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Rooted Presence and the Practice of True Love
Being rooted in one’s own tradition allows for the enjoyment of values from other cultures, whereas a lack of roots leads to wandering like hungry ghosts, starving for understanding and love. To love another, one must first learn to love and take care of oneself, transforming internal blocks of pain and anger. True love is described by maitrī, the capacity to offer joy and happiness, and karuṇā, the capacity to remove and transform pain. Both rely on prajñā, or understanding, without which love is merely desire or craving.
Meditation generates mindfulness, the energy of being truly present in the here and the now. Whether drinking tea or practicing walking meditation, uniting body and mind performs the miracle of being alive, as noted by Zen Master Linji: “The miracle is to walk on Earth.” The Bhaddekaratta Sutta teaches the art of living happily in the present moment, the only time life is available. Rather than distracting oneself from ill-being (dukkha) through television or consumption, one practices śamathā—stopping to look deeply into the situation with courage.
Mindfulness is applied to daily activities through specific methods:
- Using two hands for incense or tea to invest one hundred percent of oneself in the act.
- Telephone Meditation: Using a verse to calm the mind before dialing, and using the ring as a bell of mindfulness to breathe and smile before answering.
- Hugging Meditation: Breathing to produce true presence before embracing to acknowledge that the other is alive.
- Mantras: Pronouncing “Darling, I am here for you” to offer true presence, and “Darling, I know you are there and I am very happy” to recognize the beloved.
