Walking into the fields, hearing the dialogue between the soul and the land

A front passed through and rain nourished the earth. On the afternoon of Saturday, May 23, in Taipei, more than a hundred people gathered in the rain at the mayor's residence, filling the performance hall to capacity, to attend the "Dialogue Between the Soul and the Land" forum and listen to a cross-disciplinary conversation on caring for the earth among three speakers: Daycha, executive director of Thailand's KKF Rice God Foundation; Jiang Rongyuan, founder of Ayuan Soap; and Master Guoxiang, head of the Spiritual Environmental Protection Farming Project at Dharma Drum Mountain.

The event was organized by KKF's Taiwan Promotion Center and the Happy Land Culture Studio, co-organized by the New Taipei City Ecological Land Protection Association, and sponsored by Ayuan Studio Co., Ltd. The moderator was Chen Mengkai, convener of the Hope Farmers' Market. The three panelists came from the fields of agriculture, business and religion, and their backgrounds were extremely different, yet what was most moving was that they were all committed to caring for the land. The forum was divided into three parts: first, individual short talks; next, a joint discussion; and finally, a Q&A with the audience.

Epilogue

From the forum we found that Daycha, with a plain and simple spirit, has cultivated the land for thirty years and selflessly devoted himself to farming friends; Jiang Rongyuan, with firm conviction, treats the land kindly while running a business; and Master Guoxiang, with Buddhist compassion, cares for all living beings. The qualities and spirit of the three panelists each had their own strengths and were admirable, and the content they discussed produced many brilliant intersections and sparks. Everyone present listened attentively and gained inspiration from different perspectives, but unfortunately time was limited and left people wanting more! That day, in addition to the forum, natural and healthy mint tea and rice snacks were offered for tasting on site, so the audience could both hear and taste care and support for the land. The organizers hoped this would draw public attention to caring for the earth, gather the strength of those who care about a friendly environment to work together, make Mother Earth more fragrant and beautiful, and make our souls and lives more harmonious and wonderful.

(Photos: provided by Dharma Drum Mountain/photography by Wu Jiafeng, Happy Land Culture/photography by Xu Xiuqing)

For more event photos and related information: FBHappy Land Travel Fan Page

Information on the 2015 KKF Natural Farming Tour Workshop:KKF Taiwan Official Website