Be still and reflect the truth

Recently I have a new insight for the practice of  "Breathing in, I see myself as still water.  Breathing out, I reflect all there is."  If our mind is calm and peaceful as still water, we do not distort the truth.  We are aware of the truth as it is.  We also understand that all things are constantly changing around us. And our mind remain clear and still to reflect, observe, understand and be fully ware of the changes.  We observe that everything is impermanent and therefore they are empty and illusive.  If we think that the illusions are real (meaning something that is permanent that can be attached or hold on to), we start to believe that all these changes are real and they can stir up the water. Ripples, waves and whirlpools are formed and they distort the truth.  As a result, we have the wrong perception but we believe what we saw out of the distortions are the truth.  This will cause us lots of misunderstanding and suffering.  Only when we allow ourselves to settle down, to let the water become clear and still again can we be able to see the truth, and be free of suffering and obstacles in the mind.

This new insight helps me a lot in daily life.  I have been involved in a big project at work recently which is extremely challenging.  New problems arise everyday and the schedule is very tight.  In the past, I would feel worry and anxious under the pressure.  Now I just remain calm and I am not too worry.  Thanks to impermanence, problems come and go.  People's stress and emotions also come and go.  As long as I am doing the best I can in the present moment, I do not need to worry about the outcome because there is nothing else I can do anyway. Without the worry, fear, and anxiousness to distort the reflections, I can clearly observe what is the best thing to do under the circumstances at the moment.  It is amazing how at ease I feel and yet how efficient I can get my work done.  

Miracles happen with mindfulness practice!  I am so grateful to Thay for introducing this simple yet wonderful practice to us!

New Home

I have arrived my new home on 20F in SH. It's easy for me to feel the sky.
The room is mostly empty except some simple furniture.
But no need to be hurry, we can do it step by step and enjoy every moment at the present.
With mindfulness, even this moment we are getting burnt out, we can take a break for breathing-in and breathing-out. We will find that we will find back ourselves soon.
At this moment we will see ourselves as the still water in the lake and reflect all that is.
We see all these with serenity and easy, and find the way that fits us best.
Gradually, we will believe that we are already a miracle
And gradually, we will get the joyful feeling that all is helping us.

终于搬进20层的新家，看天空很方便
房间里空荡荡，只有简单的家具
但不用着急，慢慢来
只要心怀正念，即使这一刻很忙乱，脑海中填满了事情
我们也可以先暂停下，呼吸下，找回自己
这时候，我们就发现我们的脑海如平静的湖水，如实反照着一切
我们清晰地静观着一切，会找到那最好的方式，
慢慢，我们就会相信，我们本身就是最好的，
慢慢，我们就会感到，一切都在帮助着我们

1月11日的團練主題 Practice theme on 11 Jan

北京今天非常寒冷，但是天空一片蔚藍，十分美麗。在我們靜坐的時刻，風在舞動咆哮。感謝這陣陣寒風，把塵土和污染刮走，讓美妙的藍天顯現。

It's a very cold day in Beijing but the sky is clear and blue.  Our meditation is accompanied by strong howls of the wind.  We are grateful for the wind as it clears away the dust and pollution so that the wonderful blue sky is revealed to us. 

今天我們回到正念的基本功，這個練習雖然很簡單，卻很有效地幫助我們身心得到平靜和滋潤。如常地，我們從回到自己的呼吸開始：

Today we go back to a basic mindfulness meditation to nourish and calm our body and mind. As usual, we start by returning to our breathing:

Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in.                 吸氣，我知道自己在吸氣。

Breathing out, I know that I am breathing out.            呼氣，我知道自己在呼氣。

然後，我們就跟隨著梅村裡最受歡迎的歌的歌詞來冥想。

Then we follow the lyrics of our all time favourite Plum Village song for the rest of our guided meditation.

Breathing in,  I see myself as a blooming flower.          吸氣，我看見自己是綻放的鮮花。

Breathing out, I feel fresh.                                                 呼氣，我感覺很清新。

Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain.                       吸氣，我看見自己是一座高山。

Breathing out, I feel solid.                                                 呼氣，我感到很穩固。

Breathing in, I see myself as still water in the lake.     吸氣，我看見自己是平靜的湖水。

Breathing out, I reflect all that is.                                    呼氣，我如實的反照著事物。

Breathing in, I see myself as space.                                 吸氣，我看見自己是空間。

Breathing out, I am free.                                                    呼氣，我感到自由自在。

當我們從網上尋找資源的時候，無意中發現了這段名為“吸氣，呼氣”的視頻，這不是我們平常唱的那首歌，但也同樣美妙動聽，請大家欣賞！

While searching for resources from the web, we discovered this beautiful meditation video named "Breathing in, breathing out".  It is not the same breathing in, breathing out that we sing but the music is as wonderful.  Enjoy!

Finger and Moon

Recently in a dinner party, I met a new friend and to my delight, he has been reading Thay’s books since his university days in the UK.  “I like to read Thich Nhat Hanh’s books”, he said, “but I do not like his way of practice and his followers.”  I was curious because Thay emphasizes the importance of practice in all his books.  I wonder how one could like Thay’s book but not the practice!  “I met some of his followers in the UK.”, my friend continued, “They are so into the different rituals such as stopping at the sound of the bell, touching the earth and reading gathas before a meal, etc, etc.  Aren’t all these distractions from mindfulness? How can one be truly present when there are so many rituals to follow?”

He made a good point.  If we fall into the trap of believing that all the rituals and rules of the Plum Village are the experience of mindfulness, than we are in the wrong path.  I told my new friend the famous analogy of the finger and the moon by the Buddha.  The intention of the finger pointing to the moon is for us to see the true moon.  If we keep looking at the finger and think it is the moon, we will never see the moon. If we can see the moon, then we may not need the finger until we lose track of it. If we develop a way to notice the moon all the time, then we no longer need the pointing finger.  All the rituals on the practice of mindfulness are forms, tools and maps that help us to reach the state of mindfulness.  They are not mindfulness itself.  When we practice, we must remember this.

In the common areas of the Plum Village, the clock chimes every 15 minutes, and we are told to stop whatever we are doing and take a few deep breaths to return to the present moment.  I find it a useful practice because we tend to slip out of our state of mindfulness so easily.  But I notice that Thay do not stop at the sound of the chimes.  He continues to drink his tea or to walk.  I believe it is not because of his privilege of being a venerable zen master.  He is already in mindfulness all the time.  I am not making a wild guess because I can really feel the energy of mindfulness Thay radiates wherever he is.  For many of us who are still learning to live the present moment, stop and breathe at the sound of the bell remains a good practice.