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The Practice of Prayer
Walking meditation right here in Lower Hamlet is as full of happiness as walking beside the Buddha in Bihar, because happiness does not depend on external form but on the awareness of inviting the Buddha to walk with us in every step. Mindfulness does not require strenuous effort; walking, sitting, eating, drinking tea—all can be filled with happiness if we are awake and remember that happiness is already available within us and around us (“Tâche d’être heureux”). Small moments of happiness accumulate into great happiness, and the practice of mindfulness is not limited to walking meditation but permeates every moment of the present.
The Buddha and God are not somewhere far away but are present right in our own hearts—these two objects of prayer are one “One Mind.” When we pray, our body, speech, and mind need to be pure, unified, so that the energy of love and healing can arise. The power of the individual is multiplied when we pray together as a sangha. All phenomena carry the nature of noumena, and we touch the ontological ground through joyful living in birth and death. Nirvana is not separate from birth and death but reveals itself in every wave of consciousness, every moment of mindfulness.
When discussing the door that leads us into the wondrous reality, there are three wondrous keys called the Three Dharma Seals:
- Impermanence—all things are not permanent
- Non-self—there is no independent self, all phenomena inter-are
- Nirvana—going beyond birth and death, the one ontological ground that is neither born nor dies
With these three keys, we can recognize the profound truth present in both Buddhist and Christian traditions, transforming this world of suffering into the Pure Land through the practice of mindful steps, wholehearted prayer, and compassionate action.
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Prayer and the "satellite" in the heart