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The Path Leading to Happiness
The poem “The plum blossoms have already bloomed at the edge of the forest” reminds us of the karmic affinity between teacher and student over many lifetimes, when the teacher goes looking for the disciple who is still wandering in a faraway land to bring him back to the ancient mountain. Listening to sutras and enjoying the chanting melodies in the meditation school, such as those in the Daily Chanting from the Meditation School, helps the soul become calm, waters wholesome seeds, and transforms suffering and pain; this is viewed as a method of music therapy.
The Noble Eightfold Path is the path of eight right practices, divided into two parts: intake (input) and offering (output):
- Right Diligence
- Right Mindfulness
- Right Concentration
- Right View
- Right Thinking
- Right Speech
- Right Action
- Right Livelihood
Right Mindfulness is the heart of the practice, helping the practitioner know what they are doing and thinking within the realms of the body, feelings, perceptions, and mental formations. Perceptions are often erroneous, like seeing the light of a star that has already extinguished or the story of the shadow on the wall of the Lady of Nam Xuong, so we need to practice “even if you are sure, check again.” The Fourth Mindfulness Training on deep listening and loving speech is the only method to restore communication and defuse the bomb of hatred, as seen in the story of the successful reconciliation of a German couple in Oldenburg. The basic sutras supporting the practice include the Satipatthana Sutta (Transformation and Healing), the Anapanasati Sutta (Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing), and Buddhist psychology with the 51 mental formations. Invoking the name of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is to awaken the Bodhisattva within and return to our own mind.
