Photo credits: Photo by Virginia BergmanA knee injury prompted me to skip church this morning and after my daily ritual of journaling, reading Vietnamese Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh, and meditating for a few minutes, I gladly went back to bed and dozed for an additional two or three hours.
Since getting up the second time, I’ve been mostly just lounging around and taking it easy. Sometimes doing nothing is the wiser choice, resting both the body and the spirit.
Today is an island of repose between the rewards and the demands of the previous week and preparing the family Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. I’ve already got all the important supplies on hand, including a turkey, cranberry sauce, and watermelon pickles. The watermelon pickles have been essential to our Thanksgiving dinner menu for several decades.
I once had a tendency on these occasions to get myself unnecessarily stressed out. Not in recent years, though. The readings of John Kabat Zinn, Thich Nhat Hanh, and other meditation gurus have instructed me in the art of mindfulness meditation – a practice that encourages concentration on one thing at a time and an appreciation for the present moment.
That’s great, you might think, for more fully experiencing the joys of the holiday season and family get-togethers, but what does mindfulness meditation have to do with hosting a political opinion blog?
I’m not sure yet. But I’ve been thinking about how to integrate my meditation practice with my blogging, and I gained a few insights from this morning’s review of the Five Mindfulness Trainings as presented in Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers.
The Fourth Mindfulness Training, which deals with mindful speaking and listening, hit home:
"Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to learn to speak truthfully with words that inspire self-confidence, joy and hope. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord or that can cause the family or the community to split apart. I will make every effort to reconcile all conflicts however small."
In speaking of the Fourth Mindfulness Training, Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that we take up this practice and encourage its use in the family, in the city, and in the nation. How about if we add the blogosphere to the list?
P.S.
My knee feels a lot better this evening.
Since getting up the second time, I’ve been mostly just lounging around and taking it easy. Sometimes doing nothing is the wiser choice, resting both the body and the spirit.
Today is an island of repose between the rewards and the demands of the previous week and preparing the family Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. I’ve already got all the important supplies on hand, including a turkey, cranberry sauce, and watermelon pickles. The watermelon pickles have been essential to our Thanksgiving dinner menu for several decades.
I once had a tendency on these occasions to get myself unnecessarily stressed out. Not in recent years, though. The readings of John Kabat Zinn, Thich Nhat Hanh, and other meditation gurus have instructed me in the art of mindfulness meditation – a practice that encourages concentration on one thing at a time and an appreciation for the present moment.
That’s great, you might think, for more fully experiencing the joys of the holiday season and family get-togethers, but what does mindfulness meditation have to do with hosting a political opinion blog?
I’m not sure yet. But I’ve been thinking about how to integrate my meditation practice with my blogging, and I gained a few insights from this morning’s review of the Five Mindfulness Trainings as presented in Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers.
The Fourth Mindfulness Training, which deals with mindful speaking and listening, hit home:
"Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to learn to speak truthfully with words that inspire self-confidence, joy and hope. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord or that can cause the family or the community to split apart. I will make every effort to reconcile all conflicts however small."
In speaking of the Fourth Mindfulness Training, Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that we take up this practice and encourage its use in the family, in the city, and in the nation. How about if we add the blogosphere to the list?
P.S.
My knee feels a lot better this evening.
Hello Virginia
ReplyDeleteYou manage to put a smile on my face whenever I read your writings. I especially appreciate Sunday's musings. The Four Hanh's Mindfulness Trainings. I had read the book a while back, and recently it was on a list of required reading for a class. I have enjoyed the 2nd reading, as it has prompted a more gelled form in my mind. More mindful, if you will. Thanks for your blog. It came recommended by Heidi Li, someone I greatly admire and yet have never met. We both owe her one...
Hi Becky,
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking in - I appreciate your comment, and I, too, admire Heidi Li Feldman. She has provided leadership for many of us throughout the 2008 presidential race, and she continues to do so.