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The Presence of Mindfulness
Today, during the fourth Summer Retreat in the United States, Thay calls upon each person to choose a truly vital question of life and death and place it into the bell, so that it may be answered through the daily practice of mindfulness rather than by words. Mindfulness is the essential “ingredient” for practice, like flour and sugar for making a cake, and it is nourished through sitting meditation, walking meditation, mindful breathing, and eating in silence. When we practice solidly for the first one or two days, the seed of mindfulness sprouts; after five days, the sprout becomes a young bean plant, and it needs to be watered every day, otherwise it will wither. Where there is a sangha (a group of three to seven people) practicing together each week, the bean plant of mindfulness will grow strong, helping family and society to be truly present.
Mindfulness helps us to be present and to love with three inseparable elements:
- Presence – “I am here.”
- Recognition – “I know you are there.”
- Availability – “I am always here for you.”
In the family, when parents are not truly present, children are absent of love; on the other hand, just one in-breath and out-breath with a smile, placing a hand on your child’s shoulder, is a priceless gift for suffering. To truly love, we must deeply understand each other’s suffering through looking deeply (insight meditation), only then can we transform and bring peace to both.
The practice of mindfulness consists of two supporting aspects:
- Shamatha – calming the body and mind, gathering the mind into one point like a spotlight illuminating the singer on stage
- Vipassana – looking deeply, seeing clearly into the roots of suffering
Practicing shamatha and vipassana together, we nourish the energy of mindfulness to see clearly the true nature of things and of our loved ones – from the eyes, heart, and liver to the relationships between husband and wife, parents and children. Walking meditation every day, even for 15–45 minutes under the trees, breathing in rhythm with your steps, is also a way to “caress Mother Earth,” to connect with heaven and earth, to heal body and mind, to sustain the sangha, and to preserve the seed of mindfulness within us.