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Walking in Mindfulness
The collective energy of mindfulness brings the Sangha together as a single organism, flowing as a river to transcend the boundaries of an illusory self and to be free from the complexes of superiority, inferiority, and equality. A spiritual dimension is necessary in daily life to overcome difficulties and handle suffering. This spirituality, which can exist outside of religion, is based on the deep insight of interbeing: just as a flower is made of non-flower elements such as clouds, sunshine, and the gardener, a human being does not have a separate identity and inter-is with the whole cosmos.
Understanding suffering is the key to happiness, because there is no lotus without mud. By looking deeply into the nature and roots of our ill-being, we identify the sources of nutriments that feed it and discover the path of its transformation. The practice relies on the first eight exercises of the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing:
- Recognizing the in-breath and the out-breath.
- Following the breath all the way through.
- Being aware of the body by bringing the mind back to it.
- Releasing tension in the body.
- Generating a feeling of joy.
- Generating a feeling of happiness by recognizing the conditions already present.
- Recognizing a painful feeling or a strong emotion.
- Using mindfulness to embrace and calm suffering.
This insight of interbeing and non-discrimination forms the foundation of a global ethic and of the Five Mindfulness Trainings: the protection of life, true happiness born from compassion, true love based on understanding, loving speech and deep listening to restore communication, and transformation through mindful consumption. The latter involves being mindful of the four kinds of nutriments: edible food, sense impressions, volition or deep desire, and collective consciousness. Introducing these practices in schools, in the form of an education in happiness, allows teachers and parents to transform violence and create a healthy environment for future generations.
Questions from the audience:
- How to integrate mindfulness into family and domestic life when one is not a monk or a nun?
- How to technically install a bell of mindfulness on a computer to release tension at work?
- What is the connection between culture and education in happiness to foster listening and communication?
- Are there specific teachings for doctors to help them handle imbalance and illness?
- How to transform suffering and confinement when facing intense painful crises in a sick loved one?
- What actions are planned in France to train teachers in the practice of mindfulness?
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