Mindfulness

[elengil]

Ohhh I like this, I might have to rethink how I approach some things. I really like the idea of focusing on the process instead of the goal because if I focus on the goal the steps to get there can feel overwhelming, but if my focus is on each step, I can do those without worrying whether I've achieved the goal right off the bat.

[RoseMorninStar]

Nice. I find it rather interesting to watch things filmed pre-COVID. It's like from another lifetime; going out, hanging with friends in public places, eating out. How novel!!

[elengil]

This was interesting, perhaps moreso because it was entirely different than what I was expecting. I am mulling over his bit about recording yourself at the end. He's right about what my brain's reaction would be initially. I am wondering what it's reaction would be after 30 days. I have some theories and they don't all align with his results.

[elengil]

Not strictly a mindfulness video but seemed appropriate here as a kind of philosophy.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I am filled with sadness to hear this news, but also full of profound gratitude for all that he has given to me and so many others.

The International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism announces that our beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh has passed away peacefully at Từ Hiếu Temple in Huế, Vietnam, at 00:00hrs on 22nd January, 2022, at the age of 95. We invite our global spiritual family to take a few moments to be still, to come back to our mindful breathing, as we together hold Thay in our hearts in peace and loving gratitude for all he has offered the world.
More official news will be coming shortly.

[elengil]

Oh V, I'm so sorry for the loss, to you and to so many.

[Inanna]

Am so sorry, V.

[RoseMorninStar]

My sincere condolences V. May his teachings and example be a source of comfort and inspiration.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Thank you, elengil, Inanna, and Rose. You are all very sweet, and I am blessed to have you in my life!

I hardly know how to react. Unlike many of the members of the Sangha that we gather with, I never met him, and knew for a long time I would never have that opportunity. He had a stroke a number of years ago and returned to Vietnam to be cared for by Monastics in his Plum Village tradition. His passing has been expected for a while, so it is not at all a surprise. Still, his teachings and the form of engaged Buddhism that he sparked has become a significant part of my life.

I am currently reading his final book, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. Unlike his other books (he was an amazingly prolific author) that were published by the small non-profit publisher Parallax Press that he founded, this book is published by HarperCollins, in order to reach a wider audience. It consists of his later writings and speeches, compiled and edited by a British woman who is ordained in his tradition, Sister True Devotion. I highly recommend it.

[narya]

I couldn't find that book on Overdrive, V, but just now I checked out two other of his books that I haven't read yet. I have always enjoyed his teachings and he has added clarity to my life. I had a profound day of mindfulness at the Plum-Village-associated Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, a few years ago. I hope to visit again some day, COVID willing.

Ceremony currently happening at Dear Park:

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Thanks, Narya. We watched the ceremony. It was very moving.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I just had the opportunity to watch the casket ceremony in Vietnam. Truly extraordinary.

[Inanna]

Glad you were able to participate in it….

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Thanks, Inanna!

This is a pretty good article.

From MLK to Silicon Valley, how the world fell for ‘father of mindfulness’

[narya]

Thank you for the article, Inanna. When I escaped Alaska, back in 2005, I immediately started therapy at a place that had a bookstore and a chocolate shop downstairs. Books from that bookshop by Thay and the Dalai Lama, along with spicy hot cocoa, were the perfect supplement to cognitive therapy and helped me into a better headspace.

[RoseMorninStar]

I don't have much use for religion as I've seen too much of the ugly manipulative side of it, but Thich Nhat Hanh seems to have been an exemplary gentle soul. I really like his poem/thoughts on 'Be One with the Leaf'. It aligns with my thoughts on being and life/death.

narya - oh, books & chocolate were not the therapy?

[narya]

Complimentary medicine

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Rose, Thich Nhat Hanh said "“Buddhism is not a religion, it’s a practice, similarly to yoga, which you can do irrespective of religious beliefs”. Of course not all Buddhists agree with that.



Very nice statement put out by the U.S. State Department.

On the Passing of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh

[RoseMorninStar]

Rose, Thich Nhat Hanh said "“Buddhism is not a religion, it’s a practice, similarly to yoga, which you can do irrespective of religious beliefs”

I can get on board with that.

[narya]

There is more cross pollination between eastern and western mystic traditions than there used to be. I studied Carmelite and Franciscan mysticism/meditation/contemplation, before I drifted into Buddhism, and there are many similarities. Of course, the cosmologies are completely different - even the cosmologies of Buddhism vary widely between Zen/Chan, Vipassana and Tibetian cosmology. But you can have the mindfulness meditation practice even if you lack faith in any of the cosmologies. Here's some history on former California Governor Jerry Brown, about Zen Buddhism and Catholicism.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... story.html