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Embracing Our Pain - A Children's Chant
Turning Towards the Three Jewels was born after many decades of nurturing, as the children in Plum Village only had a single chant that was not suitable for their young age. Each verse contains only four words, helping to focus contemplation on the Buddha sitting upright, radiating light, practicing sitting meditation following his example, then reciting the Buddha’s name either by visualizing his image in the mind or by repeating his name. This is not a prayer, but a practice of mindfulness, contemplation, and giving rise to our aspiration, intended for children six or seven years old but also very suitable for adults.
The practice of “embracing our pain” is considered the principal method for healing suffering with the energy of mindfulness in our breathing. When suffering overwhelms us, we do not resist or run away, but use our whole body and mind to embrace it, breathing deeply and maintaining mindfulness in order to transform. In the Sangha, the collective energy of practice is even stronger, but even when alone, each person can rely on their own inner energy, protected by the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
Restraint and care of body and mind is the foundation for building a “Beloved Community”: always feeling a sense of shame before thoughts, words, or actions that are not in accord with the Dharma, maintaining our integrity, and being an example for one another. A beautiful Sangha is nourished by the Bodhi mind, great compassion, and brotherhood—each gesture, word, and moment together is an opportunity to cultivate love.