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Orientation: Opening Talk for the Mindful Living Today Retreat
This title has been reviewed for accuracy.
Thầy prepares the retreatants with an overview of mindful walking, mindful eating, and mindfulness as the primary practice. Thầy outlines both individual, meditative slow walking and, then, collective group walking, which is at a more natural pace and, therefore, preparation for mindful walking in daily life. He reviews how to use walking gāthās, such as “I have arrived / I am home,” and to synchronize the breathing with walking.
Thầy teaches us that the overarching purpose is to practice presence in the here and the now, which is our one and only “true home,” “because life is available only in the here and the now.” Though many do not believe that happiness can be possible in the here and the now, Thầy shows that happiness is available in every present moment. And, when a group, such as that of the retreat, practice together, it “can generate a very powerful collective energy.” Thầy draws an analogy between the way that mindfulness “allows us to live deeply the mystery of our life in every moment” and the Christian concept of the “Kingdom of God.” In Thầy’s understanding, the Kingdom of God is not a distant or future state but rather is present in the reality of this life, this body, and this present moment.
Thầy then discusses mindful eating, that it can be a joyful collective practice that, like walking on Mother Earth, is a direct contact not just with the one carrot we eat but rather with all of the natural conditions—sun, rain, earth, farming, etc.—that inextricably connect us to the entire cosmos—in effect, a divine experience. Thầy concludes by discussing the importance of noble silence during the retreat. He then introduces Sister Jina, who, in the final five-to-ten minutes, welcomes everyone with loving kindness and laughter; reviews the nuts and bolts of maintaining silence comfortably and with good humor; absorbing Dharma talks without being overwhelmed; managing etiquette, blessings, and silence at meals; and how to help oneself be on time to early morning sitting meditation.
This is the opening talk in a series of four given during the Mindful Living Today, family retreat in the year 2012. Thầy offered this talk at The Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland.