Guided Med Flower Mountain Lake

8/12/2019 Guided Med Flower Mountain Lake

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From "Peace is Every Step; An Evening with Thich Nhat Hahn",

Berkeey, !aiornia, Apri, 1##1$

%n &'t , Fower Fresh , (o'ntain Soi) , Space Free

"*ear rien)s, % wo') ike to invite yo' to practice +reathing with me$ % have a

new gatha or the practice o +reathing, so et 's earn together$ -o' cannot hear./

0et 's earn together, an ecercise on +reathing$ yo' hear me.2goo)$/

"Breathing in, % know % am +reathing in, +reathing o't,

% know that % am +reathing o't$"

3hen we +reathe in, we 4'st oc's o'r attention on o'r in +reath, an) nothing ese$

An) when we +reathe o't, we 4'st oc's o'r attention on o'r o't +reath, an)

nothing ese$

An) then ater that we may ike to try this5 "Breathing in, % see myse as a ower,

+reathing o't, % ee resh$"

An) we can 'se the wor) "ower" as we +reathe in, an) we 'se the wor) "resh" as

we +reathe o't$

% yo' ook at chi)ren, they ook very m'ch ike owers$ An) a o 's were +orn

as owers, +'t +eca'se we have not taken care o o'rseves we, that is why

sometimes o'r ower is tire), we wither a itte +it$ An) +reathing in ike that is to

reresh o'r ower, to make it +ea'ti' again$

So, "Breathing in, % see myse as a ower, +reathing o't, % ee resh$"

% see the h'man +o)y as a ower too$ &'r eyes, they ook ike rose petas$ &'r

ips can +e a very +ea'ti' ower, o'r han)s, +ea'ti' owers$

"Breathing in % see myse as a ower, +reathing o't,

% ee resh$"

An) then we might ike to switch to the thir) +reath5

"Breathing in, % see myse as a mo'ntain, a mo'ntain,

+reathing o't, % ee soi)$"

% yo' practice B'))hist me)itation, yo' ike to sit in the ot's position, an) that is

a very +ea'ti' position o the h'man +o)y$ An) yo' ee very soi), ike a


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mo'ntain, especiay when yo' practice +reathing in that position$

A mo'ntain is not swaye) +y the win)$ An) h'man +eings, i they )on7t know how

to sit, to +reathe, they may +e swaye) +ack an) orth +y their emotions, strong

emotions, ike win)s$ An) practicing this, we +ecome more soi), ike a mo'ntain$

There are peope who )o not know how to han)e their emotions, especiay the +ig

emotions$ An) when they are overwheme) +y these emotions they )on7t know

what to )o, an) sometimes they have to commit s'ici)e$ They )o not know that

yo' are more than yo'r emotions$ So when there is a strong emotion, yo' 4'st

+reathe, in an) o't, an) +ecome a mo'ntain$ An) +e aware that we are more, m'ch

more than one emotion$ An) we wi overcome that emotion$

"Breathing in, % see myse as a mo'ntain, +reathing o't, % ee soi)$"

An) then the net one is water5 "Breathing in, % see myse as sti waters$$$"

0et 's imagine a pon) on the highan), very sti$ The water is so impi) an) sti

that it reects tr'th'y the coor o the sky, an) aso the shapes o the mo'ntains$

An) i yo' ook into the water, yo' see yo'r ace, not )istorte)$

3hen we are sti ike that, we wi reect reaity as it is$ 3e wi have right

perceptions$ % yo' are agitate), an) then we cannot reect things as they are$

Thereore, "Breathing in, % make myse sti, ike a pon) on a mo'ntain, an),

+reathing o't, % reect things as they are$" So we 'se the wor)s "water",

"reecting"$

(any times when we isten to other peope, we )on7t reay isten$ 3e isten to o'r

pre4')ices, we isten to o'r emotion, an) thereore we miss the point that the

peope want to make$ %t is +eca'se we are not sti eno'gh, cear eno'gh$ That is

why we have a wrong perception concerning what is going on$ So this ecercise is

8'ite important$

An) the ast one is "space", an) "ree", space insi)e me an) space aro'n) me,+eca'se we )o nee) space in or)er to +e happy$

A ower )oes nee) space in or)er to +e happy$ % yo' want to arrange owers, yo'

know that each ower nee)s space aro'n) her$ So i yo' arrange owers we, yo'

)on7t nee) a ot o owers$ (ay+e yo' nee) 1, or 6, or 9, an) yo' give each ower

a ot o space$ An) we h'man +eings, we are ike that too, we nee) space in or)er


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to +e happy$ An) not ony space o'tsi)e, +'t space insi)e$

% we are so ' o emotions, so ' o anger an) hatre), an) ear, an) then we

)on7t have eno'gh space within 's, we cannot +e happy$ Thereore the practice is

to et go, in or)er to have space insi)e, an) aro'n)$ An) i we ove each other we

sho') give each other eno'gh space insi)e an) aso o'tsi)e, so that that person,

these peope, wi ower$

"Breathing in, % see myse as space, +reathing o't, % ee ree$" Free)om is the

+ase o happiness$

So these eercises yo' might practice ike this5

%n 2 o't

ower 2 resh

mo'ntain 2 soi)

water 2 reecting

space 2 ree

An) then, i yo' want, yo' 4'st practice one, ike "ower, resh", or 9 times, or,

"mo'ntain, soi)", or three times$ An) we sha )o that every time we hear the

+e, we practice peace as a comm'nity, as a sangha$ 0et 's try$

An) en4oy yo'r +reathing$

Be/

% wo') ike to say one more thing concerning the ast eercise, "space",

"ree)om"$ % wo') ike to te yo' a story that % saw in the s'tras$ % think it is in

the Sam'ta Nikaya$ &ne )ay the B'))ah was sitting with a n'm+er o monks, in

the woo), near the city o :a4ai$ S'))eny one person came +y$ He ooke) very

'nhappy$ He was a armer$

He aske) the B'))ha whether he ha) seen his cows, passing +y$ The B'))ha

aske), "3hat cows." He sai) that he ha) tweve cows, an) they have a r'n away$

"(onk, % am the most 'nhappy person on earth$ % think % am going to )ie$ % ony

have tweve cows, an) they have gone, a o them$

An) % aso have two pieces o an) where % c'tivate sesame see) pants, an) they


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are a eaten 'p +y insects$ So % think % wi )ie$" The B'))ha sai) he )i)n7t see

any cows, an) he s'ggeste) that the armer go in the other )irection in or)er to

ook or his cows$

An) ater the armer was gone, the B'))ha t'rne) to his monks an) sai) this5

"(onks, yo' are very 'cky, yo' )on7t have any cows$"

So, i we have any cows, either insi)e an) o'tsi)e, et them go$ &'r happiness, o'r

ree)om, o'r peace )epen)s very m'ch on o'r capacity to reease o'r cows$

Be/

% have sai) that every time we are overwheme) +y the emotions, we can har)y +e

o'rseves$ 3e are ike a tree, when there are strong win)s +owing$ The top o the

tree sways very m'ch$ An) we have the impression, i we ook at the top o thetree, that the tree is not very soi)$ %t can +e +roken$ B't i we go )own, to the

tr'nk o the tree, an) i yo' are more aware o the roots o the trees, )eep in the

soi, yo' wi have another eeing, the tree is m'ch more soi)$

So we are a kin) o tree$ &'r emotions are on this eve, +'t i we know how to

+ring o'r attention to this eve, the eve o o'r nave, an) then this is the tr'nk o

the tree$ So every time yo' are possesse) +y one strong emotion, try to ho) yo'r

attention here, a itte +it +eow the nave, an) +reathe accor)ing to this gatha; "in,

o't", "mo'ntain, soi)", an) so on$ An) yo' wi in) that yo' are m'ch moresoi)$

Pay attention to the movement o yo'r a+)omen$ Hep yo'r a+)omen to )o the

work o p'mping the air, an) ater a ew min'tes yo'7 ee m'ch +etter$ So this

metho) may save yo'r ie in the 't're$ % yo' know how to practice it in yo'r

)aiy ie, an) when yo' ace a )anger, a +ig )anger, yo' wi know how to +reathe

in an) o't in or)er to regain yo'r contro, an) yo'r soi)ity$

& co'rse, when we practice ike this there is something present in 's$ That

something is cae) min)'ness$ (in)'ness is the capacity to +e there, in thepresent moment; soi), camer, more 'ci)$ An) that is the r'it o the practice o

min)'ness$ -o' nee) ony to practice +reathing in an) o't ike that in or)er or

min)'ness to +e present$ An) min)'ness wi +ring yo' many goo) things;

soi)ity, reshness, camness, cearsighte)ness, an) ree)om$

3hen yo' +reathe in an) o't, an) reease things, yo' +ecome a reer person$ An)


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o) is avaia+e ony in the present moment$ So +reathe in an)

o't, smie, an) yo' see that the king)om o >o), the king)om o peace an)

happiness, is avaia+e to yo'$ ?'st make one step an) enter the king)om o >o)

with min)'ness$

An) i we know how to get in to'ch with the rereshing, heaing things in 's, ike

o'r eyes, ike the +ea'ti' s'nset, a itte chi), the +ea'ti' rivers, the air we

+reathe, we, we wi get no'rishe) +y these things, an) peace is avaia+e in the

present moment to some etent$ An) we have to proit rom it$

So the irst 'nction o min)'ness is to hep yo' to get in to'ch with the

rereshing an) heaing eements in yo' an) aro'n) yo' so that yo' may +eno'rishe)$ An) that is the practice o peace itse$ Beca'se i yo' are not heathy,

yo' are not peace', yo' cannot )o anything to hep anyone, inc')ing yo'r

+eove) ones$

% think a tree can ook happy$ 3hen yo' ook at a tree yo' can see i a tree is

happy or not$ A tree is happy when it is a rea tree; soi), resh$ An) we h'man


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+eings, we are ike that too$ % we practice we +ecome more resh, more soi),

tr'y a h'man +eing, an) then we are happy$ An) +eore we )o anything in or)er

to hep other peope, we area)y hep$ % think that the +est thing that a tree can )o

or 's is to +e a tree, to +e a rea tree, a heathy, happy tree$ Beca'se i a tree is ess

than a tree, then a o 's wi +e in tro'+e$

The same thing is tr'e with a h'man +eing$ So a h'man +eing sho') +e a rea, a

tr'e h'man +eing$ An) i a h'man +eing is ess than a h'man +eing, then the

whoe cosmos wi s'er, wi +e in tro'+e$ An) that is why we nee) to +e

o'rseves; rereshing, soi), peace'$

Be/

3hen we are not happy, we try to escape o'rseves$ 3e try to think that o'r

happiness is in the 't're, an) that we sho') r'n to the 't're$ B't we know that

r'nning to the 't're means to )eny the present moment$ B't ie can ony +e

o'n) in the present moment$ % yo' )o not want to miss yo'r appointment with

ie, yo' have to go +ack to the present moment$ Everything yo' ook or, peace,

happiness, cam, +'))ha, king)om o >o), they are a in the present moment$

% yo' are r'nning to the 't're it means that yo' are not happy in the present

moment$ % someone takes re'ge in the )r'gs an) acoho, it means that she is not

happy, he is not happy an) peace'$ An) i someone is taking re'ge in action,

even peace action, he is not peace' an) happy$

% someone is )oing a ot o things to protect the environment, to protest the war, it

may +e that that someone is not happy, an) they take re'ge in the action in or)er

to orget their 'nhappiness$ B't i they )o things ike that, they )o things in that

sit'ation, they wi not hep, +eca'se their happiness, their soi)ity sho') +e the

+ase or the action$ So action sho') +e +ase) on non2action, it means +ase) on

+eing$ An) the 8'aity o o'r +eing )etermines the 8'aity o o'r action$ An)

therore, et 's not take re'ge in action in or)er to escape +eing$

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Guided Med Flower Mountain Lake