We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track. If this problem persists help us by reporting it so we can investigate it.
Watch this talk
Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Log in or create an account
108 Jewels of Peace: Mindful Walking into the Pure Land
The practice of slow walking, Kinh Hành, turns each of your steps into a jewel of peace, stability, joy and freedom. In fifteen minutes you might make 150 mindful steps, and in 108 steps you weave a “necklace” of jewels that adorns yourself, the Sangha and the earth. At Upper Hamlet—a wartime site of terror—monks, nuns and thousands of laypersons from 25–30 nationalities have, year after year, walked in mindfulness, burning incense and transforming that scarred land into a Pure Land of Buddha. With each mindful step you generate the energy of peace, compassion and understanding; this “peace march” is itself peace.
Try using your Buddha feet, gathas like “I have arrived… I am home,” or “oui oui… merci merci,” and adjust your steps to your breath—one, two, three or more—to cultivate freedom, lightness and deep enjoyment.
Our mind-consciousness is a screen cluttered by clouds of distorted images, sounds and emotions—anger, desire, fear, confusion, restlessness—fed by seeds in our store-consciousness. Without mindfulness, perceptions are colored by judgment and ignorance, leading to suffering. When you light up the lamp of mindfulness—mindfulness of breathing, of body, of the Five Sense Consciousnesses (ear, nose, tongue, body, eyes)—the room of your mind clears instantly. Mindfulness is cittabhāvanā—mental culture—plowing the field of consciousness to grow understanding, love, compassion and joy. By practicing śamatha (calm abiding) you rest in the clear living room of awareness; by practicing vipassanā (insight) you look deeply into any thought or emotion, see its distortion, and rectify your perception. The Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha are always available within you—no more running away or toward, just walking and enjoying the Pure Land here and now.