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Lotus Sitting and the Four Nutriments: Dwelling Happily in the Present

Thich Nhat Hanh · July 23, 2009 · Plum Village, France · Audio Only
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Learn to sit like a Buddha—upright, relaxed, smiling—in lotus or half-lotus so you feel “light, peaceful, free,” as if on a lotus flower. Practice Sitting Meditation to cultivate peace and joy, and create Noble Silence together: a powerful, nourishing “thundering silence” that feeds both mother and baby in the Dharma Hall with two kinds of milk—mother’s milk and Dharma milk.

Happiness is possible right here and now—dṛṣṭadharma-sukha-vihāra, dwelling happily in the present moment. Bring the mind back to the body with mindful breathing or walking (“I have arrived. I am home.”) to stop running toward future conditions. All afflictions need food to survive; to uproot them see the Second Noble Truth in terms of four kinds of nutriment:

  1. edible food
  2. sensory impression
  3. volition
  4. consciousness
    Mindful consumption of wholesome nutriments leads to the cessation of ill-being and opens the path of liberation.
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