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The Mind of Offering in Every Step
Preparing for a retreat is preparing the psychology of offering, not just concerning oneself with material comforts. Alms round is not begging for food to have something to eat, but is a practice of sharing merit and the Dharma. Every action—driving to pick up practitioners, cooking, washing dishes, watering the garden—is a practice of awakening the source of love and offering when we receive the gifts of the Earth and sky.
Living in the Sangha is an opportunity to realize the insight of non-self, to recognize “interbeing”—each individual is a part of the one body of the Sangha, like bamboo or banana trees sharing the same root. Every breath, every step not only nourishes ourselves but nourishes the entire Sangha. The essence of the Dharma is offering, not an exchange for food: “Only wisdom is our career.”
For the upcoming trip to Vietnam, the departure list will be selected within five days according to four main criteria:
- Seniority
- The radiance of mindfulness
- The ability to harmonize with the Sangha
- Endurance and resilience
Each person—monastic or lay—is invited to choose themselves according to these four criteria.
