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Practicing to open our Heart
With three hundred days remaining before the new century, the twenty-first century is a beautiful hill to be climbed together as a Sangha with joy, peace, and harmony. Every human being is a flower in the garden of humanity, and the practice of mindfulness is the nourishment of this flowerness. Happiness is available in the here and the now when we cherish the conditions of life and appreciate the wonders within and around us. Loneliness is a prison created by the notion of self and wrong perceptions, preventing us from touching the message of love and hope offered by life.
The heart may refuse to bloom even when “ninety thousand flowers are blooming in nature” due to the poisons of:
- Anger
- Jealousy
-
Ignorance or avidyā
The story of Princess Huyền Trân, an instrument of peace between the two countries of Đại Việt and Champa, illustrates the capacity to open one’s heart for the sake of others. Restoring the freshness and limpidity of our flower requires the practice of mindful breathing, walking, and performing daily tasks with love. To love is to be aware that the person is there, alive, and to do something to help them be happy in the present moment. True love transcends time and space, offering joy and freedom from discrimination, attachments, and the need to possess.
Understanding the suffering, fear, and hope in ourselves and others leads to acceptance and the dissolution of loneliness. This insight applies to relationships between individuals and the two groups of people: Judaism and Muslim. Buddha and Jesus are brothers, and their followers continue their presence by being real flowers of their respective traditions. True religious dialogue is not found in reports or discussions, but in the display of one’s own fragrance, freshness, and beauty through the way one walks, breathes, and smiles.