Gathering: October 28, 2012

Today's talk focused on the luxury of doing nothing.  We are so busy that we rarely make time to just sit.  When we are given the opportunity to do nothing, many of us aren't able to take advantage of this time, and instead allow our habit energies to keep us moving, doing, struggling - unable to truly stop.

A lively discussion followed on many topics including: western culture's focus on always being productive; the school system creating students who are stressed out with very narrow experiences; the importance of the sangha to support each other in doing nothing.

My favourite story was about one of our sangha members out with some workmates.  They all began to discuss what they would have done differently in their lives if they had their time back.  As they went around the circle, most of the women said they would have gone to university and become a doctor or a lawyer, but our friend said she would have moved to Hawaii when she turned 18, learned to surf and spent the rest of her life living on the beach teaching surfing lessons.  Her workmates dismissed this as a joke.  But why not?  Would going to university, with all the debt and stress that involves, to get a high-stress, fast-paced job really make your life better?  Why is it unimaginable to choose to have low-stress, no debt, live in paradise, and do what you love?

Gathering: October 21, 2012

After sitting, walking, and mindful movements, we listened to a recorded talk by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Today Thay reminded us that walking meditation can be a very useful practice for beginners.  Walking slowly, we take one step as we breathe in, and one step as we breathe out.  We focus on our breathing, and on walking mindfully and peacefully.

You Can Do It

Walking meditation is practicing meditation while walking.  It can bring you joy and peace while you practice it.  Take short steps in complete relaxation; go slowly with a smile on your lips, with your heart open to an experience of peace.  You can feel truly at ease with yourself.  Your steps can be those of the healthiest, most secure person on earth.  All sorrows and worries can drop away while you are walking.  To have peace of mind, to attain self-liberation, learn to walk in this way.  It is not difficult.  You can do it.  Anyone can do it who has some degree of mindfulness and a true intention to be happy.

(excerpt from "A Guide to Walking Meditation" by Thich Nhat Hanh)

Sangha Update: Fall 2012

The Waves and Water Sangha have continued to meet every Sunday at the Dalhousie Multifaith Centre for over a year.  Yay us!

We have a core group of four who share the responsibility of leading the group through sitting and walking meditation, mindful movements, and a discussion.  The first Sunday of every month we perform the "Five Mindfulness Recitation Ceremony" which is an excellent introduction to our practice.  This format has been very successful, and we hope it will continue to work well for us this coming year.

As always, we are happy to welcome newcomers at any time.  We are a casual bunch, with various levels of experience, just happy to have a group to sit with.  Please email for details:  info@wavesandwatersangha.com

Sangha Returns

After a long hiatus, the Waves and Water Sangha has begun to meet regularly again. Beginning on October 2, 2011 we have been meeting every Sunday morning at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

If you are interested in joining us, please contact Carrie at info@wavesandwatersangha.com for an introduction to our practice.

Fifth Mindfulness Training

Looking back at the blog, I realize that I never posted the 5th of the Five Mindfulness Trainings. Here it is for your contemplation:

The Fifth Mindfulness Training

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I will ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being, and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as certain TV programs, magazines, books, films, and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body or my consciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society, and future generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger, and confusion in myself and in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation and for the transformation of society.

Workplace Practice

"We can begin creating a "workplace Sangha" by practicing love and understanding with co-workers - seeing each person as a beloved brother or sister. We can embody the mindfulness practice in our relationship with them by practicing flower-watering in our daily interactions. We can practice walking meditation every time we move through a corridor.

If possible, we can sit, walk, or eat mindfully together with one other person during our breaks. Some people put a screen saver on their computer to remind them to stop and return to their breathing. Others have introduced the bell of mindfulness and telephone meditation practices into their workplaces, and have even found a way to set aside time during staff meetings."

Excerpt from "Friends on the Path" by Thich Nhat Hanh

Peace in the World

Spirituality in the 21st Century: Part 3

"We suffered tremendously during the twentieth century. Individualism prevailed. Families were broken up, society was deeply divided. That is why if the twenty-first century is to be a spiritual century, it should be built by the spirit of togetherness, where we do things together, we do everything together. When you live in a community, you learn how to see the Sangha body, the Sanghakaya, as your own body.

Whether we live in Amsterdam, London, Munich or New York, it is our role to build a Sangha. We need each other to practice solidity, freedom, and compassion, and with our practice we can remind people in our society that there is always hope, the blue sky is always there, the Kingdom of Heaven is always at hand. We should walk and breathe in such a way that the Kingdom of Heaven, the Pure Land of the Buddha, is available in every step, in every breath. This is what we should do."

(From transcriptions of talks given by TNH in Plum Village, December 2001.)

Spirituality in the 21st Century: Part 2

“A true Sangha is a community that practices the teaching of liberation and becomes free; a true Sangha practices the teaching of understanding and becomes more understanding; a true Sangha practices compassion and becomes more compassionate. Climbing the hill of the twenty-first century can be very joyful if we climb as a Sangha. If we support each other, we become much stronger, and we can more easily resist the temptation of despair.

Despair is a great temptation of our century. Whether you are a political leader, a businessperson, a social worker, a teacher, or a parent, everyone needs to be reminded that the blue sky is still there for us. We should not allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by despair. That is why we need a Sangha; a Sangha can help us from sinking into despair. Sangha-building is the most important practice – the most important action – of our century. How can the twenty-first century be a century of spirituality if we do not take up the work of Sangha-building?"

(From transcriptions of talks given by TNH in Plum Village, December 2001.)

Spirituality in the 21st Century: Part 1

"It has been said that the twenty-first century will be a century of spirituality, and I think it must be a century of spirituality if we are to survive. There has been so much violence, so much suffering, so much despair, confusion, and fear. So it must be a century of spirituality, or no century at all.

Spirituality is something we can cultivate. To be spiritual means to be solid, calm, and peaceful, and to be able to look deeply inside and around us. It means having the capacity to handle our afflictions - our anger, craving, despair, and discrimination, It is being able to see the nature of interbeing between people, nations, races, and all forms of life. Spirituality is not a luxury anymore; we need to be spiritual in order to overcome the difficulties of our time.

Alone we are vulnerable, but with brothers and sisters to work with, we can support each other. We cannot go to the ocean as a drop of water - we would evaporate before reaching our destination. But if we become a river, if we go as a Sangha, we are sure to arrive at the ocean. Taking refuge in a Sangha will allow the Sangha to carry us, to transport us, and we will suffer less."

(From transcriptions of talks given by TNH in Plum Village, December 2001.)

Sangha Building

"It is my deep desire that communities of practice in the West be organized... as families in a friendly, warm atmosphere, so that people can succeed in their practice. A Sangha in which each person is like an island, not communicating with each other, is not helpful. It is just a collection of trees without roots. Transformation and healing cannot be obtained in such an atmosphere. We must be rooted if we want to have a chance to learn and practice meditation. I think that Sangha-building is the most important art for us to learn... We have to build a Sangha that is happy, where communication is open."

Excerpts from "Touching Peace" by Thich Nhat Hanh

Sangha Update

The organizational meetings have been very productive, and we are getting close to deciding on a format. Overall, it will remain consistent with the practices of other Thich Nhat Hanh sanghas, and we are currently researching the possible variations. In response to suggestions to have more time to get to know each other, we have decided to incorporate a short social break at some point during the evening.

The general format will be as follows:

First hour: Alternating sitting and walking meditation
Second hour: Ceremony or discourse reading, followed by a short social break, ending with dharma discussion.

We are intent upon keeping the gathering to a maximum of 2 hours, which will be challenging with the addition of the social break. If duration becomes an issue the social time will be moved to before the sitting, and will then become optional. On evenings where we perform a ceremony we may focus our dharma discussion on an aspect of the ceremony instead of introducing a new topic. Whereas on evenings without a ceremony we will have more time to present a topic of discussion (or listen to a tape or video) and follow up with a discussion.

As we continue to plan, your continued input is welcome.
info@wavesandwatersangha.com

Request for Input

This week we are having an organizational meeting to discuss the direction the Waves and Water Sangha will take in the coming months. We encourage everyone who is interested to send their suggestions and comments to:

info@wavesandwatersangha.com

Topics to consider may include:
- format of the weekly meeting
- which ceremonies to include and how often
- topics of discussion
- where to meet, possible venues
- sharing of sangha duties
- events such as a regular "Day of Mindfulness" or guest speakers
- personal goals - what would you like to accomplish, and how can the Sangha help?

The Wave and the Water

"An example we often use in Buddhism is that of the wave and the water. The wave springs from the ocean and when you observe the phenomenon of the wave, you see there is a beginning and an end. You see the coming up and the going down, you see the presence and the non-presence of the wave. Before arising it seems that the wave did not exist, and after going down, we don't see it existing either. We distinguish between one wave and another wave. One wave may be more beautiful, higher, or lower than the other wave. So concerning the world of phenomena we have all kinds of concepts: beginning, ending; high, low; more beautiful, less beautiful - and that creates a lot of suffering.

But at the same time we know the wave is also water. It's possible for a wave to live her life as both a wave and water at the same time. As a wave, she belongs to the world of phenomena: she has a beginning, an ending, a coming up, a going down. She distinguishes herself from other waves. But if she has time to sit down and to touch her nature deeply, she'll realize that she is water. She is not only a wave, she is also water. The moment she realizes she is water, she loses all her suffering, about being there or not being there anymore. Water represents the noumenal world, the world of no-birth and no-death, no coming and no going."

(Excerpt from "Buddha Mind, Buddha Body" by Thich Nhat Hanh.)

US Teaching Tour 2009

We are happy to announce Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh will be coming to the United States from August - October of this year to teach and practice with us.

Below are nearby events including public talks and retreats.

MASSACHUSETTS EVENT
August 11 - 16 - Mindfulness Retreat
Be Peace, Be Joy, Be Hope
Stonehill College, Easton, MA

NEW YORK EVENTS
October 2 - 6 - Mindfulness Retreat
Enlightenment is Now or Never
Blue Cliff Monastery, Pine Bush, NY

October 9 - Public Talk
October 10 - Day of Mindfulness
Building a Peaceful and Compassionate Society
Beacon Theatre, in association with the Omega Institute, New York City, NY

For more information about the retreats, public talks and days of mindfulness:
visit the tour website: www.tnhtour.org
e-mail: info@tnhtour.org
or call: 1-760-741-CALM (or 2256)

Practicing in the Sangha: Part 2

"The function of the bell in the Sangha is to bring us back to ourselves. When we hear the bell we come back to ourselves and breathe, and at that point we improve the quality of the Sangha energy. We know that our brother and our sister, wherever they are, will be stopping, breathing, and coming back to themselves. They will be generating the energy of right mindfulness, the Sangha energy. When we look at each other, we feel confident, because everyone is practicing together in the same way and contributing to the quality of the Sangha. So we are friends on the path of practice.

The Sangha is made out of the work of individuals, so we have the duty to help create the energy of the Sangha. Our presence, when it is a mindful presence, contributes to that energy. When we are absent during the activities of the Sangha, we are not contributing to the Sangha energy. If we don't go to a sitting meditation, we are not feeding our Sangha. We are also letting ourselves go hungry, because we are not benefiting from the Sangha. We don't profit from the Sangha, and the Sangha doesn't profit from us.

Don't think that we sit for ourselves. You don't sit for yourself alone, you sit for the whole Sangha - not only the Sangha, but also for the people in your city, because when one person in the city is less angry, is smiling more, the whole city profits. If we practice looking deeply, our understanding of interbeing will grow, and we will see that every smile, every step, every breath is for everybody. It is for our country, for the future, for our ancestors.

The best thing we can do is to transform ourselves into a positive element of the Sangha. If members of the Sangha see us practicing well, they will have confidence and do better. If there are two, three, four, five, six, seven of you like that in the Sangha, I'm sure the Sangha will be a happy Sangha and will be the refuge of many people in the world."

(Excerpt from "Friends on the Path" by Thich Nhat Hanh.)

The Parallel Sayings

"A human being experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of understanding and compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." - Albert Einstein

"True happiness comes not from a limited concern for one's own well-being, or that of those one feels close to, but from developing love and compassion for all sentient beings." - The Dalai Lama

(Excerpt from a little book by Thomas McFarlane called "Einstein and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings" that juxtaposes quotations from Eastern contemplatives and Western scientists.)

Practicing in the Sangha: Part 1

"If you are beginner in the practice, you should not worry about what is the correct thing to do. When surrounded by many people, we might be caught by the idea, "I don't know what is the right thing to do." That idea my make us very uncomfortable. We may think, "I feel embarrassed that I'm not doing the right thing. There are people who are bowing, and I am not bowing. People who are walking slowly, and I am walking a little bit too fast." So the idea that we may not be doing the right thing can embarrass us.

I would like to tell you what is really the right thing. The right thing is to do whatever you are doing in mindfulness. Mindfulness is keeping one's consciousness alive to the present reality. To bow may not be the right thing to do if you don't bow in mindfulness. If you don't bow but are mindful, not bowing is the right thing. Even if people are walking slowly and you run, you are doing the right thing if you run mindfully. The wrong thing is whatever you do without mindfulness. If we understand this, we will not be embarrassed anymore. Everything we do is right provided we do it in mindfulness. To bow or not to bow, that is not the question. The question is whether to bow in mindfulness or not, or not to bow in mindfulness or not."

(Excerpt from "Friends on the Path" by Thich Nhat Hanh.)

Photo: Thay Sitting

Exercises in Mindfulness: Part II

Here are a few more suggestions from "The Miracle of Mindfulness" of how we can bring mindfulness into our lives.

Washing the dishes
Wash the dishes relaxingly, as though each bowl is an object of contemplation. Consider each bowl as sacred. Follow your breath to prevent your mind from straying. Do not try to hurry to get the job over with. Consider washing the dishes the most important thing is life. Washing the dishes is meditation. If you cannot wash the dishes in mindfulness, neither can you meditate while sitting in silence.

Deep breathing
Lie on your back. Breathe evenly and gently, focusing your attention on the movement of your stomach. As you begin to breathe in, allow your stomach to rise in order to bring air into the lower half of your lungs. As the upper halves of your lungs begin to fill with air, your chest begins to rise and your stomach begins to lower. Don't tire yourself. Continue for 10 breaths. The exhalation will be longer than the inhalation.

Mindfulness while making tea
Prepare a pot to tea to serve a guest or to drink by yourself. Do each movement slowly, in mindfulness. Do not let one detail of your movements go by without being mindful of it. Know that your hand lifts the pot by its handle. Know that you are pouring the fragrant warm tea into the cup. Follow each step in mindfulness. Breathe gently and more deeply than usual. Take hold of your breath if your mind strays.