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The House of Mindfulness for the 21st Century
In the poetry collection “Poems of Embracing and the Sun of Awakening,” the Earth is envisioned as a most beautiful and gentle mother, especially when seen from the moon or a spaceship, with the marvelous blue of rivers, pine forests, herds of deer, flocks of birds… We have only four or five years left to prepare for the twenty-first century (2000–2099), and it is necessary to protect Mother Earth from wounds and cancers caused by delusion and lack of love. The home of the twenty-first century does not need a living room or television, but it must have a meditation room—a place to nurture the cool stream of mindfulness—and a community garden, where 15–30 neighboring households can practice walking meditation and share peace together.
Many social institutions also need a meditation room to nourish body and mind and to help resolve suffering with mindfulness, such as:
schools
hospitals
city halls
parliament buildings
train stations, airports
prisons
Leaders of the twenty-first century must openly share their family happiness—their ability to listen deeply and use loving speech—because someone who does not have harmony in their own home will find it difficult to bring peace to the people. Each day, it is necessary to:
1. sit in meditation, practicing mindful breathing in and out
2. practice walking meditation, each step bringing peace
3. call the names of your loved ones (the Mountain Buddha, the Buddha, Mother Avalokiteshvara, your parents…) with your full presence, in order to water the seeds of peace and transform suffering
4. return to take care of yourself—holding your wounds in body and mind like an animal seeking a place to rest, then cleaning, contemplating, accepting unconditionally, and practicing interbeing between the Historical Dimension (waves of birth and death) and the Ultimate Dimension (the water of no birth and no death), so as to live in harmony and peace in every moment.