Steps 1 - 4 are focused on becoming aware of the body and calming it.
Step 1 - I am aware of In breathe.
Step 2 - I am aware of my Out breathe.
What is it like to experience the happiness and peace of being in the moment?
Objective: To sit, breathe and enjoy.
How Do We Get There?
Thích Nhất Hạnh's Calm-Ease meditation.
Smile
Podcast
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Dharma Talk
This video walks us through the Calm-Ease meditation. It's a fabulous introduction to this form of meditation.
The smile is very important in meditation. Even if we don't feel like smiling, doing so will begin to relax our facial muscles. Continuing to smile during your out-breath will become a very comfortable experience. As your mindfulness practice grows, a smile will spring forth with your first breath as if it's been waiting to greet you. To be unexpectedly greeted by your own smile is delightful. Your natural, relaxed smile will become a part of your practice's foundation.
Happiness. This happiness blossoms from contentment. When you fully seat yourself into the moment, you no longer want, you no longer wish for, you no longer want to become something you're not, you no longer crave, you no longer feel incomplete. You simply ARE and that is completely satisfying. You are content. Contentment is the fertile soil from which your flower of happiness blooms. The meditation's final bell will ring and you won't want it to end. That's a good place to be and it doesn't have to end.
As you peacefully stand up and begin to walk, you will find you still have your breath. As you walk, listen for your breath, In - Out. This is the meditation's first line. Your continued meditation can be right there. In - Out. Let your breath bring your awareness back. You reach over and grab your keys, In - Out. You are calm now as you walk to your car. You can clearly see your day and what's important for you to do. In - Out. You start to drive to work, In - Out - smile. You start to notice more of what is around you. In - Out. There's no need to feel the traffic's rush. You are in the moment and just flow with traffic. In - Out - smile. You walk into work, In - Out - smile. You feel the contentment of the moment. It's nice to be here. From this space, you greet a co-worker hello and without effort offer a 'good morning smile'. You are ready for your day. You will have conversations and there will be small moments where you can be present for your in-breathe and out-breathe during the conversation. You will be very preset and aware for the conversation, your breathing and all that is in the moment. In - Out - Smile.
The mediation never ended. You may have gone an hour and half focused on your work. Then you pause and feel tensions in your shoulders. Gently come back to In - Out and smile that you're taking care of yourself.
During this whole time, you were not sitting on a meditation cushion. You were not completely still. You were not silent. You had moments thinking of work, all the while, your breath was always there for you. In - Out. So as you begin to sit for mediation, be comfortable. Be in a position that you feel supports you. It doesn't have to be perfect. It was never perfect during your walk yet the meditation was continuing. So as you begin to sit, find a comfortable seating or lying position, and with gratitude, smile that you are choosing to take care of you.
Thay's talk is in the link below. When it' done, take a moment and reflect. If you're with others, please share your thoughts, your connections and your curiosities.
A Thích Nhất Hạnh talk
Smile - Release , 23 mins
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
Let's Joyfully Explore with Curiosity and Wonderment
We will be submersed in a smile and wonder into the happiness and ease that flows from it.
Calm-Ease *1, Short Audio
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
Exceptions and Deviations
* None of this section is included in the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing nor from Thích Nhất Hạnh's book, Breathe, You are Alive.
This section is taken directly from Smile-Release, a Thích Nhất Hạnh talk, and its purpose here is to introduce mediation.
*1 Team, P. V. A. (2022, November 7). Calm and ease: One of the most liked guided meditations on the App. Plum Village Mobile App. https://plumvillage.app/calm-and-ease-one-of-the-most-liked-guided-meditations-on-the-app/
Mindfulness is mentioned everywhere. What is mindfulness?
Objective: To become aware of our whole breath.
Why this is Important
When our mind becomes aware of our body, we begin to let go of the past and the future. Our 'body' is happening right now. The moment brings us back to our true home.
Our 'breath' gives us life and it is connected with everything around us; hence,
We become more aware of the moment as everything is right now. The moment brings us back to our true home.
Realizing our bodies exists because of the intrinsic relationship to everything is very liberating. We are never alone. We exist because of everything, and when you're ready, you'll realize that everything exists because you are here. There is so much beauty to behold and wonderment to enjoy. : )
Our breath is always with us; hence, peace and happiness is always available by returning our awareness to our breath. This can be most helpful when anxieties pop up. You can start with your breath to begin to sooth yourself. : )
How Do We Get There?
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing
'Breathing in a long breath, I know I am breathing in a long breath. '
'Breathing out a long breath, I know I am breathing out a long breath.' *2
2. ‘Breathing in a short breath, I know I am breathing in a short breath. '
'Breathing out a short breath, I know I am breathing out a short breath.' *2
Mindfulness
Podcast
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Dharma Talk
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing, 1 and 2
1. 'Breathing in a long breath, I know I am breathing in a long breath. '
'Breathing out a long breath, I know I am breathing out a long breath.'
2. ‘Breathing in a short breath, I know I am breathing in a short breath. '
'Breathing out a short breath, I know I am breathing out a short breath.' *
The point is to be mindfully aware that you are breathing so Thich Nhat Hanh combined them into:
‘Breathing in breath, I know that I am breathing in. ' This can be shortened to as 'In' as you breathe in.
‘Breathing out breath, I know that I am breathing out. ' * This can be shortened to 'Out' as you breathe out.
Here are some gathas examples with mindful breathing:
Breathing in - this breath is smooth ..... Breathing out - this breath is a really long
Breathing in - this breath is bumpy ..... Breathing out - this breath feels comfortable
Breathing in - this breath feels rushed ..... Breathing out - this breath feels relaxed
Breathing in - I feel my nose cool down ..... Breathing out - I feel the warm air leaving my nose
Breathing in - I feel my lungs expand ..... Breathing out - I feel my shoulders drop
This works because it's an event that happened in the moment within your body. Feeling your shoulders drop is being mindful.
Be mindfully aware of the whole in-breath and then the whole out-breath with this gatha.
In.............n - Ou...............................t
What if your mind breaks its focus? Go back to the simple and continue.
Breathing in - my tummy gurgled The gurgle happened in the moment and you're mindfully aware.
Breathing out - What did I eat earlier? The question is not about the moment. Simply return to In-Out or a phase that feels natural.
Innnnnnnn - Ou...............................t
Innnnnnnn - Smile with gratitude for having a breath.
What if your mind is racing and bouncing everywhere?
Feel to alternate gathas, for example:
I know that I am breathing in - I know that I am breathing ou...............................t
Innnnnnnn - ou...............................t
Deeeeep - Slowwwwww
You also bring your body's movement into your awareness with your breath.
I feel my shoulders rise - I feel my body fall
Spend time and discover what works for you. This is your time to form a loving relationship with you.
Then slowly bring yourself back to a simple In-Out or In-Smile or whatever comes to you in the moment to describe your breathing.
This is mindful breathing.
Breathe and Smile
When you feel comfortable, restful, peaceful, happy, enjoyment then naturally smile with gratitude.
Let's Joyfully Explore with Curiosity and Wonderment
Mindfully breathing is just like walking. It's a very natural and comfortable experience. If you stumble a little while walking, you don't focus on it, you move on and keep on walking. If you discover your mind has wandered off, just return to your next breath and move onward.
10 minutes with bells at 2 minutes.
For the first gatha, gently listen to your breath and describe it.
Breathing in - I know I am breathing in a ___short/long or other descriptor_____ breath.
Breathing out - I know I'm breathing out a ___short/long or other descriptor_____ Breath.
Breathing in - Innnnnnnnnn. - Breathing out - Ou..............................t
Breathing in - Innnnnnnnnn. - Breathing out - Smile w/ gratitude for your out breathe.
Breathing in - Deeeep. - Breathing out - Slooooooooow.
Lovingly, please guide yourself
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
A Thích Nhất Hạnh talk
Breathing In - I know that I'm Breathing In, 20 mins
Collective observations and reflections
We all share and listen.
Mindfully aware of your in-breathe and out-breathe is so simple that it's easy to overlook its value and importance. The more truthful and authentic a practice is, the more one can experience the full beauty of a seasoned practice. In one full breath, you can experience everything. So stop and mindfully pay attention and look for the beauty of your breath. Notice how smooth it is. Notice how gentle it can be. Notice how pleasant it can be. It's all there waiting on you.
It's a simple "touchstone" to bring yourself back to the moment. We can recall it anytime!
It begins with mindfulness so a focus is set in the right direction.
It's a door, a portal, to the happiness and peace of the moment.
Mindfulness makes you aware of the Here and Now.
Concluding Meditation
Calm-Ease *1, Short Audio
Collective observations and reflections
We all share and listen.
Exceptions and Citations
* Hạnh, N. (2008). Chapter 2: Exploring the Sutra. In Breathe, you are alive! the Sutra on the full awareness of breathing (pp. 21–22). essay, Parallax Press.
*1 Team, P. V. A. (2022, November 7). Calm and ease: One of the most liked guided meditations on the App. Plum Village Mobile App. https://plumvillage.app/calm-and-ease-one-of-the-most-liked-guided-meditations-on-the-app/
Anticipation can be very exciting and can easily occupy our time. How is anticipation similar and different to the peace and happiness found in the moment?
Objective: To become aware of my self awareness.
Why this is Important
As we step into meditation, we become aware so much more. If you haven't paid attention in the past, realizing there's more there than you thought can be overwhelming. In this mediation, we're going to be with our breath, then our body and our mind. Each can have it's own experience. Mindfulness brings them back together so peace can be realized.
The discourse is relationship focused and relationships require listening and responding. Listening becomes our guide to nurture, to sooth and to love one's self. Once we experience peace and happiness from our listening, we can offer peace and happiness by listening to another.
We don't always feel like meditating so we need intrinsic motivation. Gently listening to what's happening inside us empowers us to nurture and water the seeds we so desire. We'll do this by compare and contrasting two different paradigms while meditating.
How Do We Get There?
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing
Steps 1 and 2: In - Out *1
Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight*
Inter-Being
Podcast
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Dharma Talk
Calm-Ease and the Full Awareness of Breathing
The Calm-Ease gatha is grounded in the Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing. The subsequent steps will follow this progression: breathe, body and mind.
In-Out and Deep-Slow --> focused on the breath
Calm-Ease --> focused on the body and the mind
Smile-Release --> focused on the mind and the body
What we do in the breathe, we'll also do with the body and mind since they inter-are. So if you're doing In-Out and your mind just won't stop, skip to Smile-Release. Smile to yourself with the present thought - Release it. Also, you may bring Calm-Ease while focusing on your breathe or do In-Out while focusing on the whole body and breathe together.
Let's Explore
We're going to gently listen to our breath, our body and our mind. Then we're going to compare and contrast them.
10 mins and bells at 2 min
Gently listen to your breath, your body and your mind.
Which one is the most calm?
Which one is the least calm?
With the one you choose, concentrate on it as you breath in and out.
Concentrate on it and say In - Out
Notice how your calmness has changed in all three.
This meditation was an example of inter-being. Breathing, Body and Mind are interconnected with each other. As we calmed one, the others followed.
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
This is an example of inter-being. Breathing, Body and Mind are interconnected with each other.
A Thích Nhất Hạnh talk
Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight | Short Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh 4 mins
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
Happiness and Anticipation
Mindfulness allows us to be aware of the present moment. With a clear mind, we can choose to Concentrate our minds on a topic, a feeling or on a thought. This leads us to Insight, growth. These three steps: mindfulness, concentration and insight*, is what Thích Nhất Hạnh refers to as "Looking Deeply".
Let's look deeply at an excitement we may have for a future event and compare it to the happiness in the moment. They are different and knowing the difference gives us the freedom to choose which one we want to embrace.
Let's Look Deeply with Curiosity and Wonderment
Think of something that you are anticipating. Maybe you are anticipating happiness, excitement, nervousness, etc. Be aware of the event to come and label what you are expecting it to be.
18 minutes with bells at 2 mins
I am aware I am breathing in. - I am aware I am breathing out.
In - Out
I calm my body - I ease my body and mind
Calm - Ease
I kindly smile to everything in my awareness. - I release all tension
Smile - Release
I am in the present moment. - This is a wonderful moment
Present moment - Wonderful moment
In - Out
When you're ready, present the question and gently listen:
Where does my happiness and peace exist while in the moment?
As needed, return to In-Out then back to your concentration.
In - Out
When you're ready, bring the anticipation into your full awareness.
Where does my happiness and peace exist while immersed in anticipation?
In - Out
When you're ready, Return your awareness to the moment.
Gently listen to your breath, your body and your mind.
In - Out
When you're ready, bring the anticipation into your full awareness.
Gently listen to your breath, your body and your mind.
With freedom of choice, please rest where you choose to be: the present moment or in anticipation.
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
Exceptions and Citations
* None of this section is included in the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing nor from Thích Nhất Hạnh's book, Breathe, You are Alive.
*1 Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight are not included in either the Buddha's Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing nor in Breathe, You are Alive! Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.
This introduction and description was used to establish a foundation to understand ones self.
* 2 Hạnh, N. (2008). Chapter 2: Exploring the Sutra. In Breathe, you are alive! the Sutra on the full awareness of breathing (pp. 21–22). essay, Parallax Press.
How Can Mindful Breathing Fill Me with Joyful and Grateful Wonderment?
Objective: To be gratefully filled with wonderment for the life that is within me.
Why this is Important
A smile. An offered and received smile is always full of goodness. Our true home is filled with happiness and peace and one's smile is a wonderful expression of being home. So from the beginning of your practice, cultivate a smile. It'll be a natural barometer affirming you're home while in the moment.
Wonderment is what you'll find as you let go so can see more of your reality. How amazing it is to be alive. How incredible it is to be fully embraced, supported and intrinsically connected to the life around you. This is both an affirming barometer and a motivation to sit again and be in the moment.
Gratitude naturally flows from happiness' smile from observing the wonders of life within and around you. Resting and walking in gratitude keeps you rooted in the moment as you live your day.
Looking deeply is a very loving and caring act we can offer ourselves. As this practice grows within us, our self compassion and offered compassion for another grows deeply and broadly spilling into every conversation and moment we breath into.
How Do We Get There?
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing
Steps 1 and 2: In - Out *1
Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight - Looking Deeply *1
Wonderment *1
Gratitude *1
Smiles *1
Podcast
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Dharma Talk
Siddhartha: “But suffering is only one face of life. Life has another face, the face of wonder. If we can see that face of life, we will have happiness, peace, and joy. When our hearts are unfettered, we can make direct contact with the wonders of life.” *4
Wonderment and Gratitude are two ways to see the happiness that is right here, in the now. We're very accustomed to waiting for our happiness in an event to come or remembering happiness from the past. But what about right now? We don't have to wait. We can just breathe in and be aware of ourselves and exhale with a smile.
Wonderment of life and being alive can initially seem like a limited source of happiness. We all have had moments of appreciation being alive but then we move on. Can that really be such a large source of happiness? Yes, it can and the difference is our paradigm. In the moment, we become aware of life's abundance and our relationship with the abundance. It is fully around us and within us. This creates Wonderment and Gratefulness which easily places a happy, grateful smile upon our faces.
A Thich Nhat Hahn talk
Every Step Can Help Us Touch The Wonders Of Life ♡ Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh, 9:13 mins
Collective observations and reflections
We all share and listen.
Smiling is an important part of one's practice. Like In-Out calms your breath, smiling relaxes your facial muscles and puts them to ease. Plan on many many smiles during your practices and your daily moments of mindfully breathing.
Thich Nhat Hahn quotes on smiling.
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” - Thich Nhat Hahn
"Why should I smile when there is no joy in me? The answer to that is: Smiling is a practice. There are over three hundred muscles in your face. When you are angry or fearful, these muscles tense up. The tension in these muscles creates a feeling of hardness. If you know how to breathe in and produce a smile, however, the tension will disappear. It is what I call 'mouth yoga'. Make smiling an exercise. Just breathe in and smile. The tension will disappear and you will feel much better." - Thich Nhat Hahn
“A smile is an ambassador of goodwill.” *3
A Thich Nhat Hahn talk
Practice Smiling... And The Whole World Benefits ♡ Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh, 9:30 mins
Let's Joyfully Explore with Curiosity and Wonderment
We will use this convention for the gatha to help us make the connection between wonderment, gratitude and happiness. Breathing in - Wonderment Breathing out - Gratefulness
16 mins with bells at 2 minutes
I am aware I am breathing in. - I am aware I am breathing out.
In - Out
I kindly smile to everything in my awareness. - I release all tensions in my body and mind
Smile - Release
My body calms as I rest in the present moment. - This is a wonderful moment
Calming present moment - Wonderful moment
I am aware of being alive, a lovely wonderment - Gratefully I smile
I'm alive - Smile
I am aware of how smoothly and beautifully my breathe flows - My breathe brings me peace
Smoothly Breath Flows - Peace
I am aware of how my breath gives me life - I gratefully smile to my breath
Breaths give me life - Smile
This moment is always available here and now for me - Gratefully I smile to this moment
Moment always available - Gratefully smile
I am aware of my happiness - My happiness blooms into my smile
Happiness - Blooming Smile
Collective observations and reflections
We all share and listen.
Exceptions and Citations
* None of this section is included in the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing nor from Thick Nhat Hahn's book, Breathe, You are Alive.
*1 Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight are not included in either the Buddha's Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing nor in Breathe, You are Alive! Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.
This introduction and description was used to establish a foundation to understand ones self.
*3 Thich Nhat Hanh, Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children
*4 Hạnh, N. (1987). Old Path White Clouds (pp. 346). essay, Parallax Press.
Does Being in the Moment have more than Happiness and Peace for Me?
Objective: To enjoy the insight of how alive I am, solid am I, peacefully I radiate and how much freedom is available to me.
Why this is Important
Mindfully breathing quiets our breath, our body and our mind so we can listen. It's this intrapersonal relationship that is our true home, our island of refuge. Our home is a place where we can always go to rest, to heal, to love and to learn about how to love, to seek insight to our questions and to simply care for yourself. Nurturing this relationship waters our seeds of compassion for yourself. Then we can love another with our compassion. It starts with listening. This mediation is an opportunity to discover the island within us. Once you find it, it'll always be there for you. It's your home.
Today is another opportunity to practice Looking Deeply by mindfully breathing and concentrating for insight. We will practice Kindly addressing yourself and listening with Gentleness.
It's always important to be rooted in one's smile. Happiness and peace are your home.
How Do We Get There?
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing
Steps 1 and 2: In - Out *1
Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight - Looking Deeply *1
Smile
Podcast
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Dharma Talk
Knowing Where to Find Your Joy
It's important to realize that you are responsible for your own happiness and knowing where to find it. You won't always feel like meditating. That is normal and is okay. However, it is important to learn where you need to go to connect with joy. It is not always the same and not the same for every person at any given time. For me personally, sometimes is one of the following:
It took the Earth 4.6 billion years to arrive at this moment and I am here. I have forgotten how precious this moment is.
Just sitting and being present upon my inbreath, a smile can come across my face. "Oh, that's a wonderful place to find joy. It was there and I had forgotten it."
My feelings are impermanent and this one will go. I want to water the seeds within me to feel peace and contentment.
Sometimes I recall Thay saying in one of his videos, "Nothing is as important as your peace." I just fall in line and accept his statement.
There are others and I learn of them by practising Gentle listening to myself. It is an active relationship.
Also on the FloweringSmiles.com site, I've placed many ways I've recalled my joy. It's at the bottom and titled, "Hey, Where Did My Joy Go?!"
Emptiness' Beautiful Experience
When a person begins their practice and they include Gentle listening, they become very aware of how lovely happily being in the moment is. It becomes a motivation to mindfully breathe again. "I feel so unsettled. I have to sit and meditate tonight." Then one progresses and begins to Gently hear past hurts and pains. The peaceful softness of the moment is then used to soothe those feelings and help to transform them into compassion for yourself; thus, teaching us how to offer compassion to another. Then we see those hurts in our compassion. Those hurts are seen as the nutrients the dirt offered the plant so it can beautifully flower. That's a lovely happiness and peace to experience. As we let go of more thoughts, ideas, perceptions, beliefs, we get to experience more and more emptiness. The more your awareness is submersed in Empiness, the more you realize that present moment's happiness, peace, your smile and your joy are your natural way of being.
So in other words, Thay cleverly stresses the importance of one's smile, one's wonderment of life, one's happy contentment and one's peace in the beginning of our practice so when we open our eyes to Emptiness, we discover Emptiness was in our practice the whole time. While one's awareness is submersed in Emptiness, our experience is completely full of wonderment, happiness, peace and our gratitude blooms into a joyous smile on our face. He affirms that moment in the very beginning of our practice. Brilliant!
Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight
A Thích Nhất Hạnh talk
Thich Nhat Hanh: July 4th 2012 Start at 9:07 and finish at 36:15
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
Let's Look Deeply with Using Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight
Concentration means to gently listen, listen unconditionally and/or listen with the fresh eyes of a curious child. When you're ready to concentrate, move your focus to your body and/or your breathe and/or your mind and gently listen to how the question is answered.
18 mins with bells at 2 minutes
I am aware I am breathing in. - I am aware I am breathing out.
In - Out
I calm my body - I ease my body and mind
Calm - Ease
I kindly smile to everything in my awareness. - I release all tension
Smile - Release
I am in the present moment. - This is a wonderful moment
Present moment - Wonderful moment
I am home in the present moment. - I gratefully smile
When you're ready, wonder around your existence and gently listen to how alive you are?
I am home in the moment. - I gratefully smile
When you're ready, within your existence, kindly observe the stability of this moment?
I am home in the moment. - I gratefully smile
When you're ready, experience on how you radiate this moment's calmness?
I am home in the moment. - I gratefully smile
When you're ready, experience how free I am in this moment?
When you're ready, Just Be.
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
Exceptions and Citations
* None of this section is included in the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing nor from Thick Nhat Hahn's book, Breathe, You are Alive.
*1 Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight are not included in either the Buddha's Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing nor in Breathe, You are Alive! Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.
This introduction and description was used to establish a foundation to understand ones self.
* 2 Hạnh, N. (2008). Chapter 2: Exploring the Sutra. In Breathe, you are alive! the Sutra on the full awareness of breathing (pp. 21–22). essay, Parallax Press.
How do I love myself?*
Objective: To begin to foster a loving relationship with myself through offered compassion.
Why this is Important
Compassion is a very deep expression of love and without it, our ability to transform our suffering is greatly diminished.
We have all been given seeds to water that are not the healthiest practices. This is a time to learn and practice healthier relationships by first offering ourselves a healthy relationship.
Loving ourself with compassion builds momentum to continue our practice of mindful breathing.
We build trust and value the importance of Gentle listening through mindfulness, concentration and insight. Our skill sets for transforming our suffering deepens and grows stronger.
How Do We Get There?
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing
Steps 1 and 2: In - Out *1
Greeting myself with a Kind Smile
Gently listening to myself unconditionally.
Giving myself the love I need to heal and transform my suffering into a flower.
Podcast
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share.
Dharma Talk
Quieting the Mind's Chatter
The chatter increases and becomes louder when the mind's attention is separated from the body. Mindful Breathing returns the mind's awareness to the body, beginning with the breath then the body. When the mind is Gently listening to the body, your awareness is firmly planted in the Here and Now. Everything happening in the body is taking place in the present. The body is not existing in the past or the future. It is in the right now. The body's gift to the mind is the present moment, allowing the breathe, the body and mind's awareness to return to their true home of interbeing.
The Mind's Chatter is quiet, should my mind be empty of thought?
Nope. You don't exist in nothingness. You exist in emptiness, i.e. you exist in everything-ness. A quieted mind is able to gently listen to the everything-ness. Thich Nhat Hanh tells us in the Calm-Ease meditation what we will experience with a quiet mind.
I calm my body - I ease my body
Calm - Ease
Calm and ease can be summarized as peaceful. You will experience peace. Your mind will be full of peace.
I Smile to everything - I release tension
I establish myself in the Present Moment - Wonderful Moment
Smiling and releasing tension is contentment. Then you sprinkle in Wonderfulness, well that is happiness. Your mind will be full of happiness.
When you mind's chatter is quieted, your awareness will be filled with peace and happiness. This experience is very evident. You won't mistake the present moment for another experience. Your mind will be filled with happiness and peace.
Here are some quotes from the Buddha. It is quite clear the quieted mind is full of experience.
“There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.”
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.”
Just Being is Gently Listening and Experiencing
The chattering mind excels at placing judgements and conditions upon everything and anything. Listening for judgements and applied conditions is a great way to be aware of your personal experience. If you hear one, then just for a moment, come back to your IN breathe and your OUT breathe. Invite your mind to return home to the body and breathe just by saying, " Innnnn - Ouuuut". When your mind becomes happy and peaceful, take notice. The judgements and applied conditions are gone. : )
To love yourself without judgement or condition, ground your awareness first in the moment, then just BE. Be with your breathe, be with your body and be with your mind as one. Then Kindly greet your breathe and Gently listen to it. Experience all of it. Doing so will naturally generate a happy smile. It's wonderful.
A Thích Nhất Hạnh talk
How do I love myself? | Thich Nhat Hanh answers questions, a Thich Nhat Hanh talk
Collective observations and reflections
We all share and listen.
Let's Joyfully Explore with Curiosity and Wonderment
This is meant to be a free form, scaffolding experience where I model loving myself then release time for you to do the same. Since this is your intra-personal relationship, you get to explore and find the words that are most meaningful to you.
Have the perspective of sitting with child and you are simply enjoying them as they speak to you. All you can see is their inherent beauty.
Bell
Hello my in breathe. It is good to be so aware of you.
I so enjoy feeling the air coming into me. So smooth and gentle. I'm going to enjoy you for a few moments.
Hello my out breathe. It's nice to be with you too.
I enjoy how my relaxation grows as you release air from this body. I'm going to enjoy you for a few moments.
It's so wonderful how my out breath follows my in breath. Because I have an in breath, I have an out breath.
I am also grateful that my out breath allows me to have an in breath. What a beautiful relationship that I enjoy.
In - Out
Bell
Hello, my Shoulders. Thank you for the work you have done for me today. I am resting now so you can rest.
I am going to appreciate you as you rise with my in breath.
I am going to lovingly smile to you as you fall with my out breath.
Appreciate - Smile
Bell
Oh, my breath. I want to come back to you in my focus. I enjoy you so much.
I really enjoy when I breath in deeply. I feel myself relaxing. I like that.
Out Breath, you start to exhale more slowly. I feel so peaceful when that happens.
I am enjoying Deep - Slow
Bell
Hello, my whole Body. You have done so much for me today. Thank you.
To show how much I care about you, as I breath in, I'm going to imagine wrapping you in love.
As I exhale, I invite you to relax and rest.
Bell
With all this love, I am going to search everywhere and be sure love is flowing into there too. All the nooks and crannies.
As I exhale, I am simply going to enjoy the peace.
When you come out of the mediation, do you feel as sense of how healing loving yourself can be?
Collective observations and reflections
We all share and listen.
Exceptions and Deviations
* None of this section is included in the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing nor from Thích Nhất Hạnh's book, Breathe, You are Alive.
* 1 Hạnh, N. (2008). Chapter 2: Exploring the Sutra. In Breathe, you are alive! the Sutra on the full awareness of breathing (pp. 21–22). essay, Parallax Press.
Why this is Important
Compassion is a very deep expression of love and without it, our ability to transform our suffering is greatly diminished.
We have all been given seeds t
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Podcast
Episode 7
Dharma Talk
Let's apply the last 6 lessons that we've done with two different experiences:
I have neutral feelings right now and
I am anxious about....
Neutral Feelings
#1 Smile and Release
I would like to feel differently about feeling neutral. This lesson invites us to sit down and begin mindful breathing.
#2 Mindful Breathing
I now have a beginning point to begin my meditation.
I am aware I am breathing in - I am aware I am breathing out
We are becoming grounded in our bodies through our breath. Mindful breathing brings concentration and awareness.
#3 Happiness in the Present Moment
My awareness of my body grows. I am aware of my breathe, my body and mind. Mindful breathing starts to calm my body and my mind. I feel a deep sense of peace and happiness.
In the moment, I can concentrate on my neutral feelings. Insights like 'because I have neutral feelings, I am alive.' The next time I have neutral feelings, I can remember to be thankful for them. They let me know I'm here, alive.
#4 Wonderment and Gratitude
I can breathe in the peace I feel throughout my body. Breathing out, I can smile to my neutral feelings. As I do this, my gratitude grows with my smiling concentration upon my neutral feelings. Insights can come as you sit and breath loving smiles to your feelings. How is it possible that I can have feelings? My body, my existence is a miracle.
#5 Discovering the Joy Within
Mindful breathing, concentration and insights always lead to healing. When you smiling lovingly upon your concentration, you are letting love lead you to beautiful insights. Being in the moment is joyful.
#6 Loving Myself
Every time I mindfully take one breath, I am loving myself. Every time I sit down and mindfully breathe, I am loving myself. Every time I lovingly smile at myself, I heal myself. Every time I sit and enjoy the moment, I love myself.
Having a neutral feeling and choosing to mindfully breath lead me to loving myself.
Anxious about...
#1 Smile and Release
I would like to feel differently about feeling anxious. This lesson invites us to sit down and begin mindful breathing.
#2 Mindful Breathing
I now have a beginning point to begin my meditation.
I am aware I am breathing in - I am aware I am breathing out
We are becoming grounded in our bodies through our breath. Mindful breathing brings concentration and awareness.
#3 Happiness in the Present Moment
My awareness of my body grows. I am aware of my breathe, my body and mind. Mindful breathing starts to calm my body and my mind. I feel a deep sense of peace and happiness.
Breathing in - I am aware of something calm within me. My breathe, my back, my legs, my body, find the calm within you.
Breathing out - I smile the found calmness to my anxious feelings/thoughts.
After a while, the anxiousness calms and is more manageable. I can think more clearly.
#4 Wonderment and Gratitude
I become aware that I am more than my anxious feelings. It is only one experience of living in this body and the rest of my body is a resource for me to calm my feelings.
Gratitude - that is a relief.
Wonderment - What else within can soothe me?
#5 Discovering the Joy Within
Mindful breathing, concentration and insights always lead to healing. As you move your awareness between calmness and anxiousness, insight can present itself. Maybe you'll shift your paradigm which reduces more anxiety.
Mindful breathing brings joy to me.
#6 Loving Myself
Every time I mindfully take one breath, I am loving myself. Taking care of my anxiety is loving myself. Maybe I can't make it go away, but I can soothe it and bring more peace to it. I can love it.
Having anxious feelings/thoughts and choosing to mindfully breath lead me to love myself.
A Thích Nhất Hạnh talk
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen
Concluding Meditation
Calm-Ease, Short Audio
Whichever there is time for: Short (15 minutes), Medium (20 minutes) or Long (36 minutes).
How Can I Have a Loving Perspective for Myself?
Objective: To Be Kind, Be Gentle and Be Loving with myself.
Why this is Important
Com
How Do We Get There?
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing
Steps 1 and 2: In - Out *1
Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight - Looking Deeply *1
Smiles *1
Podcast
Episode 9
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Dharma Talk
The following is from my personal journey in understanding. All of it is found within Thich Nhat Hanh's talks but it isn't packaged quite this way.
Love is Organic
"Love is a living, breathing thing. There is no need to force it to grow in a particular direction. If we start by being easy and gentle with ourselves, we will find it is just there inside of us, solid and healing." *2 pg 15.
At this point, we are really starting to become aware of the mind within my mind, the body within my body, the breath within my breath. There is a tremendous amount of love, peace and joy to be found here and there is also suffering found here. Suffering waiting on us to love it and transform into the flower it is.
How Do I Mindfully Look Upon Myself?
I compassionately recognize. Then I unconditionally love.
Breathing in - I recognize. Breathing out - I express love.
Breathing in - I am aware of my breath Breathing out - I smile to my breath.
How Can I Have a Loving Perspective for Myself?
Loving Communication
"To love without knowing how to love wounds the person we love. To know how to love someone, we have to understand them. To understand, we need to listen. That person may be our partner, our friend, our sibling, or our child. You can ask, "Dear one, do you think that I understand you enough? Please tell me your difficulties, your suffering and your deepest wishes." Then the other person has an opportunity to open their heart. " *2 pg 39.
Be Kind.
Breathe in and say, be kind. Be kind to yourself. You are on your life journey to know yourself and who you truly are. Be kind to you. It took you all theses years, months and days to arrive into this moment. These feelings you feel make perfect sense for this moment on your journey. So be kind to yourself.
Let's try.
breathe in - With kindness, recognize your experience. | breathe out - I gently smile to your BEing experience.
Kindness is acknowledging and greeting your breath, your body, your mind, your thoughts and feelings. It's how we greet another.
Be Gentle.
"The second element of true love is compassion. Compassion is the capacity to understand the sufferings in oneself and in the other person. If you understand you own suffering, you can help him to understand his suffering. Understanding suffering brings compassion and relief. You can transform your own suffering and help transform the suffering of the other person with the practice of mindfulness and looking deeply. " *2 pg 18.
Next, breathe in again and be gentle with yourself. You are trying hard and things have not worked out as you had expected. Be gentle with you because it hurts. Be gentle because it's tender. Be gentle so you can see into the pain and with kindness see more of it's source without feeling bad, disappointed or threatened by what you'll see. It's just where you're at on your life journey. Be gentle with you.
Gentleness is listening to understand.
Be Beautiful, Be Yourself
"If you can accept your body, then you have a chance to see your body as your home. You can rest in your body, settle in, release and feel joy and ease. If you don't accept your body and your mind, you can't be at home with yourself. You have to accept yourself as you are. This is a very important practice. As you practice building a home in yourself, you become more and more beautiful." *2 pg 23.
Just recognize what is before you, label it and then gentle recognize it.
"Oh, hello feeling of fear." No judgement is made. Just recognize. "I see/feel you."
If you start to become overwhelmed, then return to your breathing. Become aware that there are parts within you that are very peaceful. Breathe in a peaceful part of your. Breathe out and offer it to the part that is not peaceful.
You are so much more than one emotion, a Plum Village Short of Thay.
Be Loving.
Healing
"We human beings have lost confidence in the body just knowing what to do. If we have time alone with ourselves, we panic and try to do many different things. Mindful breathing helps us to relearn the art of resting. Mindful breathing is like having a loving parent cradle a baby, saying, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you, just rest." " *3
Be loving with you. From kindness and gentleness, you now have compassion for yourself and this puts you in a position to truly love yourself. Speak the love that is needed.
Breathing in - Hello fear. Breathing out - I will be here so you are not alone.
Joy
"The third element of true love is the capacity to offer joy. When you know how to generate joy, it nourishes you and nourishes the other person. Your presence is an offering, like fresh air, or spring flowers or the bright blue sky." *2 pg 20.
Here are some examples.
Easy ones to love myself just because. : ) This build joy and awareness of the love within you.
Hello, my breath. - I smile gratefully to you.
Hello, my whole body. - I wrap you in a loving hug.
Hello, my tired feet. - I am sitting so you can rest. Thank you.
Hello, my tired mind. - I am here with my breath so you can rest.
Hello, my heart. - I am sitting in all the love within you.
These can be a little more difficult because they are uncomfortable. However, they are feelings just the same.
Hello, my anxiety. - I am breathing the calmness of my breath to you.
Hello, my fear. - I will sit with you so you are not alone.
Hello, my loneliness. - I will mindfully breathe and share the peace with you.
Hello, my frustration. - I am recognizing you so you know you're heard. Then smile.
Hello, my desire to be more. - I lovingly smile to you so you know you're enough.
Hello, my impatience. - I will share the peace and happiness of the moment with you.
Thich Nhat Hanh examples:
Hello, dear painful feeling 😌I am here to take care of you
Let's Joyfully Explore with Curiosity and Wonderment
Begin with the Calm-Ease meditation then step into Be Kind, Be Gentle, Be Loving.
Aware of my whole in breath - I smile to my out breath
In - Smile
I calm my body - I ease my body
Calm - Ease
I kindly smile to my whole being. - I release tensions.\
Kindly smile - Release
As I breathe in, I am aware of my whole self. - Breathing out, kindness greet yourself.
Aware of self - Kindly greet
As I breathe in, I am aware of my whole self. - Breathing out, gently listen to yourself
Aware of self - Gently listen
As I breathe in, I am aware of my whole self. - Breathing out, wrap yourself in love
Aware of self - Wrap Love
Rest in the Love - Gratefully Smile. You're home.
Rest - Home
* Hạnh, N. (2008). Chapter 2: Exploring the Sutra. In Breathe, you are alive! the Sutra on the full awareness of breathing (pp. 21–22). essay, Parallax Press.
*1 Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight are not included in either the Buddha's Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing nor in Breathe, You are Alive! Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing.
*2 Hạnh, N. (2015). How To Love (pp. 1–39). Parallax Press.
*3 Hạnh, N. (2015). How To Relax (pp. 12). Parallax Press.
How beautiful is the relationship between my in breathe and out breathe?
Objective: To experience the inter-being of our in and out breath.
Why this is Important
It is important to know how beautiful we are.
How Do We Get There?
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing
Steps 1 and 2: In - Out *1
Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight*
Smiles
Emptiness which has the qualities of: Inter-being, Impermanence, No Self and No Birth - No Death
Experience the Meadow's Ecology
Conditions
Podcast
Episode
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Dharma Talk
A Thích Nhất Hạnh talk
A Joyful Wave, 1 minute
Nothing dies and simply disappears. Conditions change and something else is manifested, for the moment.
Format Change
Today is going to be very different. We will talk about ecology and food webs then there will be a hand's on lab. The is another opportunity for us to experience the Buddha's discourse. Then I'll step away and let you ride without training wheels for insight. If you have been following along, you are definitely ready for this step if you haven't already started to do it yourself already. I am excited for you.
A slide for the following and stops before Thinking versus Experiencing
A Meadow's Food Web
The ecology of a meadow is a fantastic model to illustrate emptiness. Let's look at a food web and see how the nutrients are passed along in a meadow.
Meadow flower --> Grasshopper --> Frog --> Eagle
Eagle dies --> worms break down the Eagle's body into Nutrients --> Meadow flower
Emptiness
Emptiness has the follow primarily qualities:
Interbeing
Impermanence
No Self
No Birth / No Death
Interbeing is demonstrated in the interconnectivity of the web. Without the grasshopper, the frog could not live, nor the eagle. All the organisms in the food web are connected.
Impermanence is quite simply, nothing last forever. In fact, everything is changing all the time.
No Self is demonstrated in each step along the food web. The grasshopper eats the plant and so, it now has 'flower parts' in it. So does the Eagle who ate the frog. Those 'flower parts', i.e. the nutrients, are passed along throughout the web.
You can see the Grasshopper in the Frog.
You can see the Grasshopper in the Eagle.
You can see the Worm in the meadow flower.
None of the organisms are made entirely of its own parts. An eagle is not made of just eagle parts. It takes flower, grasshopper and frog parts to make an eagle. We see that as the nutrients move up through the food web.
Self here is defined by the 'parts' something or an organism is made. For an eagle to be a 'self', it would only be made of eagle parts. Those eagle parts are only for eagles and are never passed along. An eagle would be a stand along organism that is not dependent on another organism.
To represent the difference between No Self and Self, we can look at the following two food webs.
No Self
The food web shows the eagles dependency on 'parts' from other organisms.
Meadow flower --> Grasshopper --> Frog --> Eagle
Self
Here is the eagle's food web if it were a 'self'.
Eagle
As you can see, an eagle would not depend on any other organism to become an eagle.
No Birth / No Death
This is grounded in one's paradigm as we view the meadow.
If we focus on upon the grasshopper in the meadow, we will see its birth and its death.
If we focus on the meadow as whole, we see birth and death happening everywhere; however, the meadow continues to have life flow through it the whole time. Life just changes form.
Thinking Versus Experiencing
When we learn something new or have a new experience it is abstract. All newness is abstraction. It is not until we experience it again and again does the abstraction become concrete. Then our definitions bloom from our understanding of the experience.
If understanding happens outside of having the experience, sometimes the definitions we held don't match the experience and it can be confusing. If this happens, this is wonderful. You are beginning to expand your awareness so your definitions and your experience can merge.
You can rest in the experienced abstraction. Thay says you are doing it right if you experience peace and happiness. If you also experience wonderment and gratitude, you are doing it right. If you experience a deep and freeing connectedness, you are doing it right. If you are experiencing a freedom because you need nothing more, you are doing it right. If you experience how the flower is as beautiful as the pebble in the mud, you are doing it right. Peace and happiness are your grounding touchstones.
To meditate is to experience.
We know have some definitions for emptiness and its qualities. We can see the No Birth / No Death as life changes form over time in a meadow. We can also see how a frog is interdependent on its food web.
However, HOWEVER, what is it like to experience No Birth / No Death or Interbeing?
How will the experiences match our definitions? : ) ...this is so exciting.
Hands-on Lab
In this lab, you will model the food web using tooth pics as nutrients. There is impermanence at play here so you must apply conditions to the nutrients so that life can be expressed in new forms.
Be very aware of your actions as you do this lab and how they relate:
to the flower and
to the meadow as a whole.
Let's Begin
Take a moment and imagine you're on a nature hike and you come across what appears to be a beautiful wildflower meadow. Now let your mind wonder through the meadow. Notice everything you see: flowers of all sizes and colors, dirt, bugs, stones, grasses, worms, new plant starts, dying flowers, frogs, dragon flies, etc.
Think of three of them, any three.
Use the toothpicks placed on the table to abstractly make a shape that represents one of the three you thought of.
You are pulling from the meadow and applying conditions to create the object.
After 30 seconds, everyone shares what their shape is.
After sharing, you mindfully apply conditions to the object and return the pieces to the meadow.
Again, think of something else from the meadow, select toothpicks and apply conditions to create its shape.
After 30 seconds, everyone shares what their shape is.
After sharing, you mindfully apply conditions to the object and return the pieces to the meadow.
Lastly, think of something else from the meadow, select toothpicks and apply conditions to create its shape.
After 30 seconds, everyone shares what their shape is.
After sharing, you mindfully apply conditions to the object and return the pieces to the meadow.
Reflecting using Mindful Breathing, Concentration to Obtain Insights
Read these questions slowly and let them sink into you. We want these questions to be in our full awareness. Keep going back to the physical experience of doing the lab to ground you. After I've read the last question, the mediation will begin. We begin mindful breathing which naturally brings us into concentration. At this point, we are ripe for insight.
It'll be a 12 minute mediation with bells at 2 mins. Meditation's audio.
How did we observe impermanence within the flower and the meadow?
Describe for yourself what happened with the flower.
Describe for yourself what happened with the whole meadow.
If you were the flower, how would you see life and death?
If you were the whole meadow, how would you see life and death?
In the fewest words possible, can you describe what was witnessed in the meadow?
Breathing In, I feel my body rise. - Breathing Out, I feel my body ease.
I calm my body. - I smile gratefully to my body
Calm body - Smile gratefully
Kindly focus on something in the meadow - Gently listen and reflect on it's experienced changes
Kindly focus - Gently reflect
Kindly focus on the whole meadow - Gently listen and reflect on its experienced changes
Kindly focus - Gently reflect
Kindly focus on life in the flower - Kindly focus on the life in the meadow
Life in flower - Life in meadow
Be with the Flower in the Meadow - Be with the Meadow in the Flower
Flower in the Meadow - Meadow in the Flower
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
Come back and do the lab and meditation again, please. : )
Insight is Your Personal Teacher
Insight is amazing! If you haven't been exploring insight in your meditations, please begin to do so.
Here is what I enjoy about it:
It will be presented in a way where you are most open to receiving the insight.
It will strike you deeply and has a tendency to be a profound experience, but not always; however, it'll always so good.
It'll be the single most important suffering to heal and to be transformed for your personal and spiritual growth in this moment.
It's a highly customized lesson plan that's perfect for you. You can't get that anywhere.
It's always there for you and you will naturally be guided along an enlightened path to discover yourself.
Go over this sit, the topics, the hands-on experience and listen for you questions and curiosities. Then hold them in your focus and begin the meditation. Let those questions ruminate while you mindfully breathe. Insight has so much to offer you. It'll be a great ride. : )
How beautiful is the relationship between my in breathe and out breathe?
Objective: To experience the inter-being of our in and out breath.
Why this is Important
It is important to know how beautiful we are.
How Do We Get There?
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing
Steps 1 and 2: In - Out *1
Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight*
Smiles
Emptiness which has the qualities of: Inter-being, Impermanence, No Self and No Birth - No Death
Experience the Meadow
Conditions
Podcast
Episode
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Dharma Talk
It's easy to think that experiencing Emptiness is beyond reach, I'm not there yet or I have so much more to learn before that happens. Monks have spent years meditating before they experience Emptiness. How would I ever get there? When you have those thoughts and feelings, please, just smile kindly to them. You only need your one mindful breath and you have that. : )
Let's say we were to climb one of the Appalachian mountains and find ourselves a choice seat to look out over the distance. We set our mediation cushion down and position ourselves atop the cushion. To be fully present, we decide to close our eyes and do Thay's Calm - Ease meditation. The last bell has rung, we're in the moment, a wonderful moment. : ) It's time to open our eyes and enjoy the view; however, we only open our eyes just enough to see a wee bit of light. All we see are some large fuzzy, blurry shapes, some greens, darker earth tones and blue. We feel the soothing breeze and hear the wildlife echoes so softly. Being in the moment, we breath in those colors and shapes. Then we exhale a grateful smile. I am here in the moment and so many conditions and births and deaths have occurred for me to be here, right now, to enjoy these colors and shapes. Never again will I be able to sit here, like this and experience this moment. This moment, with this view, is a gift.
Next, we close our eyes because we want to breath and Be with the breeze that is caressing our skin.
In - Out.
Hello, Breeze. - Smiling. That feels so nice.
Deep - Slow
The Breeze and my body have shared life before. - and now again, we share a moment together. Smile
Returning to the view, our eyes open to the same wee bit.
In - Out
Hello, my eyes. Smiling to them. - I share the gentleness of my breath with you.
Deep - Slow
As the gentleness is shared, our eyes relax and open just a little more. Those shapes and colors are still there but now they have some definition. Patches of trees start to become apparent. Long cast shadows are seen. Maybe, just maybe that part of the sky has a cloud. Again, I breath in and out to enjoy this moment. I am filled with happiness and peace. Joy is there too.
I repeat this several times. Enjoying my breathing. Sharing the gentleness of my breath with my eyes and they slowly and quietly open a little more. Each time, the view grows with more and more clarity. Each time I sit and breath mindfully, grounding me in the moment and being filled with wonderment of life. All I can do is smile as I'm beaming with happiness and peace.
Being in Emptiness is just like this. It's always there just like our first look out over the mountain. Those shapes and colors were without definition but they were there and our sight experienced them. They were there the whole time. So when you're in the moment, Emptiness is right there. Maybe at this point in your life, your eyes are only open a wee bit. Yet you still see. Yet Emptiness is still experienced! To experience more definition, continue mindfully breathing, continue sharing gentleness, calmness, happiness and peace with those parts of you that are tense. The loving gentleness you share with those tense parts will relax as the tension transforms into flowers of compassion and your eyes will open a little more. As they do, you'll recognize those familiar shapes and colors as Emptiness.
In - Out
Calm - Ease
Smile - Release
This Moment - Wonderful Moment
Emptiness - Is right here. (Smile and enjoy your field of vision.)
Review
The lab from last time and go over the vocabulary and key points.
Vocabulary and Key Points
Paradigms: Historical vs Ultimate
The flower had the historical perspective. I was born, lived and died.
The meadow had the ultimate perspective. Life happened. Life needs death. Nothing is permanent as life happens.
Key Point: Which perspective is more freeing?
Conditions
Key Point: Conditions are always occurring which results in Impermanence. When we place our happiness on something that is impermanent, once we 'have' it, impermanence has already change it, taking our happiness with it. Suffer is here. If the plant places its happiness in its soon-to-be flower, its happiness will be very short lived.
Conditions allowed the plant to birth, grow and develop and wonderfully bloom. Then they slowly aged the plant to its death. Seeing this experience as a beginning, middle and an end is the historical perspective. There is suffering in this paradigm.
The whole meadow saw conditions cause birth and death. These transitions were a natural and normal part of life. It doesn't just see the flower, but all of life moving into and out of the flower. Then onto other flowers. Death is the beginning of the birth. This is the ultimate perspective and suffering passes here.
Key Point: Conditions affect the historical perspective with impermanence and death. They don't affect the ultimate perspective. Because there is No Birth - No Death. There are only transitions while life continues to flow.
Key Point: Because the flower can be, the dirt can be too. Because the worm can be, the fruit can be too. Nothing in the meadow can exist by itself. Something in the meadow needed something else to die so it could live. This is the ultimate perspective.
Empty of What?
Emptiness is empty of self and full of everything.
A Thích Nhất Hạnh talk
A Joyful Wave, 1 minute
Nothing dies and simply disappears. Conditions change and something else is manifested, for the moment.
Let's Explore.
Meditation is meant to be experienced. Mindful breathing, concentration and insight are meant to be experienced. Compassion is to be experienced. Beauty is meant to be experienced. Let's experience throughout exploration.
Meditation's Audio
16 minutes with bells at 2 mins
Breathe in your body - Smile to your body
I see myself as a flower - I feel fresh
Flower - Fresh
Because Conditions cause change - I can grow
Conditions change - Growth can happen
I feel life within me - I am grateful for this moment
Life within me - Grateful moment
Life is all around me - Life is cradling me
Life around me - Cradles me
I am a flower - Within a Beautiful meadow
Life is always here - I am always here
I breathe in this moment - I am home in this moment
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
What does signlessness feel like?
Objective: To experience the signlessness in our breathing.
Why this is Important
Com
How Do We Get There?
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing
Steps 1 and 2: In - Out *1
Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight*
Smiles
Emptiness which has the qualities of: Inter-being, Impermanence, No Self and No Birth - No Death
Experience the Meadow
Conditions
Historical and Ultimate Dimensions
Podcast
Episode
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Dharma Talk
When we contemplate the three doors, we want to be very aware of the Historical and Ultimate perspective. The Historical perspective sees the birth and the death of the flower. The Ultimate perspective sees the whole meadow over a long period of time. The flower is born because others died and the flower will die so that others can live. So the Ultimate perspective sees 'the flow of life' as the flower is born, blooms and dies. It sees all the myriad of previous manifestations that have all found there way here to be in this flower, in this moment. In the Here and the Now, we can gaze upon the flower and be delighted with its beauty. Then we can see what the flower once was and be amazed that it all came together in this moment AND I'm right here to enjoy it. This is a wonderment.
As we begin to explore the three doors, you may become a little confused on how they are similar and different. This is because of the nature of inter-being. When you sit with Emptiness, both and Aimlessness and Signlessness are sitting right there on your lap. They are interwoven. If you start to feel confused, simply breathe in and acknowledge how you feel / think and breath out a comforting smile. Soothe yourself and know it's okay.
A Thích Nhất Hạnh talk
The Little Plant of Corn and the "Eyes of Signlessness" | Thich Nhat Hanh, 2014 06 03, 17:35 minutes
Hands-on Lab
Let's go back to the Flowering Meadow Lab. Bring the historical and the ultimate perspective with you while you apply conditions to create a plant or animal, while it lives and when conditions return the nutrients back to the meadow.
The historical perspective sees the plant sprouting, growing, blooming and dying.
The ultimate perspective sees the life that died so the plant could live and how the plant returns its nutrients to the meadow so life can continue.
Think about a natural process that occurs within the meadow. Be mindful of your breathing and calm yourself to you can be present in the moment. Then with the toothpicks, apply conditions to create the first shape. Then apply conditions to transition that shape into the next. Lastly, one more time.
Mindfully, read the following questions slowly and spend some time letting them ruminate in your awareness.
When you're ready, transition into the meditation. The meditation is 14 minutes with bells at 2 minutes. ( if there's time, let this be 21 mins with bells at 3 mins.) Meditation's Audio
Questions Leading into Mindful Meditation
How were birth and death related?
Was anything permanent? What happens if we place our happiness on obtaining a 'shape'?
Can you identify any Wonderment(s) of how life continues through the meadow?
From the historical perspective, we represented how conditions create birth and death.
From the ultimate perspective where life continues through changing forms, we could see the 'parts' of each shape before the organism was born or during the organism's mid life or it at its death when the parts return to the meadow. Was any stage more or less significant than another stage?
Gently, please shift your attention from the lab to your breathing. Let's ask the previous question another way.
Let's experience the answer.
Is any part of my breathing more or less significant that another stage of breathing?
Gently listen to your changing breath - Value and appreciate each breath for what it is
Gently listen - Value breath
I feel my body rise. - I relax my body.
Body rise - Relax body
I have this breath - Because of this breath
As this breath ends - This breath lives
Life is the breathing - Breathing is the happiness
I am the breathing. - I am peacefully home.
Enjoy Being
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
What does signlessness feel like?
What is it like to sit in Aimlessness?
Objective: To experience the interbeing of the meadow
Why this is Important
Com
How Do We Get There?
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing
Steps 1. and 2. In - Out *1
Steps 3. and 4. Whole Body - Calm *1
Emptiness
Aimlessness
Experiencing Meditation
Podcast
Episode
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Dharma Talk
Aimlessness
"You are enough" is another way of defining Aimlessness. You don't need to become more or less to realize peace and happiness. It's already intrinsically within you.
Reflect back the Meadow mediation. Did you have such a feeling or experience?
Because of Interbeing, you can experience everything in one single breath. Reflect back to some of our earlier mediations. Remember how you didn't want to move when a meditation concluded. The experience felt so complete. You didn't want anything. You didn't need anything. The complete contentment you experience was peaceful happiness. You were happily content. In this moment, you were immersed in Aimlessness.
Back to the Meadow
From the perspective of the flower, there was a birth and a death. From the whole meadow perspective, there were many births and deaths. In fact, birth was the result of death. Birth and death were just states of interbeing in the meadow, states of life. This is the No Birth No Death of emptiness. Empty of self and full of the whole meadow.
Intellectual and the Experienced
All the above words and descriptions are intellectual. Clearly, they have their purpose; however, meditation offers us the Experience. We can define Aimlessness as "you are enough" and you can reflect back to those mediations of being happily content. "You are enough" is definitely apart of the content experience but there's more to it than that. You know this because you have experience it.
If your friend has never ridden a roller coaster and you explain the experience, your friend will know intellectually about it but s/he will not now know the experience. After their first time, they may not have words to describe the experience. All they can utter is "WOW" or "Whoa". The experience was so new that it's still abstract in their thinking. After time and riding it again, it will become familiar and will become more concrete in their minds. Then they will be able to describe the experience. Meditation can be like this too. The experienced insight may be so new that it'll be abstract to you. Give it time to grow in your meadow and you'll begin to understand it more. Savor the experience. : )
Mindful breathing leads to concentration. During concentration, there is thought but it's different. It's quieter, more gentle and peaceful thinking, being. You are in a dialogue with the deep peace that you are. When insight comes from this experience of being, it is experienced. It's more than just a thought. It's a way of being; hence, the insight is clearly understood and deeply experienced.
Let's BE in the Meadow
As we do this meditation, include the perspective of the whole meadow.
Meditation's Audio
Start the Fresh Flower meditation in Plum Village app.
If you don't have app, you can you this video. Flower - Fresh 🌸 10 Minute Guided Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh
Thay does In - Out
As the bell begins to quiet, pause the playback.
I calm my body and mind - I ease my body and mind
Calm - Ease
I breath in the full awareness of the meadow. - I lovingly embrace the whole meadow
Meadow - Lovingly embrace
At this point, resume playback on the app.
Thay will finish out the gathas.
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
How beautiful is the relationship between my in breathe and out breathe?
Objective: To experience the Three Doors of Liberation while breathing.
Why this is Important
It is important to know how effortless, how beautiful and how natural the three door are to experience.
How Do We Get There?
Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing
Steps 1 and 2: In - Out *1
Mindfulness, Concentration and Insight*
Smiles
Emptiness which has the qualities of: Inter-being, Impermanence, No Self and No Birth - No Death
Aimlessness and Signlessness
Experinece Breathing
Podcast
Episode
Sangha Sharing
What joy, insights, wonderment, questions and moments would you like to share?
Dharma Talk
A Thích Nhất Hạnh talk
A Joyful Wave, 1 minute
Using the words 'Inter-being' and 'Conditions', How can you summarize the water droplets experience as:
a. birth and death
b. no birth and no death?
Nothing dies and simply disappears. Conditions change and something else is manifested, for the moment.
A Breath
The Parts
Inhale --> momentary rest --> Exhale --> momentary rest
Birth and Death
The in-breath is born, expands our chest and dies.
The out-breath is born, our shoulders fall and dies.
Emptiness
Interbeing: Discuss how the in and out breaths experience interbeing.
Impermanence: Note how Impermanence is present.
No Self: Can you find evidence of the in-breath in the out-breath?
No Birth / No Death: From the Ultimate Perspective, a larger view of what is happening, can you think of one word that describes this?
Signlessness
Is either breath more or less significant than the other?
Aimlessness
When breathing in the moment, does you breath need to become anything more than it is?
Thinking Versus Experiencing
When we learn something new or have a new experience it is abstract. All newness is abstraction. It is not until we experience it again and again does the abstraction become concrete. Then our definitions bloom from our understanding of the experience.
If understanding happens outside of having the experience, sometimes the definitions we held don't match the experience and it can be confusing. If this happens, this is wonderful. You are beginning to expand your awareness so your definitions and your experience can merge.
You can rest in the experienced abstraction. Thay says you are doing it right if you experience peace and happiness. If you also experience wonderment and gratitude, you are doing it right. If you experience a deep and freeing connectedness, you are doing it right. If you are experiencing a freedom because you need nothing more, you are doing it right. If you experience how the flower is as beautiful as the pebble in the mud, you are doing it right. Peace and happiness are your grounding touchstones.
To meditate is to experience.
We know have some definitions for emptiness and its qualities. We can see the No Birth / No Death as life changes form over time in a meadow. We can also see how a frog is interdependent on its food web.
However, HOWEVER, what is it like to experience No Birth / No Death or Interbeing?
How will the experiences match our definitions? : ) ...this is so exciting.
Let's Joyfully Explore with Curiosity and Wonderment
A 20 minute meditation with bells a 2 minutes
Look deeply upon your in breathe and your out breathe.
Deep - Slow
Calm - Ease
Focus on your in breathe and your out breathe.
Because I have one - I have the other
(Starting with your out breathe) - Because I have one
I have the other -
Smile to my in breathe - I enjoy the in breathe as it leaves
Smile - Enjoy
I enjoy the empty space being filled - I smile to the emptying space in my lung
Enjoy space being filled - Smile to the emptying space
Enjoy how the full expression of the one - creates the other
full expression - creates the other
As I enjoy my breathing, I notice how my breathe can never be alone as the other is also present. They inter-are.
Never alone - Always Inter-are
Enjoy the beauty of emptiness in my breathing. Always together. Always giving life to each other.
Always together - Giving Life
Collective observations and reflections
We share and listen.
Here are a few 5 minute topics to get you going again.
Hey, Where did my Joy go? | Breath and enjoy the sound of the bell.
It's okay and normal for this to happen. For me, it's at the heart of entropy, everything moves towards a more scatter state. I spend time and intention with Mindful Breathing and my joy and focus builds. I reach a state where I'm 'in the zone' and I'm ebbing and flowing in the moments and all is so good. It's so good, I forget to sit and just breathe. : ) Slowly clatter starts to build in me and then it's: 'Hey, where's my joy and why can't I focus like I could?'
It's okay and no need to be concerned or frustrated. We haven't lost the moment. It's still here. We don't need to look or hunt for it, just be in it. If you do feel frustrated, then Be Kind, Be Gentle, Be Loving. Be Kind, it's me. Be Gentle and listen to you unconditionally. You were feeling content in the moment and simply forgot to continue the practice of Mindful Breathing. Be Loving with yourself and you have begun to create a mindset path back to the full awareness of the moment.
Also, look deeply during these moments. The happiness and peace of the moment is still here. It's just transformed. It isn't gone. So love and appreciate those moments when you can't find your joy. Because you can't find your joy, happiness and peace are possible and are right here waiting on you. : ) Yay!
Inviting the bell
https://youtu.be/WsVB-L-IFG4?si=qJZIeKoYrYlv3sRD
Here's something you can try to get the focus and joy going again.
Use the a meditation timer like the one found in the Plum Village app. Do a 10 minute meditation with bells at 2 minutes.
As the bell rings, be aware how consistent the tones are. Know the moment has the same consistency. Smile.
Hello, moment - Smile
While the bell rings, feel how smooth the tones are. How lovely they are. Feel how your breath has that same quality. Smile.
Hello, my breath - Smile
The bell begins with a delightful sound. Let that delight come into you. Smile.
Hello, delightfulness - Smile
As your experience with the bell grows in you, smile with the bell as it brings you back home.
Peaceful Being - Smile
Naturally smile with all the beautiful feelings and experiences that are in your awareness. - Enjoy
This moment - I'm Home : )
Enjoying your in breath. Be playful with yourself.
In - Hello, Me.
Hey, Where did my Joy go? | Be with Your Past Insights
You have had at least one insight that brought you joy. Invite the memory back to your awareness. Open yourself to its experience.
Use the meditation timer like the one found in the Plum Village app. Do a 10 minute meditation with bells at 2 minutes.
In - Out
Hello Beautiful 'insight'. - Remember the feeling it gave you. : )
Breathe in with the 'insight'. - Be in the experience. : )
Breathe in with the 'insight'. - Have gratitude for the insight. : )
Breathe in with the 'insight'. - Be delighted with the gifts the insight provided. : )
Take a break and enjoy your in breathe. Be with its smoothness, it's loveliness. - Rest in its poetic simpleness.
Be adventurous. Be playful. Can you find the 'insight' in your breathe? Can you find the 'insight' in your body, around you, within your interactions with others? Go explore and enjoy the discoveries.
If you feel like you've lost your focus, Kindly and Gently return to: In - Out.
Hey, Where did my Joy go? | Breathe and Remember
Finding it difficult to find your Joy?
I had it last month but the past two days have been tough. I can't find it.
Dharma Talk
Get Insight with Mindfulness and Concentration | Thich Nhat Hanh | #shorts
Let's Sit Down : )
Use the meditation timer like the one found in the Plum Village app. Do a 10 minute meditation with bells at 2 minutes.
In - Out
In - Remember: it's always peaceful here.
In - Remember: the moment is always within me.
Deep - Slow
In - This is where I go to heal myself. : )
In -This is where I go to rejuvenate myself. : )
In - This is where I go to ground myself in peace. : )
Hey, Where did my Joy go? | Be Kind. Be Gentle. Be Loving.
Dharma Talk
Be a refuge for yourself: no one else can do it for you, | Short Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh, 53 seconds
Let's Sit Down : )
Use the a meditation timer like the one found in the Plum Village app. Do a 10 minute meditation with bells at 2 minutes.
In - Out
In - Smile kindness to you.
Notice how receiving your smiling kindness feels. Label those feelings and experiences that smiling kindness brings to you.
In - Smile gentleness to you.
Notice how receiving your smiling gentleness feels. Label those feelings and experiences that smiling gentleness brings to you.
In - Smile lovingly to you.
Notice how receiving your smiling lovingness feels. Label those feelings and experiences that smiling lovingness brings to you.
Aware of this beautiful experience - Naturally smile with Relief
Aware - Relief
Enjoying your in breathe. - Playfully love yourself.