Well, yesterday, I had a full day of Thich Naht Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen Buddhist master who has a monastery in San Diego County and another one in France (hereafter "TNH").
In the morning, a group of about 1,500 people gathered in a downtown park to engage in a "mindful peace walk". We all meditated for awhile, then we walked quite slowly around the park, watching our breath and trying to be in the "now". It was all very peaceful. Then, we mindfully ate our vegetarian lunches which we had brought with us from home. My favorite part of this lunch was when TNH encouraged us to "smile to our lunches". I've been trying to remember to meditate on gratitude before eating, but smiling to my lunch was a new twist. It didn't feel as silly as it sounds.
Later on that evening, I met up with a friend, and together we attended a public (well, we had to buy tickets through Ticketmaster) lecture by TNH. I will write more about the lecture another time, but it was another very, very peaceful experience.
The program from yesterday's lecture contains some "mindfulness practice songs" that you can sing to yourself as you go about your business. Here are a few:
I am a Cloud
I am a cloud, I am the blue sky,
I am a bird spreading out its wings
I am a flower, I am the sunshine,
I am the Earth receiving a seed.
And I am free when my heart is open.
Yes, I am free when my mind is clear.
Oh, dear b rother, oh, dear sister, let's
walk together mindfully.
No Discrimination
The Sun it shines on everyone (x2).
No discrimination, no discrimination.
The Rain it falls on everyone (x2)
No discrimination, no discrimination.
My Heart belongs to everyone (x2).
No discrimination, no discrimination.
The Island Within
Breathing in, I go back to the
island within myself.
There are beautiful trees within
the island. There are clear
streams of warter. There are
birds, sunshine and fresh air.
Breathing out, I feel safe.
I enjoy going back to my island.
I Have Arrived
I have arrived, I am home
In the here, and in the now.
I am solid, I am free,
I am solid, i am free.
In the ultimater I dwell,
In the ultimate I dwell.
The message for the day was: "Mindfulness is the Key to the Buddha's Pure Land. Mindfulness is the Key to the Kingdom of God."
Be mindful, be happy, be cool.
Byrd in LA
Posted by wahzoh at September 30, 2007 04:26 PM