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Arriving Home Through Deep Listening
Deep listening and compassionate listening are essential for transforming suffering. Invoking Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, consists of recognizing this capacity for listening in oneself and in others. This practice relies on the sound of the bell, the voice of the Buddha, which calls us to:
- Stop thinking, acting, and speaking.
- Listen with one hundred percent of our body and mind.
- Practice mindful breathing to return to our true home.
Mindfulness (smṛti) and concentration (samādhi) allow us to step out of distraction to live each moment deeply. Whether it is eating an ice cream, drinking apple juice, or walking, the energy of mindfulness makes us present to what we are doing. Walking meditation is a miracle that consists of kissing the Earth with our feet, with gentleness and love, to help our Mother Earth heal. While walking, we can use the words I am home, I have arrived, because the here and the now is the only address of life.
Happiness is possible immediately because the necessary conditions are already sufficient, such as eyes in good condition or a heart that functions normally. To love is to offer our true presence to the other, a presence cultivated through the four postures of the body: sitting, standing, lying down, and walking. Meditation is thus practiced in every daily gesture, such as peeling vegetables or washing the dishes, to generate joy, solidity, and peace from the very beginning of the practice.