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Arriving Home: Sowing Peace through Mindful Breath, Steps, and Karma

Thich Nhat Hanh · June 13, 2010 · EIAB, Germany · Audio Only
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“Sowing peace and harvesting happiness” begins with bringing peace to the body. Mindful breathing and walking act as links to bring the mind back to the body, uniting them to establish presence in the here and now. This energy of mindfulness allows one to recognize and embrace pain, sorrow, and fear tenderly, like a mother holding a baby. Tension accumulated over years prevents peace, so the art of deep relaxation involves visiting the body with mindfulness to release stress. One may visit the eyes, heart, or liver, smiling to them with compassion to aid their recovery. Humans have lost the capacity to rest, unlike a wounded animal in the forest that knows to lie down and do nothing to restore itself; the body has the power to self-heal if allowed to rest.

Mindful walking releases tension in feelings and the body. Coordinating breath with steps, one walks as a free person, arriving in the present moment where the Kingdom of God or the Pure Land of the Buddha is available. The mantra “I have arrived, I am home” signifies true arrival in the here and now, ending the need to run. The practice continues with “In the here, in the now,” and “I am solid, I am free,” cultivating solidity in the present and freedom from past regrets or future anxieties.

Action, or Karma, is one’s continuation and consists of three aspects:

  1. Thinking: Producing thoughts of compassion, understanding, and non-discrimination, known as Right Thinking.
  2. Speaking: Practicing Right Speech that is healing and comforting, avoiding discrimination and hate.
  3. Acting: Physical Right Action that has the power to protect, save, and bring harmony.

Nothing is born and nothing dies; like a cloud transforming into rain rather than passing into non-being, humans continue through these actions. Finally, mindful eating allows for deep contact with the cosmos. Seeing a piece of bread as an ambassador of the universe containing sunshine and earth, or peeling an orange with total awareness, turns a meal into a moment of happiness and insight.

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