Hành Trình Vô Ngã by
Vô Ngã Vô Ưu
Transcript of Thich Nhat Hanh English Dharma Talks
22 Breathing for Our Children
Published in the Mindfulness Bell #23, Winter 1998
Before he passed
away, the Buddha instructed his disciples to take refuge in the island of
mindfulness within themselves by practicing mindfulness in sitting, walking,
breathing, and every activity of daily life. Mindfulness means to be aware of
what is going on in the present moment. If we take one peaceful, happy step and
know that we are taking a peaceful, happy step, mindfulness is there. Breathing
in and out mindfully, we see the many elements of happiness already available.
Mindfulness is
enlightenment, understanding, compassion, liberation, and healing. If we touch
everything with mindfulness, the world will reveal itself in its full splendor.
Mindfulness makes our eyes, our heart, our non-toothache, the moon, and the
trees deep and beautiful. And when we touch our suffering with mindfulness, we
begin to transform it. Mindfulness is like a mother holding her baby in her
arms and caring for her baby’s pain. When our pain is held by mindfulness, it
loses some of its strength.
Sometimes we feel
that happiness and well-being are not possible in the present moment. Our
grandparents and our parents may have taught us that happiness is only possible
in the future. But according to the Buddha, we can be happy right here and
right now. Even if a few things are not to our liking, there are many positive
conditions for our happiness. Please try this exercise:
Breathing in, I am aware of my eyes.
Breathing out, I smile to my eyes.
Generate the energy
of mindfulness and embrace your eyes. Smile to your eyes. Having eyes in good
condition is a wonderful element for your happiness. You only need to open your
eyes, and you will see a paradise of form and colors. Please enjoy this
paradise. Try not to let your worries, suffering, and anger overwhelm you.
Please try this practice:
Breathing in, I am aware of my heart.
Breathing out, I smile to my heart.
When you use the
energy of mindfulness to embrace your heart, you will see that having a heart
that functions well is another condition for your happiness. But you have
neglected your heart for a long time — by the way you work, eat, and manage anxiety.
Embrace your heart with tenderness, love, and compassion, and smile to your
heart. Practice with your whole body, while lying down or sitting up. If any
part of your body does not feel well, hold it with mindfulness and tenderness.
This is a wonderful practice. Mindful breathing is the door to reconcile with
and take care of our self.
The first exercise
the Buddha proposed in his Discourse on Mindful Breathing is:
Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.
The object of
mindfulness is your in-breath and your out-breath, and nothing else. Identify
your in-breath as in-breath and your out-breath as out-breath. It’s that
simple. Just say, “In,” and “Out,” as you breathe in and out. These words are
not concepts. They are instruments for maintaining mindfulness. Observe the
reality of your in-breath throughout its duration. Stay at one with your
in-breath all the way through.
You don’t need to
make an effort to stop your thinking. Just by concentrating on your in-breath
one hundred percent, your thinking will quiet itself. You don’t need to “force”
yourself to be mindful. Just enjoy your breathing. When the practice is
pleasant, concentration becomes easy, and insight is born. Mindfulness,
concentration, and insight always go together.
Sit or lie down in a
way that allows your body to rest. Sitting, your head and spine form a straight
line. Relax all your muscles. If you are sitting on a cushion, select one that
is the correct thickness for your physical condition. Find a way of sitting
that allows you to sit for at least twenty minutes, without becoming too stiff
or tired. As soon as you sit down, pay attention to your breath. Then notice
your posture, a little bit everywhere. Relax the muscles in your face. If you
are angry or worried, those muscles will be tense. Smile lightly, and you will
relax hundreds of muscles in your face. Then notice your shoulders, and let go
of the tension there. Don’t try too hard. Just breathe mindfully, and scan your
whole body.
When you watch TV,
you can sit for a long time. But in meditation, you struggle. Why not imitate
the way you sit watching television? The key is effortlessness. Don’t fight or
try too hard. Just allow yourself to sit in a relaxed way, and you will feel
deeply calm. A period of sitting meditation is time worth living. Don’t
interfere with your breathing. Breathing takes place by itself. Just light the
lamp of mindfulness and shine it on your breathing. Don’t modify, bend, or make
your breathing the way you think it is supposed to be. This is mindfulness of
breathing, not intervention. Just become aware of your in-breath and out-breath
as they are. If your in-breath is short, let it be short. If your out-breath is
long, let it be long. Become aware of your in-breath and out-breath as they
are. Don’t try to make them shorter or longer. After a few minutes of practice,
you will notice an improvement in the quality of your breathing, and a feeling
of well-being will be born in you.
Mindfulness
recognizes what is there, and concentration allows you to be deeply present
with whatever it is. Concentration is the ground of happiness. If you live
twenty-four hours a day in mindfulness and concentration, one day is a lot.
Each moment of your life can become a legend. The Buddha didn’t leave behind a
theory or set of dogmas. He left behind his life. Every step he took was solid
and peaceful. His compassion penetrated the living beings of his time, and the
living beings of today, as well. Each step, each breath, and each of his words
convey the energy of mindfulness, understanding, and compassion. The practice
is to live mindfully and deeply each moment of your daily life, to return to
your true home in the present moment.
But many of us do not
want to go home to ourselves. We were wounded as children, and it is hard for
us to trust others or allow their love to penetrate us. So, instead of going
home, we make every effort to avoid ourselves. We say we don’t have enough time
to be with ourselves, and even when we do have five or ten minutes, we turn on
the TV, pick up a magazine, or get in the car and go out for a drive. We
haven’t been in close touch with our body, our feelings, and our mind for a
long time. We are afraid to go home to ourselves, because we don’t have the
means to protect ourselves from the suffering that is within us. But
mindfulness can be our protection, making it possible for us to go home safely.
With mindfulness, we can touch the wounded child within and embrace him or her
without being overwhelmed. With training in mindful breathing and walking, we
will be able to go home and embrace our suffering. The practice is to prepare
ourselves to go back and touch the wounded child within. Doing this will help
many beings — past, present, and future — and
not only ourselves.
To practice is not to
transform ourselves into a battlefield, the good fighting the evil. There is
no battle. There are only positive and negative elements within us, and both sides
are us. We can embrace all of them, and when we do, the negative elements will
transform themselves into positive ones, without any fighting or discarding. We
need to learn to transform our garbage into compost. If we continue to practice
dwelling in mindfulness, accepting all the elements we discover within us as
ourselves, one day our wounds won’t force us to do and say things we don’t want
to do or say, anymore. With mindful breathing, we learn to recognize our
unwholesome mental formations even before they arise, and we can stop being the
victim of the habit energies we’ve received from so many generations of
ancestors. At that moment, we become an instrument in the work of
transformation, for our own sake and for the sake of our ancestors and future
generations.
The Buddha gave many
talks on breathing in and breathing out in mindfulness. My little book,Breathe!
You Are Alive, presents several of these, with commentaries on how to practice.
The Buddha did not offer these exercises as theories or means for analysis. He
offered them as concrete practices for us to do. Please practice mindful
breathing, and enjoy your breathing. Breathing is enjoyable.
Twenty years ago we
could not have imagined non-smoking flights. We suffered for years every time
we had to sit in an airplane among those who were smoking. Now, thanks to our
collective awakening, there are many non-smoking flights all over the world.
Awakening is possible. In every one of us there is a seed of awakening. We
should have confidence in this seed, and not be overwhelmed by despair. The
practice is to touch the positive elements that are already there, so we will
benefit from these elements and realize awakening.
If you practice
mindful breathing, mindful smiling, mindful walking, and mindful working, your
stability and strength will inspire those around you. Please practice together
as a Sangha. When you see a group of people living mindfully, capable of
smiling and loving, it will give you confidence in the future. Please learn the
art of Sangha building. We mustn’t allow the younger generation to lose hope.
Breathe, walk, act, and live each moment of life in a way that demonstrates to
our children that a future is possible.
This Dharma talk is
from Thich Nhat Hanh’s 21-Day Retreat in Burlington, Vermont, in June 1998, on
The Path of Emancipation. The talks will be published by Parallax Press in
1999.
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