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The Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing: A Wonderful Place of Rest 5
After the morning sitting meditation, we practice the Three Touchings of the Earth and the Five Contemplations before eating, so that we may eat in a way that is both delicious and wholesome, nourishing both body and mind in a sustainable way. In Vietnamese, the word “delicious” is often paired with “wholesome,” meaning that we not only nourish the body but also cultivate happiness and brotherhood. When eating or sitting in meditation, we let go, contemplate our breathing, and enjoy each moment so that every instant becomes a source of healing energy. The clock chimes every 15 minutes and the sound of the mindfulness bell helps the whole sangha to stop, creating a precious collective energy. Breathing in is joy, breathing out is happiness; each step or each mouthful of rice can become delicious, wholesome, and the joy is present right in the here and now (This is it).
In teaching the Buddha’s sutras, there are two main points to penetrate:
- Discourse 18 “No Body, Extinguishing Wrong Perceptions” – to see deeply into the nature of impermanence and non-self of all formations, to let go of the idea of a separate self so that suffering is eased, to touch nirvana right in the midst of birth and death, of being and non-being.
- Discourse 19 “Dwelling in Emptiness, Stillness is Attained” – even in a turbulent environment, if the mind is spacious and unburdened, we can maintain deep silence and stability, not seeking outside but dwelling in inner freedom.