Earth Treasure Vases

In 1990, Buddhist practitioner Cynthia Jurs went to NepalThere, she was lucky enough to have an audience with a 106-year-old RinpocheShe asked him what she could do to help heal the earth and her peopleHe told her‘Just one person practicing deeply can have a dramatic impactBut you, dear oneYou need to bury clay pots in the earth’Excuse me?Not what I was expectingNot what she was expectingBut his hermitage gave her 30 small potsShe says it took her quite some time to wrap her head around the assignmentBut she’s been traveling the world planting these pots and more, 72 so farWith local communities, in ceremonyThrough her organization Alliance for the EarthIn learning about her workI also learned: she’s not the only oneMultiple traditional communities plant their prayersPutting minerals or seeds or talisman in a pot and burying or submerging itA ritual act of appreciation for the landRecognizing the earth as a main characterNot a setAn invitation to the unseen world for collaborative assistanceAnd acknowledgement of participatory enmeshmentI’ve heard it said that at the end of ancient battles, for exampleBoth leaders would plant their weapons on the battlefieldIn recognition of the land and what had just happened on itModernity eliminated that kind of honoringIn favor of digging up those weapons and putting them on display in a museumThis practice reverently puts things backBut I’m most touched by the participatory nature of the practiceThe involvement of community and peace-builders in burying these vasesAs individuals and groups, visitors and residents, hold and bless these vessels Living ceremonies catalyzed by symbolism, intention and ritualEven developing ongoing peace and resource alliancesBrought alive in a new way by what was buriedI particularly love this ritual because I can feel the humility and recognitionParticipation as the sacred actThe results: out of our handsBut joining hands in recognition that our intention and actions matterThat the course of our shared history might hinge on a prayer and a giftHumans and the earth have had millennia of certain kinds of reciprocityUsurped by things like plumbing and industryAnd we have lots of decisions to make about how we continue to existAnd as much as innovation may have a role to playSo mightGuidance from the proverbial - and literal- wise one in a cave This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fallingtenderly.substack.com