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Retreat Orientation 1
Mindful breathing is introduced through a song that establishes awareness of the in-breath and out-breath, restoring freshness and solidity through three specific visualizations:
- Breathing in, I see myself as a flower; breathing out, I feel fresh.
- Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain; breathing out, I feel solid.
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Breathing in, I see myself as space; breathing out, I feel free.
Instructions are given to find six pebbles to be used for pebble meditation.
Drinking tea requires 100% presence, uniting body and mind to truly encounter life in the present moment. Often, we offer only a fraction of our presence, lost in the past or future, missing the jewels of life such as the blue sky or the presence of a loved one. Mindfulness is the energy that helps recognize habit energy—the negative patterns transmitted from ancestors that push us to act without autonomy. By recognizing this energy, smiling to it, and returning to the breath, sovereignty over the body and mind is regained.
Walking meditation is practiced with the insight that we have already arrived. Whether climbing a staircase or walking to a bus station, every step is taken with the solidity and freedom of the Buddha, using the gatha “I have arrived, I am home.” The true home is the present moment. Mindfulness reveals the Buddha nature inherent in everyone; when eyes, ears, and hands are used with mindfulness, they become the eyes, ears, and hands of the Buddha. The talk concludes with the instruction to practice Noble Silence and the contemplation: “Breathing in, I know I am alive; breathing out, I smile to life.”