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Right Karma
I feel joy and gratitude for our three-month visit to Vietnam as an offering to the land and people. Wherever we go—walking meditation by Ho Guom Lake, climbing Yen Tu, visiting Ha Long Bay—we will dwell happily in the present moment, radiating peace and loving-kindness. Our hotels will be practice centers: walking, talking, sitting, and eating mindfully.
The Five Mindfulness Trainings express our practice concretely:
- no tobacco, meat, or alcohol
- no talking while walking
Every thought, word, and deed is a cause whose fruit appears now or later, affecting both individuals and collectives. Vijnanavada (the doctrine of consciousness) shows there is no absolute individual or collective karma: like candles whose lights overlap, our actions first illuminate ourselves, then those around us.
As 2004 ends, pause to look deeply at your thoughts, speech, and actions and their effects. For 2005, resolve:
“In 2005, I will choose thoughts, words, and actions that bring peace, refraining from those that cause suffering to myself and others.”
Ground these resolutions in Right View and support them with right thinking, right speech, and right action so our lives become beautiful offerings that help the world suffer less and future generations enjoy more life.