelligence, digital distraction, and social disconnection, cultivating the inner capacities to live wisely, compassionately, and relationally has never been more urgent. Drawing from Buddhist contemplative traditions and engaged practice, this talk explores how mindfulness, loving-kindness, and community practice can help us reclaim embodied presence, relational intelligence, and ethical discernment. Participants will consider how contemplative practice can support connection, empathy, and collaboration while helping us navigate trauma, polarization, and the pressures of the attention economy. The talk invites reflection on what it means to “come home to ourselves” and cultivate the capacities within each of us to remain deeply present, compassionate, and connected in a rapidly changing technological world.
This keynote is part one of a three-part series with Kaira Jewel Lingo in the Contemplation by Design Summit.
More info here. Free in Person or Online.
Thursday, October 15, 3 pm to 4:15 pm ET
Educating for Interbeing: Imagination, Embodiment, and the Education of Compassion
This interactive workshop explores how contemplative practice can help us teach humans to be human—nurturing empathy, discernment, collaboration, and relational intelligence across the lifespan. Drawing on Buddhist practices, the principle of not-self, and collective ways of knowing, participants will consider how contemplative education cultivates the “imaginal cells” within ourselves and our communities—the seeds of a more compassionate, connected, and generative society. The session will also explore the distinction between approaches that focus on personal achievement and those that nurture awareness of ourselves as part of a living community. Drawing on examples such as the founding of Deer Park Monastery’s School of Interbeing and other contemplative educational models, the session will highlight practical approaches to nurturing the capacities necessary for wise, compassionate, and socially engaged citizenship. Participants will leave with insights and tools for integrating contemplative practices into educational and community settings to help young people—and ourselves—thrive in a complex, interconnected world.
This workshop is part of a three-part series with Kaira Jewel Lingo in Stanford’s Contemplation By Design Summit.
More info here. Free in Person or Online.
Friday, October 16, 10:30 am to 11:15 am ET
Interbeing Meditation: Touching Our Source and Growing Our Connection
In this guided meditation, participants will explore the sources that sustain our lives—ancestors, teachers, communities, and the natural world—through contemplative reflection and embodied awareness. Drawing on the Plum Village practice of touching the earth, we will connect with the “imaginal cells” within ourselves and our communities, deepening our sense of interdependence, compassion, and belonging in a complex, interconnected world.
This practice session will extend the knowledge and skills presented during the keynote lecture on Oct. 14 at 7pm titled We Were Made for These Times: Coming Home to Ourselves in the Age of AI, and the interactive workshop titled Educating for Interbeing: Imagination, Embodiment, and the Education of Compassion on Oct. 15 at noon. Please consider attending Kaira’s keynote and interactive workshop as well if your schedule permits you to do so.
You are welcome to join one or all three of Kaira’s Summit sessions.
This iPause Guided Practice is part one of a three-part series with Kaira Jewel Lingo in Stanford’s Contemplation By Design Summit.
More info here. Free in Person or Online.
Sponsored by Contemplation by Design, Stanford Prevention Research Center, and Stanford University School of Medicine
Friday, November 20, to Sunday, November 22
Annual Retreat for Women of Color with Dharma Teachers
Dr. Marisela Gomez, Kaira Jewel Lingo, and Valerie Brown
This retreat is a sacred space for cis-gender and trans women of color to come together in community, honoring the fullness of who we are. Rooted in the themes of the book Healing Our Way Home, we will explore the wisdom of our ancestors, the power of joy, and the deep possibilities of liberation.
Together, we will create a refuge of belonging—where our stories, identities, and journeys are held with care. Through practices of mindfulness, we will nurture our collective healing and strengthen our capacity to show up with resilience, love, and freedom in our lives and communities.
We encourage participants to read Healing Our Way Home before the retreat, as it will help enrich our time together.
This retreat welcomes the full diversity of women of color—including trans women, gender-expansive people, and anyone who self-identifies as a woman of color, regardless of gender role, expression, or physiology.
In person retreat at Garrison Insitute
Save the Date
Ongoing every Thursday at noon ET
Weekly BIPOC Meditation Sangha Online
We extend a warm invitation to Black/Indigenous/People of Color to join for an hour of meditation, teaching and sharing with Kaira Jewel Lingo and Marisela Gomez, and other guest teachers, who alternate teaching every Thursday from 12 - 1pm ET.
By donation. More info here and to register here.
Recent teachings:
An uplifting trilogy of talks: Kaira Jewel Lingo
Filmed by The Resurgence Trust on Wednesday 19 May 2026 via Zoom. To find out more about Resurgence events, visit www.resurgenceevents.org
Aware that the subject of climate breakdown can cast big shadows, we invited three inspiring international experts to offer positive insights for our heads, hands and hearts. Through the perspectives of science, action and healing, they bring knowledge, practical advice and inner nourishment, all without sugar-coating the serious nature of this topic.
Good things I’m spreading the word about:
The Plum Village Cookbook just launched on Kickstarter!
Delicious recipes for mindful living from the internationally renowned Plum Village Monastery, founded by Thích Nhất Hạnh
This cookbook will feature more than 100 nourishing, plant-based recipes, giving aspiring mindful chefs all they need to recreate the mouthwatering dishes from the monastery founded by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh. If you’re looking for plant-based Vietnamese cooking and whole food traditions from France and other countries in Europe, Asia, and beyond, with accompanying mindfulness practices and more than 200 full-color photos of delicious food and the Plum Village monastery.
Parallax is launching its first ever Kickstarter campaign to support the Plum Village Monastery Cookbook! They are launching this cookbook to celebrate Parallax’s 40th Anniversary and Thích Nhất Hạnh’s 100th Birthday in 2026. Parallax wants to share the beauty of Plum Village and Thay’s vision with the world.
As you know, Parallax Press is a non-profit publishing company founded by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh 40 years ago. The Plum Village Cookbook will offer the world an inside look at the monastery’s beauty and the vision of the community Thích Nhất Hạnh created, featuring over 100 nourishing, plant-based recipes. They are currently crowdfunding to help cover printing costs for this important offering by the Plum Village community.
Kickstarter link here.
My friend and colleague, Oren Jay Sofer, is offering a 6-week online course on a gift economy basis: Wise Speech: An Introduction to Mindful Communication.
June 16 (this Tuesday) to July 21
“Words shape the moral atmosphere we inhabit. They can conceal harm or reveal it, deepen division or restore dignity, numb the heart or call it awake. In a time of disinformation, polarization, and fear, Wise Speech is not just a personal virtue. It’s a civic and spiritual necessity.”
learn more & register here.
SUPPORT KAIRA JEWEL
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CONNECT WITH KAIRA JEWEL
Lovely! Yes, there is no reason to wait to enjoy our world. I remember moving to my first apartment and not meeting neighbors or gardening or anything because I knew I would only be there a couple of years. It was on my last year I finally realized it was ok to put to down roots, even temporarily. I made a little garden, friends, and felt more at "home" that final year. My next home, i started right away in putting down roots and loving my little world.
Thank you so much for today's letter, dear Kaira. Although I am maintaining a daily practice, sadly my Substack subscriptions, other than yours, are focused on politics and news. Your words today are precious rain, a healing and refreshing shower that was sorely needed. My hope is that many others will find nourishment in them.