Ever since Tropical Storm Helene, the importance of community has been at the forefront of local thought and conversation. But what gives community its life and what will keep it going beyond the crisis? For Vinit Allen, founder and organizer of the InterBeing Festival, the answer includes authenticity, embodied expression, meaningful ceremony, sharing and listening.
“I had noticed that when I attended festivals, mostly in the San Francisco Bay area where I’d come from before, I had a great time, but there wasn’t a lot of deeper connection,” he says. “When I left, I know I felt entertained, but I didn’t feel like I really gained anything particularly useful.”
Thus stirred his first inspiration for an annual benefit gathering named after Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh’s concept of interconnection: a venue “where people would learn about themselves and interact with each other in novel ways that can really make a difference,” Allen says. Samasati Sanctuary in Weaverville, founded in 2020 by Allen and his wife, Rajyo Allen, will set the scene for conscious engagement with its intimate sanctuaries and 16 contemplative altars spread over 10 acres of trails, gardens, meadow and forest…