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The Well of Daily Awakening
At the age of nine, on the cover of a magazine, I discovered a Buddha simply sitting on a cushion of grass, so calm and so happy that a deep desire was born in me to become a Buddha: a being who is free, peaceful, and serene. At eleven, during an excursion to meet a hermit at the summit of Mount Na Son, I became exhausted for lack of walking meditation, did not find the hermit, and then ventured alone into the forest. I discovered a well of crystalline water, its drops on the wood sounding like a piano; I drank the most delicious water in the world. My desire disappeared, and a true joy settled within me. Upon waking, I reached the summit, but I kept the secret of this encounter—the hermit in the form of the well—which strengthened my monastic vocation.
Buddhist psychology intimately links body, mind, and cosmos: each cell carries the presence of God and of the Buddha. To touch this reality, we must practice mindfulness in the present moment—generate the energy that allows us to recognize, embrace, and transform suffering. At Plum Village, this is practiced at every moment:
- sitting mindful breathing,
- walking meditation, where each step brings joy, stability, and freedom,
- mindful eating,
- tea (or lemonade for the children),
-
brushing teeth, showering, and manual work.
With the support of the Sangha, this energy of mindfulness gives us the freedom to truly be there, to touch the wonders of life, to heal, and to awaken the Buddha nature within us.
