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The First Drop of Water and Mindful Breathing
Each person is the “leading drop of water” guiding the stream of ancestral blood and spiritual lineage. Imagine a newly formed stream, with the first drops leading the way—wherever it flows, whether into a muddy pond or the vast ocean, our ancestors within us follow. Contemplate your hand and see the hands of your parents and ancestors hidden in every cell; with each gesture—from saving a life to taking one—they share in our joy or our wrongdoing.
At the prow of the ship of consciousness are five ever-present “sailors” (contact, feeling, perception, attention, volition) and forty-six other “sailors” (desire, diligence, up to mindfulness, concentration, insight). Mindfulness is the key sailor who asks, “What is happening?” to prevent anger and ignorance from taking over; mindful breathing is the Dharma that protects body and mind; when there is mindfulness, there is concentration, then insight, and our actions—together with our ancestors—are illuminated.
To transform personal and collective suffering, the Dharma is not only theory but a means of practice:
- Faith–Diligence–Mindfulness–Concentration–Insight: the five inner powers to be nourished daily.
- Mindful in-breath and out-breath: “the breath is the Dharma,” dynamic and connecting the Sangha within.
- Body–feeling–perception: first, be mindful of the body, then gradually become aware of feelings and perceptions, so that we can clearly see illusions and transform them in the very moment.
Practicing in this way, each peaceful step is walking meditation, each calm breath is a wordless Dharma talk, and we and our ancestors walk together toward the shore of the Pure Land.
