The Future Arrives as Community

A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble

“It is possible that the next Buddha, Maitreya, will not take on any individual form. Maybe he will take the form of a Sangha, a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a Sangha which practices the art of mindful living.” — Thích Nhất Hạnh, Friends on the Path

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(Images: Instagram/singingresistancetc)

I keep returning to something Thích Nhất Hạnh once said that has shaped my imagination for years. He suggested that the next Buddha might not come as an individual. The next Buddha, he said, may come as a sangha—a community.

For a long time, I heard that in abstract. Lately, it feels like a description of what is already happening.

We have been trained to look for salvation in singular form. We scan the horizon for charismatic leaders, gifted speakers, strategic masterminds—someone who can carry the weight for us. When the world fractures, we assume the answer must arrive fully formed, speaking clearly, standing above the mess. But what if that expectation belongs to an older story? What if the world we are living in now requires a different kind of wisdom altogether?

In Minneapolis, something else is unfolding.

There is no single leader at the center of this movement. No polished hierarchy issuing instructions. No personality holding it all together. Instead, I see ordinary people stepping toward one another around shared values: dignity, safety, accountability, care. I see neighbors feeding one another. I see people protecting one another. I see courage multiplying rather than concentrating. This is not chaos. It is coordination born from relationship.

It looks like a sangha.

I recognize this pattern. I saw it at Standing Rock, where people organized themselves around shared responsibility rather than authority. I saw it in the Women’s March, when millions showed up without a central command and discovered their collective power. I saw it in March for Our Lives, when young people refused to wait their turn and organized across cities with moral clarity far beyond their years. Again and again, when people stop waiting for permission and start trusting one another, something ancient wakes up.

And now, in Minneapolis and other cities, that awakening has found its voice in song.

Powerful protest songs are rising from these streets—songs written not by professionals in distant rooms, but by people living inside the struggle. There is now a songbook circulating, freely shared, filled with music that carries both grief and resolve.¹ One song in particular has stayed with me. Its lyrics are simple and fierce:

We are not afraid, we are not afraid.

We will live for liberation

cuz we know why we were made.²

That is not performance. That is testimony.

Songs like these do something speeches cannot. They move through the body. They remind people of who they are when fear tries to shrink them. They bind strangers together in rhythm and breath. When people sing in moments like this, they are not just expressing hope. They are practicing it.

This is where the language of resurrection begins to feel less symbolic.

Resurrection is not primarily about a body returning from death. It is about life refusing to end where power declares it should. It is about continuity that survives violence. It is about love reorganizing itself when old forms collapse. Resurrection happens whenever people choose solidarity over isolation and refuse to disappear into despair.

We live in a time that rewards spectacle and control. Sanghas cultivate something else: presence, persistence, shared responsibility. They measure success not by dominance or visibility, but by whether people keep showing up, whether care circulates, whether courage remains relational. This kind of movement rarely looks impressive at first. It looks human. It looks unfinished. It looks like people learning how to stay together under pressure.

I am grateful that attention has turned toward Minneapolis, even as I grieve why it has. Things are not better there. They are not better in many places. And yet, I hold a wider truth alongside that grief. Across this country, people are rediscovering that collective liberation does not require perfection. It requires participation. It does not require unanimity. It requires fidelity to shared values. It does not require a savior. It requires people willing to become responsible for one another.

If Thích Nhất Hạnh was right, then perhaps we are not waiting for the next prophet. Perhaps we are becoming one another’s teachers in real time. Perhaps the holy work of this age is not to follow the right leader, but to learn how to move together without one.

That kind of resurrection does not announce itself with trumpets. It sounds like voices rising together in the street. It sounds like song pages passed from hand to hand. It sounds like people singing their way back to courage.

A sangha.

Alive.

Still rising.

We are in this together,

Cameron

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Reflection Questions

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1. Where are you noticing courage arising not from leaders, but from ordinary people choosing one another?

2. What practices or relationships help you stay connected to shared values when fear tries to isolate you?

3. In what ways might your own presence—your voice, care, or steadiness—be part of a larger collective awakening already underway?

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A Prayer for the Day

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A Prayer for the Courage We Share

God of breath and belonging,
we give thanks for the ways life keeps rising
even when the ground beneath us feels unstable.

We thank you for the courage that does not arrive alone,
for the strength that multiplies when people stand shoulder to shoulder,
for the wisdom that emerges not from command
but from listening, trusting, and staying present to one another.

In moments when fear tells us to retreat into ourselves,
teach us how to move toward community instead.
When despair tempts us to wait for rescue,
remind us that we already carry what we need
in shared values, shared song, and shared resolve.

Bless those who are organizing without spotlight,
singing without certainty,
showing up without guarantees.
May we learn to recognize holiness
not only in extraordinary figures
but in ordinary people practicing love together.

Amen.

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Spiritual Practice

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Practicing Sangha

This practice is about feeling yourself as part of a living collective, not improving yourself or solving anything.

Today or tomorrow, choose one of the following and let it be enough:

• Sing with others, if you can—at a gathering, a protest, a vigil, or even by sharing a song aloud with one other person. Let your voice join rather than perform.

• Share a meal intentionally, even a simple one, and name out loud one shared value that matters to you both right now.

• Reach out to one person and say: “I’m glad we’re in this together.” No fixing. No strategizing. Just presence.

Notice what shifts in your body when you remember you are not carrying this alone. That sensation is the practice.

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Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…

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February 10, 2026, 12pm ET - My team and I are launching a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. I will be leading a book study on Brian McLaren’s book, Life After Doom. Register here for the onboarding call and to learn more.

February 19, 2026 (next session) - On Feb 5, Margaret Wheatley and and I launched a new online course called “Leading with Spirit,” a six-session journey into soul-grounded leadership designed to deepen your trust in guidance, nurture perseverance, and rekindle imaginal wisdom for our fractured world. It’s not too late to join. Take a look at the course outline. We are really excited and hope you can join! Scholarship are available if needed. Learn more here!

March, 2026 - Join Our “Building a Culture of Leadership Within Congregations” Cohort facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin Ross and me! A two-session course for ministers and faith leaders ready to strengthen how their congregations and ministries identify, develop, and support leaders. Learn more here.

March 17, 23, 31 and April 7, 2026 - Mark your calendars! Matthew Fox and I will be hosting another 4-part series on “Visions for the Common Good.” We are finalizing details now, and the registration page will open soon.

July 19-24, 2026 - Join me on retreat in the back-country of beautiful Wyoming. The Art of Wilding is a 5-Day Expedition for Women Leaders. We will spend the week reconnecting to nature, exploring our inner landscapes for change, and engage the wisdom of spiritual teachings. Click here to learn more.

I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.

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Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…

I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.

The Pachamama Alliance is celebrating 30 years of extraordinary impact. I imagine I will have more to announce about this, but I am particularly appreciating this article on moving from “Me to We.”

Tripp Fuller is hosting a book group on the work of Hartmut Rosa, a German sociologist first introduced to me by Dr. Andrew Root. Rosa’s work gets at the heart of why our culture feels so out of control and why slowing down won’t help. Watch a recording of Tripp and Matthew Segall nerd out about this here.

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If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.

1. This team has created a number of resources for us as well as some upcoming trainings: https://linktr.ee/singingresistance

2. Listen to the song here: