The method of mindful breathing restores our sovereignty by returning to the breath in mindfulness, preventing forgetfulness from pulling us into the past or the future. At first, it may be enough to simply have “pure breath,” paying attention to each in-breath and out-breath to stabilize body and mind. Once we are steady, the breath will embrace whatever is happening in the present moment (the sound of the bell, the color of the sky, the song of the birds…), helping us to recognize and sustain our presence for longer, while also supporting the practice of insight meditation (vipassanā) in order to look deeply, understand thoroughly, and avoid wrong speech or actions that cause suffering.

At Plum Village, meditation is not limited to sitting or holding the breath, but extends to mindful work (karma yoga) and walking meditation. All daily activities—cooking, washing dishes, carrying water, chopping wood—are practiced in mindfulness, transforming work into practice. The Lotus Bud Meditation Gatha Collection gathers verses that guide us from simple to profound practice, among which the following four basic gathas are practiced continuously, anytime and anywhere:

• in, out, deep, slow
• I have arrived, I am home
• going back, taking refuge
• this is the Pure Land

Each practitioner is encouraged to try the entire collection of meditation gathas to find the practice that suits them, and at the same time has the responsibility to share the techniques of breathing, walking, sitting, and mindful work with newcomers in their very first hour. Continuous practice with the breath and meditation gathas not only brings peace and happiness to oneself, but also contributes to healing the heart and the land around us.