Farm, MWA Newsletter, -  Aug 22, 2020

Welcome!

In this time of turmoil and uncertainty, impermanence is thoroughly present to us. I offer you these words of the Buddha, from the Upaddha Sutta:

The Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One: “This is half of the holy life, lord: admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie.”

The Buddha replied:

“Don’t say that, Ananda. Don’t say that. Admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life. When a monk has admirable people as friends, companions, and comrades, he can be expected to develop and pursue the noble eightfold path.”

Spiritual community makes everything possible.

An invitation

We are having a long quiet time with the pandemic. Now I write to invite you to come out to the farm. All the things below can be done even during the pandemic.

Residents

We’ll have space for more people in spring/summer of 2021. In my dreams, I see four people (eventually six), balanced in age, gender, and race or culture, with spiritual and activist commitments in harmony with the MWA vision, and functioning as a community, not a hierarchy.

Someone with these skills could probably quickly support themselves from the land while contributing to the community:

• woodworker or carver – to work with the black walnut, black cherry, oak, maple, and other fine woods here, making things to sell
• basket weaver – likewise, making things to sell
• herbalist and/or forager – working with the many medicinal plants that grow here, gathering mushrooms and other specialty foods for sale
• nursery plants – growing for sale as well as developing our food system here

These skills are much needed, and I’d look for ways to support them.

• farming, especially someone who knows animals
• orchard care, for the fruit and nut trees
• land care, environmental restoration
• office and/or social networking skills
• foraging, cooking, processing food
• carpenter or handy-person

Some people will also be working off the farm, so I’m not the only one working for cash.

In the dream,

• once the solar greenhouse is up we spend little time doing firewood, having more time for other things.
• even while putting away food and preparing for the future, our primary shared focus is ceremony, meditation, and action.
• we support each other in our individual contributions to the world, and in spiritual life as well.
• As people become committed to being here, we look for ways to equalize ownership of the land.

Visiting – outdoors

• Local people are encouraged to begin to make this your home, where you belong, where you spend time outdoors, and where you offer care. (After pandemic, indoors too.)
• There’s a specific invitation: to find a place on the land that calls to you, where you listen to the plants, land, and wildlife, are nourished by them and give your energy in return. I’m eager to facilitate this. Residents are also welcome to do such a thing.
• Work is also welcome, in garden and garden prep, but also many other things – look at the skills list above. I’m able to pay for some of these, and you can earn work exchange (for retreats) for the others.
• Overnight visits of days or weeks are as before, with the addition of virus safety care.

Work projects:

• Firewood: gather, split, and stack – October, also before or after
• Forest mending – there’s a grant for tornado damage, involves heavy work and some chain saws, probably November.
• Garden preparation and tending – making more new garden beds so we can grow more food next year – August to October.
• Tree planting, fences, transplanting berries and other perennials… if there’s extra time or a skilled volunteer.
• Forest mending part 2, spring – manage buckthorn and honeysuckle, invasives in the woods, also on a small grant.

Retreats

• Silent meditation retreats are coming up; these are completely silent, just sitting and walking meditation, sharing the work of cooking, cleaning, fire care, etc. Until the pandemic is past, in-person retreats will be limited to 5, with online participation possible.
  • September 25-29
  • November 30-December 8, Rohatsu sesshin
  • More to be scheduled in 2021.
• One or two land care retreats will also be offered in 2021.
• You can ask about an individual retreat.

Online:

• We sit zazen 6-6:50 Central Time every morning, Monday to Friday, online, followed by a short service. Just come.
• Wednesday evenings 6:30-8 Central Time, Introduction to Zen (based on Shohaku Okumura’s Living by Vow) Email Shodo first if you can, but also okay to just come.
• Sunday evenings 4:30-5:45 Central Time, The Gift of Fearlessness, discussing the current situation and our responses to it.

Classes generally start with 10 minutes of quiet sitting meditation. Location is here for all of these.

Individual support:

It’s possible to set up an online meeting with Shodo for spiritual guidance. Email or talk with her.

Let us hold each other in our hearts during these difficult times. You can chant, pray, offer loving-kindness meditation on behalf of individuals, groups, places, whatever and whoever calls to you.

Much warmth,

Shodo Spring