Dear Friends in Japan, It is not too difficult to imagine the immense pain and the suffering that our Japanese brothers and sisters are enduring. It is not too difficult, for example, to imagine the fear, the loss, the devastation: our daughter or son, husband or wife, parents, loved ones swallowed up by the earth. All our belongings swept away by a wave. The destruction of what we know and love: our home, our city, our means of transportation, the parks and the beaches around us, the trees, the birds, the gardens, the Temples, Universities and Hospitals... The death and maiming of pets, friends, and family, the sudden disappearance of neighbors and loved ones. So this Sunday, and all Sundays, we can sit together as a Sangha to generate and send the energy of healing, love, and compassion to all beings, particularly those in need. We can sit and practice for those who cannot practice. We can sit and open our hearts. We can sit and open our minds. For example, we can sit and open our hearts and minds to the immense pain and suffering being generated in Japan right now. We can sit and open our hearts and minds to impermanence. We can sit and open our hearts and minds to the wonder of it all. And we can mindfully hug our loved ones, warmly look around our life circumstances, and be grateful for what we have. We can express our joy and sorrow, we can love openly and live deeply knowing that every moment we have is precious, and that our time on this Earth is brief. Our Teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh together with the Plum Village and International Sanghas are scheduled to tour Japan this year from April 23 to May 7. We know that this journey will water many positive seeds and generate the energies of love and understanding, compassion and healing, and peace and protection for all. Here is Thay 's Message to Friends in Japan: Dear friends in Japan, As we contemplate the great number of people who have died in this tragedy, we may feel very strongly that we ourselves, in some part or manner, also have died. The pain of one part of humankind is the pain of the whole of humankind. And the human species and the planet Earth are one body. What happens to one part of the body happens to the whole body. An event such as this reminds us of the impermanent nature of our lives. It helps us remember that what's most important is to love each other, to be there for each other, and to treasure each moment we have that we are alive. This is the best that we can do for those who have died: we can live in such a way that they continue, beautifully, in us. Here in France and at our practice centers all over the world, our brothers and sisters will continue to chant for you, sending you the energy of peace, healing and protection. Our prayers are with you. Thich Nhat Hanh Here is a letter sent by Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi of Great Vow Monastery in Oregon to her teacher, Shodo Harada Roshi, in Japan: Dear Roshi and Chi-san, As the unbelievable pictures come in on our computer screens, our hearts are filled with sadness and prayers for those tens of thousands who have died, those who are injured and those who grieve. An entire nation turned upside down. What can we say? In ancient times, entire villages were wiped out by earthquake and tsunami. Maybe only the few people who survived could tell about it and remember it. But now we all can see it, the ferocious power of nature, of the sea. Those huge waves carrying away a vast jumble of tens of thousands of cars, houses, trucks, boats, greenhouses, human bodies, buses, all the accumulated human junk and treasures, grandmothers, babies, even an entire University. We will never forget it. And then, for the only nation on the earth that has suffered attacks by nuclear weapons, to be under the threat of a nuclear disaster. It is unbelievable. As Buddhists we cannot take refuge in this being part of God's inscrutable plan, or even in the notion of God's wrath for a planet not cared for. We take refuge in something that is hard for many to understand. We take refuge in the truth of impermanence. As the Buddha said to his weeping disciples as he lay dying, " All compounded things will fall apart and be gone." Over centuries, or in a flash. When our lives rest on that foundation, on the strange and strong foundation of constant change, then our lives are anchored in truth. "Vast ocean of dazzling light, marked by the waves of coming and going, being born and dying. " We chant this at our memorial services. This week we have all seen it in action. We practice to be able to balance wisdom and compassion. The wisdom eye sees constant change, even tsunami, as normal, as expected, as part of how IT IS. At the same time our tender hearts feel acutely the pain of human suffering on an unimaginable scale, and we are moved to do what little we can to help. The small blessing of a natural disaster is that there is no one to blame. The earth shrugged, a huge amount of water was displaced, and it flowed where it could. With no energy wasted on blame, everyone can work together to help. Please know that we are chanting every day for those who have died and are suffering. We will also donate through various organizations including Red Cross and Soto Shu, to help in any small way. We had a young monk visiting here for a month at the monastery. He flew home last week, arriving on the day of the earthquake. His home temple is in Fukushima. We have no news about him or his family. We have no news of Abe-san and his temple members, who worked with us on the Jizos for Peace Project. Our thoughts are constantly with everyone in Japan. In love and sadness, Chozen Here is a letter to Japan from H.E. Garchen Rinpoche who practices in the Tibetan tradition: I am deeply sad to hear about the earthquake disaster in Japan, and also in New Zealand, Tibet, and other places last year. Although many beings have lost their lives, their minds really can never die. And as our minds are connected, we can benefit them by cultivating love and compassion and reciting the Mani mantra (OM MANI PADME HUNG). If we are able to pervade their minds with love, they will awaken from the dream of self-grasping and suffering. May the collective and individual energy generated by our practice benefit all beings and bring peace, wisdom, compassion, and loving-kindness to those who suffer the most. Chan Duc Dao Broward Lotus Sangha www.BrowardLotusSangha.org