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Mindful Breathing and the Spirit of Solidarity
Thay spoke about an 18-minute program on French television introducing Plum Village, where four religions—Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity—came together to discuss prayer. In the Buddhist tradition, prayer is meditation, which requires three elements:
- mindfulness
- concentration
- insight
Each breath, each step taken with mindfulness, concentration, and insight is a prayer, helping us to truly connect with the object of our prayer—from our ancestors, our parents, to Father Sky and Mother Earth.
Walking meditation and sitting meditation are methods to nourish a calm and joyful mind. When we practice walking meditation, each gentle step with mindfulness, concentration, and insight allows us to touch Mother Earth—the symbol of patience and solidity. When we sit in meditation, simply bringing our attention to the in-breath and out-breath—mind and object as one—is already concentration; insight will come very quickly. Three sounds of the bell, equivalent to nine long breaths, help body and mind release tension, creating the conditions for the natural energy of healing to manifest.