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Watering the Seeds of Peace
Breathing in, the mind becomes calm – breathing out, a smile blooms on the lips – dwelling in the present moment – this moment is a wonderful moment. From the image of five policemen beating a Black driver, we contemplate and see that violence, hatred, and anger are seeds that have permeated the flesh and skin of society and each individual. Police officers or soldiers, even if they begin with the ideal of protection, if they are “watered” day and night with fear, violence, and hatred, will become victims of those very seeds. On the other hand, in just four days of practice, a simple smile, a breath, a mindful step is already a way to “water” the seeds of peace and compassion in ourselves and in each other.
We draw on the board a leaf divided into two parts: the lower part is the store consciousness (tàng thức), filled with seeds of happiness and suffering; the upper part is mind consciousness (ý thức), like a living room, receiving input from the five sense doors (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body). When we learn a song or practice mindful breathing, that seed falls into the store consciousness and grows stronger with each repetition of the song or breath. But if we only water suffering—anger, fear, hatred—those seeds grow strong, push open the door, and rise up into mind consciousness, devastating the living room of the heart.
Between parents and children, there are often three barriers:
- not having time for each other,
- the bridge of understanding is cut off,
- the generation gap.
To heal, we must practice śamatha (calming) and vipassanā (looking deeply) in order to have prajñā (wisdom) and maitrī (loving kindness and compassion): to understand suffering, to nurture the seeds of love. A simple meditation is hugging meditation: take three deep breaths, dwell peacefully, then hold your loved one tightly, without saying anything, to send the message: “Father/Mother understands you, is grateful for you, please tell me your story.” From there, the seeds of happiness will sprout and nourish the relationship.
Part of the following collection
How can we engage young men in post-conflict zones to turn away from violence and embrace peace?