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Awakening Inner Bodhisattvas Through Mindful Steps
Today’s talk begins by questioning whether bodhisattvas like Avalokiteśvara, Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra and Kṣitigarbha are historical persons or living energies within us. Each embodies a quality we need—compassion, wisdom, great action, fearless presence—and when we chant their names together we generate collective energy. We personalize many “deities” today—freedom, democracy, equality, brotherhood, even Prajñāpāramitā—without needing them to have a human body in order to feel their power and to cultivate their essence in our lives.
To touch the true “kingdom of God” or “pure land of the Buddha” is to recognize the wonders of life here and now—in every tree, every breath, every step. Mindful walking is offered as a simple yet profound practice to bring us home to the present moment, free from worry and regret. With each step we learn to “arrive” and to feel our true home, generating peace, solidity, freedom, joy and healing both for ourselves and as a gift to the Sangha.
Practice the four-line gāthā as you walk, sit or breathe, returning always to its fruit:
- I have arrived, I am home
- In the here, in the now
- I am solid, I am free
- In the ultimate I dwell
