Watch this talk
Enter your email to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
The Five Contemplations
After each morning practice session, we engage in walking meditation with the principle of not speaking and not thinking, so that the mind can rest on the breath and the steps—this is called non-thinking (phi tư lương). Each step becomes a miracle, a moment of ease, what Master Linji called “supernatural power of walking on the earth” (địa hành thần thông), helping us to deeply touch the wonders of life, to nourish and heal body and mind. When the whole sangha—sometimes five hundred, even a thousand people—walks together in ease and joy, the collective energy of mindfulness, concentration, insight, happiness, and peace is very powerful, healing and supporting everyone around.
Eating is practiced in deep mindfulness in the Five Contemplations Hall (Ngũ Quán Đường) with the five contemplations:
- Reflecting on how much effort it took to bring this food to us (kế công đa thiểu)
- Recognizing that this food is a gift of the earth and the sky (lượng bỉ lai xứ)
- Examining whether our virtue and conduct make us worthy of receiving this food (thốn kỷ đức hạnh, toàn khuyết ứng cúng)
- Seeing this food as medicine to nourish and heal the body, while still appreciating its taste (quán ăn như lương dược)
- Vowing to eat in mindfulness, receiving the food with gratitude and joy (nguyện ăn trong chánh niệm)
In addition, we recognize the four kinds of nutriments that nourish body and mind:
- edible food (đoàn thực),
- sense impressions (xúc thực),
- volition (tư niệm thực),
- and consciousness (thức thực, collective consciousness),
and we practice appropriate attention (Như lý tác ý) so that we only receive wholesome spiritual nutriments, nourishing our insight and compassion.