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Generating the Energy of Mindfulness
Today we invoke the name of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva on Great Hidden Mountain, in the oak forest Dharma hall of Deer Park Monastery. The retreat includes the following main practices:
- Waking up at 5 a.m. to practice walking meditation up the mountain and sitting meditation together
- Each time we hear the sound of the bell—returning to the breath: breathing in, knowing we are breathing in; breathing out, knowing we are breathing out
- Mindful steps: left foot, right foot, each step dwelling in mindfulness
In the example of the corn seed, during the first five to seven days the seed cracks open and sprouts, after a few weeks it becomes a plant, and after three months it gives flowers and fruit with more than 1,000 seeds. The original corn seed is not lost but has transformed into the plant and into new seeds—just as we go from being a child to an adult, our children and grandchildren continue us, each person is a continuation without form. Looking at our children and grandchildren, we see ourselves; so every word or action towards our descendants is also a word or action towards ourselves.
We practice in order to break through delusion, to cultivate the three energies of mindfulness, concentration, and insight:
- Mindfulness helps body and mind come together
- Concentration arises when mindfulness is strong
- Insight is born from concentration that is deep enough
The collective energy of mindfulness (when 300–500 people walk, sit, and eat in mindfulness together) creates a great energy, embracing and transforming personal suffering and bringing about true happiness.
