Monday, May 12, we will meet online.
Dear friends,
This week, we will meet Monday evening, May 12th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, May 14th, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, May 16th, 12-1PM EST online.
On Monday night, Camille will facilitate, and we will continue to explore the Buddhist sutra on the Eight Realizations of Great Beings. According to the podcast, The Way Out Is In, Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) says that using the realizations as practical tools in our daily life can help us generate more understanding and compassion in our bodies, thoughts, perceptions, minds, and motivations.
Each of these realizations builds on the previous one. This week, we will focus on the Third Realization: “The awareness that the human mind is always searching outside of itself and never feels fulfilled. This brings about unwholesome activity.”
Camille writes:
My mind is often running to the future, sometimes to forget what is uncomfortable in the present moment. It is very easy for me to go out into my community and be of service to others. I learned at a very young age the importance of helping those in need and my goal of bringing happiness, healing, and joy to others is always foremost in my mind. However, listening to the podcast The Way Out Is In with Br. Phap Huu and Sister True Dedication, I realized my busyness may sometimes be a way to keep me from noticing what is going on inside of myself. While this desire to help others is very strong in me, in the podcast, Br. Phap Huu talks about the importance of being of service to ourselves and also to slow down enough to be with the conditions we have right now in ourselves.
Br. Phap Huu also shares that we can be okay by just enjoying ourselves without a goal or real purpose and to be in the present moment, knowing that we are enough. This can be a challenge for me as my role is often about being there to support and take care of others; I realize that it is possible that in fulfilling that role, I am sometimes not taking care of myself.
I don’t always take the time I need to heal my own pain or suffering, which lately has been a lot. However, as I continue to understand more about this teaching and enjoy simple mindfulness practices, I know it is possible to come home to myself in body and breath, and to take the time to look deeply to heal and find more peace without the need to look outside of myself. When I can be more generous to myself with love and happiness, I am much better at transmitting this feeling to others.
This quote from Thay’s book Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm, reminds me of the teaching of coming home to myself: “The practice of mindfulness consists of coming back to ourselves to restore peace and harmony. The energy of mindfulness carries with it concentration, understanding, and love. If we come back to ourselves to restore peace and harmony then it will be much easier to help the other person. Caring for yourself and reestablishing peace in yourself is the basic condition for helping someone else.”
I also like another quote of Thay’s from his book Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise: “The practice of mindfulness is very simple. You stop, you breathe, and you still your mind. You come home to yourself so that you can enjoy the here and now in every moment.”
As we contemplate this teaching, perhaps you might consider if you have found yourself searching for fulfillment outside of yourself and the impact that has had on your life.
Look forward to seeing you online on Monday night.
With love,
Camille