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Training Monastics
The straw snake—woven into a long shape—burns slowly for many hours, symbolizing the preservation and transmission of the living flame. In the old days, the people of New Hamlet kept the fire alive by covering the embers with rice husks, then in the morning using straw from the yard to rekindle it, or going to a neighbor’s house to ask for fire as an opportunity for sharing and connection. That fire was not only fuel but also a symbol of ideals, faith, and love; when the fire went out, hope was lost, and if the whole hamlet had no more fire, everyone would have to carry torches together to New Hamlet, singing songs in a faith that never fades.
In the monastic retreat, from the Sanskrit word siksa (learning through practice), the two essential elements of a practitioner are Dharma and Vinaya—the method of practice and the code of conduct. The tradition of practice focuses on mindfulness, concentration, and insight, concretely expressed through:
- the practice of breathing (from the sixteen breathing exercises in the Buddhist tradition)
- the practice of walking, sitting, speaking, listening, and eating
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the practice of the Four Noble Truths (suffering, its cause, the possibility of cessation, and the Noble Eightfold Path)
Mindfulness and concentration are the foundation that leads to right view, from which right thinking, right speech, and right action arise. We learn not to accumulate knowledge but to transform suffering, to nourish mindfulness and happiness, applying it in every step, every breath, every spoonful of food, and every word spoken—just like tending the fire in a country kitchen, we must keep the embers glowing so that the bright golden flame can be rekindled.