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Returning to Our Roots, Watering the Seeds of Gratitude
When practicing prostrations, we generate gratitude in the order of four main objects:
- The Buddha, Bodhisattvas, and our parents, with deep gratitude for having given birth to us and nurturing us.
- The teacher – the one who gives birth to us spiritually, guiding us on the path of practice.
- The Three Jewels and friends who help us grow and become gentle and kind.
- All beings – plants, animals, for without them we could not exist today.
From the example of a 16-year-old Swiss girl with both European and Vietnamese roots, she understands:
- She must live in harmony with both cultures to have ease and peace in her heart.
- She can become a bridge, helping both sides to understand and love each other more.
- Preserving the Vietnamese language from her Vietnamese mother and spending one month each year at Plum Village is a precious gift to maintain her roots throughout her life.
Her first visit to Vietnam after nearly 20 years away gave her:
- The sight of golden rice fields through the airplane window, as if truly returning to her homeland.
- Writing poetry in Vietnamese, in the Hue dialect, and in the language of Plum Village, as evidence of the blending of tradition and modernity.
- Talking and sharing ice cream with street vendor children by Hoan Kiem Lake, as a lesson in connection and compassion in daily life.
By practicing returning to our roots at Plum Village through three prostrations, five prostrations, or four prostrations, each person can rediscover their cultural roots and generate the strength of deep dwelling and stability in their soul.