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Yogācāra Bhūmi Śāstra, Part 2
The practice of mindful awareness of the body is to calm the body with the breath; the in-breath and out-breath bring peace into the body, helping to relieve pain and tension. Similarly, correct breathing also calms the mind formations—our perceptions, feelings, and emotions. Mindful breathing brings three essential fruits:
- calm and peace
- clarity
- love
A mindful step on the wooden floor, on bamboo, or directly on Mother Earth is also walking meditation. Each step is a deep contact with the material world, bringing peace into that very matter, expressing the deep interbeing between ourselves and the material world. The earth, bamboo, and grasses are likened to Bodhisattvas—enlightened beings—because they offer life and nourish all beings; the planet itself is the Bodhisattva Refreshing Earth, solid, embracing, and nurturing us. Each breath and each step is an opportunity to cherish, to take refuge in, and to return to Mother Earth—the source of our peace, clarity, and love.
