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The Practice Method (Volume 2)
We do not only bring toxins into our body through food, but also bring toxins into our mind through words, thoughts, television, newspapers, and books. When we consume cultural products filled with anger, violence, and fear, our mind also becomes poisoned, weakening our mindfulness and peace. In the family, arguments and reproaches not only sow suffering for those involved but also for the children. Therefore, we need to refrain from films, books, newspapers, and stories that contain greed, hatred, delusion, fear, hatred, and suspicion in order to preserve the purity of our mind and nurture the seeds of happiness. At Plum Village, daily life is in contact only with what is wholesome and peaceful—walking meditation, sitting meditation, and eating in silence—to strengthen the energy of mindfulness.
The practice of “mindful massage” is to send mindfulness to the place of pain in order to transform it, like light helping a flower to bloom or saliva softening a pill. For example, with mindful breathing: breathing in as if you are holding a five-year-old child, breathing out and smiling to the child, repeating for three days to gently face old pain. When contemplating our parents, we imagine them as fragile, vulnerable children and send mindfulness to them so that compassion arises. The path of practice consists of two main methods:
- Shamatha—calming, like a mother embracing her child;
- Vipassanā—looking deeply to see the roots of our pain.