Interbeing

Many years ago Thich Nhat Hanh invented this new word interbeing. He wanted to express the profound interdependence that binds everything and everyone together. In his book At Home in the World he tells the story of meeting The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1966, a perfect example of interbeing.

Could the contrast be any stronger? A Buddhist monk from Vietnam meets an African American Christian minister. The suffering of Thich Nhat Hanh’s people came about in large part by the warring actions of the United States government. And yet, Nhat Hanh was inspired by the nonviolent action King was organizing in the American south. He writes:

“From the first moment I knew I was in the presence of holy person. Not just his good work but his very being was a source of great inspiration for me. . . . That was the day we combined our efforts to work for peace in Vietnam and to fight for civil rights in the U.S. We agreed that the true enemy of man is not man. Our true enemy is not outside of us. Our true enemy is the anger, hatred, and discrimination that is found in the hearts and minds of man.”

They continued to correspond and support each other’s work. A year later they met again. Nhat Hanh told him, “’Martin, do you know something? In Vietnam they say you are a bodhisattva, an enlightened being trying to awaken other living beings and help them move toward more compassion and understanding.’ . . .

Just a few months later King was assassinated. “I was in New York when I heard the news of his assassination; I was devastated. I could not eat; I could not sleep. I made a deep vow to continue building what he called ‘the beloved community,’ not only for myself but for him also.”

Interbeing helps us recognize that the way of love, peace, justice and understanding is best walked by all of us, not just a chosen few. It enables us to see the good and supportive work that is being carried out all over the world, even in areas that don’t seem to affect us directly. In reality, what others do shore us up even as what we offer sends ripples of support back to them.

How and where do you experience interbeing?