Oceans of Compassion

Can our compassion for all beings be as large as the ocean? Can we hold a view broad enough to encompass even that which is painful?  And taking it one more step, can we also act as well, even if it seems only a drop in the bucket?  

About 18 Zen practitioners did so over the weekend, during our Oceans of Compassion retreat (which has taken place almost every year since 2017).  At Beverly Beach State Park, we take our practice into the world of ocean and coastal pollution.  Each of us brings two of the 1,000 arms of Kanzeon to the beach where we then directly encounter the effects of human activity and do our small part to ameliorate this swath of the Oregon Coast.  

Sangha shows us that just as we cannot truly practice alone,  in our beach cleanup we partner with SOLVE.  SOLVE over 50 years old, initially chartered to “Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism,”  then grew into “Sustaining Oregon’s Legacy by Volunteering.”  SOLVE organizes coastal cleanups the length of the entire state– from the Washington to the California border.  

In earlier years, we removed bottles, cans, tires, and large debris from the beach–the sheer mass of large trash items was remarkable.  In the past five years, however, the trash has gotten smaller… and smaller and smaller. While it is heartening that there is little large debris, we now confront small plastic fragments littering the beach.

This year’s SOLVE volunteers offered us wire mesh strainers to sift the plastic out of the sand.  Each person, with a few hours of effort, was able to collect one to three cups of tiny pieces of plastic.  This year, for many of us, a large bag was unnecessary.  

More than just a beach clean-up, Oceans of Compassion is a meditation retreat– both indoors and on the beach.  We allotted time daily to pick our heads up from the pollution and partake of the refreshment provided by ocean-gazing and sunset meditation. 

After the cleanup we were able to sit in a circle and share the impact of the experience. Participants shared about what we found and tried to envision the origins and effects of these microplastics. 

Unless you’re looking for them, you seldom encounter the perfectly round, tiny “nurdles” – the basic building blocks of all plastic. There were so many in each of our strainers! We learned that sometimes shipping containers spill massive amounts of these innumerable tiny round plastic pieces into the ocean to spread everywhere.  Did you know that it takes about 600 nurdles to create one plastic water bottle?  We could see how the small, round pieces of styrofoam and floating bits of plastic we found could easily be mistaken for food by fish and other wildlife.  Practicing in community created some room to grieve for these ocean creatures and to acknowledge that at least these few bits of plastic would not clog the belly of a sea turtle.  

Image of nurdles from 5gyres.org

One beach bodhisattva, looking at their few square feet of cleanup, and the miles of beach in each direction, shared that they became overwhelmed. How much plastic have we all contributed? Could any amount of sifting balance out our own plastic debt? Then countering such distress, they saw a few other retreat participants in one direction, likewise sifting and cleaning, and in the other direction, another group diligently removing this miniscule harvest from the beach. And so this bodhisattva set back to work, doing what can and must be done, right here, right now.  

We can support each other by practicing Zazen together, by cooking and cleaning together, by sharing Oryoki (a formal meal in modified beach clothes) with one another , and in participating wholeheartedly in what might seem a dispiriting task.  Being with what is, we respond to what is.  

It’s important to bring the heart of practice into our own activities. With practice of all kinds, we can discern the deeper truths of this life, thus facing seemingly endless world problems sustainably and with equanimity. Do you feel able to take some wholesome, beneficial action right where you are?  Do you have a daily home practice?  Do you have the support of regular (weekly) practice with the community?  If not, please find the opportunities to do so here.  

This is how our hearts fill with an ocean of compassion for the world and for all beings.