Practice in the Plum Village Tradition
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This conscious breathing unifies mind and body in the present moment, building toward total awareness of current perceptions and conditions, called Mindfulness (Smrti) This is the first goal of meditation, a skill we seek to employ in all our life.
Walking meditation is a similar practice while moving, focusing on both coordinated breath and foot step - mindfulness while walking. This calms an agitated body better than struggling to sit quietly. Awareness of each step - our contact with the Earth, weight on the sole, walking actions, balance, the solidity of the Earth, oneness with the living Planet - further center us in our interbeing with all creatures, nature & the universe.
In a similar way, we practice working meditation, eating meditation and playing meditation where appropriate. The more we practice these together, we develop interconnection, synergy, harmony of our shared body we call the Sangha. The Sangha is our collective aspiration to enlightenment and interbeing.
We practice to become the best we can at mindfulness and insight. But we do not judge ourselves for lack of attainment or imperfection. Buddhism is a practice of love, joy and compassion, not a system of obedience. Be kind to yourself first. Then share it.
BASIC
MEDITATION - Mindfulness
Meditation is a tool we use to quiet & focus the mind, first to develop calmness, joy & clarity, later to develop deeper understanding, compassion and wisdom. This practice is how we develop Mindfulness.
Sitting comfortably upright, we gently focus our attention exclusively on the breath, either as it passes through the nostrils, or moves with the diaphragm. We follow the contour of the breath in and out, rising, falling, quietly, slowly. When your attention wanders, gently bring it back to the breath. Put a half-smile on your lips, feel the fresh air in your lungs, and gently persist. As our undisciplined minds wander or worry, the body agitates or emotes – we just return attention to our breathing.
If some important issue persists in your mental wanderings, you might label that thought for later consideration, then set it aside and go back to your breath. With practice this “sitting” becomes easier and more pleasant – gradually developing the skills of calmness, focus, clarity & joy - the mind ceasing to chatter, narrate or worry.
This conscious breathing unifies mind and body in the present moment, building toward total awareness of current perceptions and conditions, called Mindfulness (Smrti) This is the first goal of meditation, a skill we seek to employ in all our life.
Walking meditation is a similar practice while moving, focusing on both coordinated breath and foot step - mindfulness while walking. This calms an agitated body better than struggling to sit quietly. Awareness of each step - our contact with the Earth, weight on the sole, walking actions, balance, the solidity of the Earth, oneness with the living Planet - further center us in our interbeing with all creatures, nature & the universe.
In a similar way, we practice working meditation, eating meditation and playing meditation where appropriate. The more we practice these together, we develop interconnection, synergy, harmony of our shared body we call the Sangha. The Sangha is our collective aspiration to enlightenment and interbeing.
* * * * *
Vipassana - Deep Looking
Meditation is the wonderful tool Gutama Buddha taught to focus the mind, to transform suffering and to develop understanding and freedom. The deepest practice ultimately develops through the seven stages of focus, concentration, deep looking, understanding, compassion, wisdom and liberation.
The ability to focus uninterupted attention on a single point, with mental calm & clarity, is called Concentration (Samadhi.) Developing this skill of Concentration allows one to proceed with the second aim of meditation, Deep Looking (Vipassana.) Our feelings, thoughts, mental states, habits & beliefs unconsciously arise to control and create suffering in our lives. With deep looking we focus on these phenomena to understand their origins, their causes & effects - their true nature. From this Understanding follows Compassion, the ability to appreciate the motives & suffering of ourselves and others. This also enables us to transform their harmful expressions into beneficial ones, healing wounds, creating joy. This is called Insight or Wisdom (Prajna.) Once one accomplishes all these skills they are said to liberate totally from Earthly suffering, known as Nirvana.
Such work can be a life time practice, perfecting our skills and applying them in our family life, society and culture. Gutama understood that our true natures were loving, compassionate, healing & beneficent – our own Buddha nature. He taught how to uncover & develop this true, Buddha nature from the conflict and confusion of our unmindful conditioning. It has been practiced and proven effective by millions over thousands of years.
Thich Nhat Hanh, furthermore, teaches us how to apply these insights in personal life, work, family, civic and government matters– what he calls Engaged Buddhism.
Such work can be a life time practice, perfecting our skills and applying them in our family life, society and culture. Gutama understood that our true natures were loving, compassionate, healing & beneficent – our own Buddha nature. He taught how to uncover & develop this true, Buddha nature from the conflict and confusion of our unmindful conditioning. It has been practiced and proven effective by millions over thousands of years.
Thich Nhat Hanh, furthermore, teaches us how to apply these insights in personal life, work, family, civic and government matters– what he calls Engaged Buddhism.
We practice to become the best we can at mindfulness and insight. But we do not judge ourselves for lack of attainment or imperfection. Buddhism is a practice of love, joy and compassion, not a system of obedience. Be kind to yourself first. Then share it.
To more deeply study the practices of mindfulness and deep looking, Thay has two foundational texts:
Transformation & Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness
Breathe! You Are Alive: Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing
For a more thorough understanding of meditation technique, we suggest Bhante Gunaratana's definitive:
Mindfulness in Plain English
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THE FIVE CONTEMPLATIONS
BEFORE EATING
1. This food is the gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard and loving work.
2. May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive it.
3. May we recognize and transform our unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.
4. May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings, and preserve our planet.
5. We accept this food so that we may nurture our sister & brotherhood, build our Sangha, and nourish our Bodisattva ideal of serving living beings.
Meditation Songs and Gathas help one stay focused, clear & happy.
When sung or chanted together, they build harmony and connection.
Here are a few you can practice with.
I Have Arrived
I have arrived, I am home,
In the here and in the now
I am solid, I am free
I am solid, I am free
In the ultimate I dwell
In the ultimate I dwell
Following The Breath
In, Out
Deep, Slow
Calm, Ease
Smile, Release
Present Moment,
Wonderful Moment
Happiness
Happiness is here and now
I have dropped my worries
Nowhere to go, nothing to do
No longer in a hurry