About this episode
Cynthia Jurs is a Tibetan Buddhist lama and a Dharmacharya in the Order of Interbeing of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh whose source of refuge and spiritual inspiration is Mother Earth; Gaia. In 1990, she made a life-changing pilgrimage to meet the hermit and meditation master, Kushok Mangden Charok Rinpoche, a 106-year-old lama living in a remote cave in Nepal from whom she received the practice of the Earth Treasure Vases when she asked him, “What can we do to bring healing and protection to the Earth?” For thirty years, Cynthia has been building a global community committed to planetary healing and collective awakening in partnership with elders and activists around the world. Cynthia teaches an innovative blend of engaged Buddhism and sacred activism through the Earth Treasure Vase Global Healing Project, the Open Way Sangha in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the international Gaia Mandala Community. Through her nonprofit, Alliance for the Earth, Cynthia has worked with former combatants and the women who stopped a war in Liberia, West Africa, to build peace, teaching mindfulness and co-founding the Peace Hut Alliance for Conflict Transformation. Cynthia’s book, Summoned by the Earth, is forthcoming. New website - GaiaMandala.net - the home for our global healing community with many practices, calls, courses and more ways to get involved in our work of global healing and collective awakening. Old Website: EarthTreasureVase.org Join the monthly Full Moon Earth Treasure Vase Global Healing Meditation here. This is a free call via Zoom. A recording is automatically sent out to registered participants. Monday Mindfulness Meditation, a weekly gathering via Zoom at 4 pm Pacific // 5 pm Mountain // 7 pm Eastern. As we shelter at home, we can meet this moment of collective crisis and opportunity with calm and clarity by cultivating a practice of calm abiding in mindfulness. In this weekly 1.5-hour practice group, we will sit, walk and sit again—entering into the quiet space within and stopping to catch our breath, to center ourselves, to let go of worry and fear and reconnect with our true source of Being. At the end of our practice, there will be an opportunity for mindful sharing around the circle. Click here if you are interested in participating. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded March 28, 2020 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:45 - The Wisdom and Suffering of the Virus 00:09:00 - The Trim Tab Effect on Climate Change 00:12:38 - The Wisdom of the Dogon Elder 00:16:53 - Meeting the 106-year-old Lama 00:20:07 - Healing and Protection for the Earth 00:24:50 - The Power of Earth Treasure Vases 00:28:49 - The Power of Offering and Alchemy 00:33:32 - Becoming a Vessel for Healing and Protection 00:37:34 - Getting Out of Our Own Way 00:41:11 - Women's Peace Movement in Liberia 00:45:30 - The Ceremony and Burial 00:49:24 - From Soldier to Peace Builder in Liberia 00:53:10 - The Urgency of Addressing the Crisis in Congo 00:57:39 - A Symbolic Wedding: The Burial Ceremony 01:01:39 - The Power of Clay Pots and Tree Planting 01:04:57 - Distributing Treasure Vases to Sacred Places 01:09:31 - The Balance Between Masculine and Feminine Energies 01:14:24 - Healing Cultural Disruption and Oppression 01:19:44 - The Liberating Power of Reframing the Story of the Buddha 01:24:14 - A Blessing From the Wise Woman in the Cave 01:27:46 - The Earth as my Greatest Teacher 01:31:25 - Awakening to a New Evolutionary Turn 01:35:58 - Making Offerings and Establishing Relationships 01:41:21 - The Importance of Balance and Service 01:45:16 - The Practice of Service 01:48:21 - The Possibility of Something Different 01:52:06 - Stewarding the Vases 01:55:32 - Full Moon Meditation Announcement and Gaia Calling Course Information 01:58:19 - Closing Remarks and Contact Information 02:00:27 - Music Segment