Posted on Feb 19, 2016
By Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn
Last week Bhante Sujatha came to visit and bless The Gentle Barn, our staff, the land, and the animals. His energy was amazing and we felt instant joy upon meeting him. He said a prayer and blessing for all our staff and then we introduced him to our animals. It was amazing to watch the animals follow him around; I’m imagining that they felt the same loving energy that we felt from him and just wanted to be in his presence. He chanted, sang, and blessed the entire property and all the animals while bearing his luminous smile.
At The Gentle Barn, we have an enormous job to do. We must save and rehabilitate animals that have been through the most horrendous abuse, who bring with them their pain and suffering. We host children who have been through the same struggles and bring with them their hopelessness and despair. Then, we have guests from around the world that we want to inspire and give the most uplifting experience to while they are here. We want to create Gentle Barns in every state in the country, then the world so that every person can hug a cow, cuddle a turkey, give a pig a tummy rub, and look into the eyes of these animals and know for certain that we are all the same. Our goal is to connect people with animals, to Mother Earth, and to themselves so that future generations will make kinder choices, protect the environment, and bring us closer to peace. To do this job, and to do it well, we must be strong, centered, focused, peaceful, gentle, and free of all other distractions. To have the energy at The Gentle Barn cleansed and the staff and the animals blessed helps our mission and enables us to do our work more effectively. We are so grateful to Bhante Sujatha for spending the day with us, blessing us, and for loving animals and children as we do! If you haven’t visited for a while, come see us on a Sunday and feel how wonderful the energy is at The Gentle Barn!
Bhante Sujatha is a Theravada Buddhist Monk from Sri Lanka. His work to share the teachings of the Buddha and the message of healing through loving kindness has taken him around the world. His story is one of extensive experience, sincere concern for the well-being of others, and tireless energy. You can read more about him at http://www.bhantesujatha.org/