Students and Teacher Practicing Together
March 16, 2010
To my students from all of the Plum Village meditation centers and sanghas,
Tomorrow morning, I will be heading to Italy and will stay there for two weeks. The spring there is undoubtedly as beautiful as the spring in France. When you hear the first call of the cuckoo bird there, please respond to it for me. The orchid tree near Phương Khê will bloom within a week, so please remember to admire it.* Countless other kinds of flowers, birds, and butterflies will also make their appearance. I wish you all a joyful practice during these spring days and the ability to recognize all the subtle expressions of the season.
In the recent monastic retreat, we committed diligently to perfecting our walking meditation, aiming for 100 percent practice and no less. During my time in Italy, the delegation and I will
be working on that; I trust that you, my students, wherever you may be, will do the same. I believe that by the opening day of the French-language retreat, the monastic community’s practice of meditation will be quite powerful. This practice is an offering on our journey to the Triple Gem and the ancestors. It will also be a gift we give to each other and to our loved ones. I am confident that we can achieve this.
When walking, we must be aware of the contact of the sole of our feet with the ground, immediately establishing mindfulness and concentration. With mindfulness and concentration, insight arises right away. Insight here is just to be aware that we are present and that the wonders of life are also present for us, within and around us. That kind of insight is already valuable. It brings joy and happiness, nourishment, and healing. In just three or four seconds, we can easily generate mindfulness, concentration, and insight. In those moments, the Triple Gem is present within us; these are moments of surrender, moments of refuge. Our mind is full of the joy generated by those three sources of energy.
For this reason, we must invest 100 percent of our mind in each step, without thinking or speaking. Of course, we have many joyful stories to share, but if we do not think or talk while walking, then mindfulness, concentration, and insight can arise in abundance. If we need to talk, we stop to speak and listen attentively—speak completely and listen completely before moving on. But as soon as we start walking again, we must return to mindfulness; we must put our entire mind into each step. Remember to walk for your father, your mother, the Buddha, your teacher, and your loved ones.
We often fill the emptiness in our hearts by listening to music,reading newspapers, watching movies, talking, etc. But we must know how to fill that emptiness instead with mindfulness, con-centration, and insight. The moment mindfulness, concentration, and insight are present is a sacred moment in which we are trulya monastic. In our hearts, there is gratitude, joy, nourishment,and healing. Knowing how to create happiness, we no longerneed to consume to fill the “emptiness.” When the “emptiness” isfull, it is no longer empty.
I only go to the internet when I need practice materials. Please don’t go online “to see if there’s anything new or interesting.” I also must remind myself of that, to make that vow. As older brothers and sisters, we must set an example for the younger ones. If any of you experiences an insight while practicing, writea letter to share it with me! Now, I will go to sleep so that I’m fresh for tomorrow’s journey.
Your teacher,
Thầy
Copyright © 2024 by Thich Nhat Hanh. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
