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The Art of Gardening
During retreats in Amsterdam (Cosmos Center) or when visiting the Reclining Buddha Temple in Beijing, simply by practicing walking meditation and embracing mindfulness with each step, the group of practitioners created an atmosphere of peace that astonished both the city’s youth and visitors, who voluntarily followed along, chanting and offering incense. Those silent moments, each relaxed step, became a profound “Dharma talk,” sowing seeds of understanding and love in everyone’s heart.
Body and mind are like a garden, containing both wholesome seeds (compassion, joy) and unwholesome seeds (anger, sorrow, jealousy). To practice is to be a gardener: to recognize and water the wholesome seeds so they may flower and bear fruit, while at the same time transforming the thorny sprouts with the Four Right Efforts. Every breath, every step, every word in daily life can be an act of caring for that garden.
The Sangha is also a collective garden, cultivated by the happiness and understanding of each member. Through mutual shining (deep looking – recognition – giving rise to our aspiration – action) and sharing insight, each individual not only tends their own garden but also helps to build a joyful community, sowing happiness everywhere.