I write this one day after learning of the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh’s (Thay) passing into the mystery we call death. I feel humbled in his presence and his words echo in my heart:

The future Buddha is the Sangha.

The climate crisis asks us to confront the basic existential questions, who are we? What are we? Why are we here? What is life? What are we doing with this life? It also asks us to feel. Part of being human is loss. We are all initiated into the human soul through loss. As we learn we don’t always get what we want, as we grieve the loss of loved ones--died too early, unexpected and sometimes in ways we can’t understand or justify…