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Four-Pebble Meditation: Flower, Mountain, Water, Space

Thich Nhat Hanh · September 7, 1999 · United States · Audio Only
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Today we have a bell of mindfulness in the countdown to the year 2000, and a simple practice called Pebble Meditation using four stones to reclaim four elements essential to our happiness:

  1. Flower—freshness of body and mind (“Breathing in, I see myself as a flower. Breathing out, I feel fresh.”)
  2. Mountain—solidity and stability (“Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain. Breathing out, I feel solid.”)
  3. Still water—clarity of perception (“Breathing in, I see myself as still water. Breathing out, I see things exactly as they are.”)
  4. Space—inner and outer freedom (“Breathing in, I see myself as space. Breathing out, I feel free.”)

From pebble meditation we move to understanding mindfulness as an energy—our own Holy Spirit—that we can generate in every action (breathing, walking, drinking, even opening a door) by investing 100 percent of ourselves in the present moment. Grounded here and now, we learn to recognize and smile at our habit‐energy (Mara), heal past wounds, and build the future; each mindful step becomes a doorway into the kingdom of God—paradise made real through compassion born of deep presence and understanding.

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