On Monday, Anne, Rajesh, John and I drive up to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB), where Angela had organized a film screening of Teach Me To Be Wild at their university, DRBU.  After a warm welcome (including from local peacocks and Zilong! :)), we have a timeless afternoon engaging with the university students and staff -- and noticing the touches of care and regenerative spirit of offering embedded seamlessly in the milieu.  At one point, while conversing in a building lobby, one woman walks in and spontaneously gifts us homemade kombucha tea on her way to class!  Just before that, we had been interacting with a class where many students spoke more comfortably in Chinese, and the instructor translated Angela's introduction and the film trailer into Mandarin in real time.  Witnessing this, Rajesh and Anne instantly whispered to each other, "Oh, we should make Chinese subtitles available!"  Later on, after we drop off our belongings in their spotless guestrooms -- where each bed is stacked with freshly laundered bedding prepared by invisible hands of the city's volunteers -- John poignantly puts words to the gratitude we all feel, "Everything here has work behind it." 



At the evening screening, a crew of students, staff, monastics and local community gather in their stunning downtown Sudhana Center and watch the film together.  As it ends, a palpable stillness fills the air, and John flows us into a circle of sharing of reflections.  One woman reflects on how to create a culture of deep reverence for animals.  Another wonders, "How do we create safe spaces?"  Someone else points out the selfless service of the wounded animals, who are such humble teachers for so many youth and visitors to the sanctuary.  Others conjure up memories of witnessing the rhythms of nature in childhood. Other voices notice the interconnections we all share.  As we close the circle with a minute of gratitude, and disperse into distributed conversations, the spirit of kinship and gratitude continue to fill the air.  Bunch of folks are keen to take a field trip to the wildlife sanctuary.  Angela enthusiastically schemes up a local Awakin Circle in the coming months.  A youth worker who does equine-assisted therapy inquires if she can show the film in her community.  Rajesh instantly replies, "Of course, this film is a gift, and we'd love to offer it however it can be of service to your community," to which she speechlessly whispers, "Bless you."

That's how the day feels -- like a speechless series of blessings. As we stack chairs and roll up cords and clear out of the room, we filter out the door into the grounding quiet of the star-studded sky.

In the morning, Anne, Rajesh, and John show the film at CTTB's girls' school, and hold a memorable circle with the students (who themselves have done some remarkable kindness experiments -- from sewing their own heart pins to gifting hot cocoa to galvanizing a gratitude marathon). But it doesn't end there -- their screening flows into a program with "special surprise guest" Nimo! -- and the blessings continue to unfold, as one 5-year-old reminds everyone where kindness lives. :)