"It's not that we have to act. If we are awake, action will naturally take hold of us."
Thich Nhat Hanh
CYNTHIA JURS is a Buddhist teacher of the Order of Coexistence who received the Dharmacharya transmission to teach from Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh in 1994. She also practices Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, having studied and practiced with many great masters for thirty years and spent much time in seclusion. In 2018, Ngawang Tsultrim Zangpo Rinpoche appointed her as a lama at his headquarters, Tolu Tharling Monastery in Nepal, in recognition of her long-standing dharma practice and her dedication to the work of global healing through Earth Treasure Vases (ETV). Cynthia Jurs is a senior teacher at Open Way Sangha in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she leads meditation groups, retreats, and journeys that offer a unique blend of engaged Buddhism and sacred activism.
In 1990, Cynthia made a life-changing pilgrimage when she met the 106-year-old Sherpa lama Charok Rinpoche, who lived in a cave high in the Himalayas. When she asked the wise old man, “What can we do to bring healing and protection to the Earth?” he initiated her into the practice of Earth Treasure Vases (ETV)—a practice dedicated to bringing healing and protection to the Earth by filling sacred clay vessels with prayers and offerings and burying them in the ground at places of need around the world. Cynthia was given thirty of these sacred clay vessels and was told to take them, filled with offerings and prayers, to places in need of healing.
Inspired by her journeys with this spiritual practice, she founded Alliance for the Earth in 2008, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering a global community committed to healing and restoring the Earth. As Executive Director of the Vases of Earth’s Treasure Global Healing Project, Cynthia facilitates collaboration with youth activists and indigenous elders in communities around the world in ceremonies that strengthen community, invite people to prayer, and catalyze unexpected solutions. The goal is to unite communities around a shared desire for peace in those parts of the world that need healing and restoration the most. One of the most striking examples of the success of this project is the Peace and Reconciliation Centers that were built in Liberia, West Africa, thanks to Cynthia Jurs’ visit. (Charles Eisenstein writes about this in his book, A more beautiful world is possible, our hearts know it. Maitreya 2018.)
Now Cynthia is distributing the second generation of Earth Treasure Vases (ETVs) to those who want to learn the practice and care for ETVs themselves. She leads a monthly ETV full moon meditation with David Nicole via conference call—this way, the practice reaches people around the world who want to participate. The Earth Treasure Vase “mandala” is expanding as new locations join; the Earth Alliance is facilitating the emergence of a global community committed to planetary healing and collective awakening. Cynthia continues to lead pilgrimages and teach where she can, and is working on a book and documentary.
To date, a total of forty-nine Earth Pokad vases (five of which are currently being processed) have been planted in the Earth at sacred sites, in war-torn communities, in mountains, forests, and at river sources on every inhabited continent. The vases form a living global mandala of prayers and intentions for the healing of the Earth. Twenty-one vases remain, and the practice continues with pilgrimages to many new locations.
"At each full moon, we gather for a guided meditation to direct our prayers and intentions into the vases, energizing the global mandala and enveloping Gaia with our heartfelt presence and our sacred gifts."
Cynthia Jurs