In | Out

3 Happiness in the Present Moment

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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

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.  

Mediation's Audio

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.

Mediation's Audio

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.