Interconnectedness

Vietnamese monk and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh coined a word that expresses the inevitable and inescapable interconnection we have with every aspect of our world:  interbeing.  He talks about the fact that we interare, and, with this concept and others like it, Devadana Sanctuary hopes to support your experience of interconnection and interdependence in daily life.

We embrace the fact that our lives are utterly dependent on the presence and efforts of countless others–-within visible and invisible dimensions of reality.  Through both gratitude practices and honoring the sacred nature of our interdependence and interconnection, we support a quality of life that includes taking time each day to actively contemplate and experience this fact of life.

Here is a practice you may already do and we invite you to engage it at least once a day:

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Notice what happens to the quality of your internal experience when you take a moment to be mindfully and consciously grateful for the following:

• When you turn on a faucet, water flows
• When you turn on a switch, light comes on
​• When you go to a store, there is food to buy
• When you wake up in the morning, feeling well, you take a  moment to thank your body
• When you see a beautiful scene in nature, or come upon a flower that takes your breath away, you acknowledge the amazing gifts that Natures intelligence offers all around you
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All these elements of your daily experience are only possible because of the actions of countless people and other beings who contribute to your quality of life.  Notice your internal experience – both psychologically and physically – when you take time to experience gratitude for all those whose presence in the world makes your daily life possible.

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Over time, we’ll add practices that support awareness of interdependence and interconnection.  These practices not only promote an underlying sense of being part of something so much larger, but they also invite a more ongoing sense of the Sacred into everyday life – that we are part of One Life living Itself dynamically and creatively through all that is.​

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Here’s an audio version of the written information above, if you prefer to listen to it.
As you listen, please press pause when you need additional time to do take in the practice.
And, please remember never to listen to recordings when driving or using machinery.