On Grief

Beloved Sangha,

This year began with a deep and intimate sorrow for our sangha – an undercurrent of grief that has quietly shaped the collective field of our practice.

Grief, though deeply personal, is also utterly universal. It is a thread that weaves through every human heart. Still our culture often fails to acknowledges or make space for it. Yet, like death, grief is natural. Even animals grieve.

Though the depths of grief, just like all states of mind are transient, and eventually can leave us wiser and humbler – its transformation cannot be rushed. First we must do the slow and courageous work of moving through it. 

“The sorrow of our losses, great and small, recent or long past runs beneath our lives and shapes who we are.”

To turn away from this ache and longing is to deny ourselves its hidden depths of wisdom, compassion and yes – courage.

Grief reminds us that we have loved. It awakens us to the impermanence and mystery of life. While lingering in the depths of sorrow can feel overwhelming, there is a certain richness within the experience that informs how we move through life. It reminds us of the preciousness of life. It teaches tremendous compassion for others. It allows us to be of service to those affected by it. It shows us with razor sharp clarity what matters.

“Eventually our personal sorrow can be a gateway to the wider possibility of universal compassion. ”

Loss is never something I would wish for myself or others. But having tools to help meet grief with gentleness, presence and an open heart has helped me open to its quiet but inevitable teachings. What we might call the collateral beauty of loss.

For this reason, I’m sharing a meditation with you. One that has accompanied me through many seasons of grief. It is a gentle invitation to make space for sorrow, and to hold it in the arms of compassion.

With love and blessings

x kia, Paris May 2025