Metta Meditation for New Year's

Thich Nhat Hanh encourages us to practice metta meditation in the first three days of the new year. On the first day we practice for ourselves. On the second day we practice for the other person we love. On the third day we practice for the other person (or institution) that makes us suffer. Concrete practices are described for the coming year.

A SIMPLE LOVE/METTA MEDITATION

We begin practicing this love meditation on ourselves

May I be peaceful, happy and light in body and spirit.

May I be safe and free from injury.

May I be free from anger, afflictions, fear and anxiety.

After that we can practice on others (he/she)

May he/she be peaceful, happy and light in body and spirit.

May he/she be safe and free from injury.

May he/she be free from anger, afflictions, fear and anxiety.

After that we can practice including our selves with others (we),

May we be peaceful, happy and light in body and spirit.

May we be safe and free from injury.

May we be free from anger, afflictions, fear and anxiety.

We begin this practice by looking deeply into the skandha of form, which is our body. According to the Buddha, a human being is made of five skandhas (elements, heaps or aggregates): form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness. We are the king, and these elements are our territory. To know the real situations within ourselves, we have to survey our own territory thoroughly, including the elements within us that are at war with each other. To bring about harmony, reconciliation, and healing within, we have to understand ourselves. Looking and listening deeply, surveying our territory, is the beginning of love meditation.

Nourishing Happiness by Thich Nhat Hanh

Nourishing Happiness

Thich Nhat Hanh

May I know how to nourish the seeds of joy in myself every day.
May he/she know how to nourish the seeds of joy in him/herself every day.
May they know how to nourish the seeds of joy in themselves every day.

May I be able to live fresh, solid, and free.
May he/she be able to live fresh, solid, and free.
May they be able to live fresh, solid, and free.

May I be free from attachment and aversion, but not be indifferent.
May he/she be free from attachment and aversion, but not be indifferent.
May they be free from attachment and aversion, but not be indifferent.

These meditations help us water the seeds of joy and happiness in our store consciousness. Joy and happiness are the food of a Zen monk. Before eating, we say, “May all beings be nourished by the joy of meditation.”

What is the nature of this joy? How can we touch true joy every moment of our lives? How can we live in a way that brings a smile, the eyes of love, and happiness to everyone we encounter? Use your talent to find ways to bring happiness to yourself and others—the happiness that arises from meditation and not from the pursuit of fruitless pleasure. Meditative joy has the capacity to nourish our mindfulness, understanding, and love. Try to live in a way that encourages deep happiness in yourself and others. “I vow to bring joy to one person in the morning and to help relieve the suffering of one person in the afternoon.” Ask yourself, “Who can I make smile this morning?” This is the act of creating happiness.

♥♥♥

Home Meditation Space by Thich Nhat Hanh Part 3

We are so used to running around, even at home, that stopping is a hard habit to develop.

Visual cues places throughout the house can serve aa gentle reminders that now is

the perfect time to stop and be aware of the present moment. To help, you can write

out these little poems, called gathas, and put them somewhere you can't help but

see them. Here are some gathas and suggestions of where to put them:

For the Bedside Table:

Waking up this morning, I smile.

Twenty- four brand new hours are before me.

I vow to live fully in each moment

And to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.

For the Bathroom Mirror:

Brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth,

I vow to speak purely and lovingly.

When my mouth is fragrant with right speech,

A flower blooms in the garden of my heart.

Near a Vase of Flowers:

Water keeps the flower fresh.

The Flower and I are one.

When the flower breathes, I breathe.

When the flower smiles, I smile.

By The Garden:

Water and Sun

Green these plants.

When the rain of compassion falls

Even a desert becomes an immense green ocean.

Near the Computer:

The mind is like a computer

With thousands of pages.

I choose a world that is tranquil and calm,

So that my joy will always be fresh.

On the door of the Breathing/Meditation Room:

Entering the room,

I see my true mind.

I vow that once I sit down,

All disturbances will stop.

On the Front Door:

I have arrived.

I am home.

Home Meditation Space by Thich Nhat Hanh Part 2

By stopping the activities of our minds and bodies - by just sitting quietly, breathing in and out, being silent within, and releasing our tensions and worry - we become more solid, more concentrated, and more intelligent.

Now we can look deeply at what is happening inside and around us. Releasing our tension and worry allows us to focus on the happiness available to us right now, by allowing us to see that the conditions for our happiness are already present.

Home Meditation Space by Thich Nhat Hanh Part 1

 

The key to creating a home meditation practice is to create a space where the busyness stops.

We tend to be busy all day, and when we come home we continue to be busy. We cook; we clean; and we putter around. Or, we are so tired of being busy that we want to do something mindless and easy, like watching a television show, or taking a nap. Then, we go back to being busy again.

There is a way to feel refreshed and alert without being busy.  All we need is a gentle reminder - a location, an image, or a sound - to help us return home to ourselves and pay attention to what is there inside us and around us.  We can touch the present moment in all its fullness and joy if we simply have a place, and a way, to stop. Stopping the random progression of thoughts is the first step in meditation practice.

The key to creating a home meditation practice is to create a space where the busyness stops. When we stop and bring our mind back to our body, we can pay full attention to all that is happening in the present moment. We call this "mindfulness."  To be mindful means to be here, fully present, and fully alive, unencumbered by thoughs of the past, or the future, our worries, or our projects.  It is only when we stop that we can encounter life. When we stop, body and mind can reunite and then we can experience their oneness.

Mindfulness Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.

Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

Breathing in, I notice my breath has become deep.

Breathing out, I notice my breath has become slow.

Breathing in, I calm my body and my mind.

Breathing out, I am at ease.

Breathing in, I smile.

Breathing out, I release.

Breathing in, I got back to the present moment.

Breathing out, I know this is a wonderful moment.

In, Out.

Deep. Slow.

Calm. Ease.

Smile. Release.

Present moment, Wonderful moment.

I AM - by Thich Nhat Hanh

Breathing in, breathing out.
Breathing in, breathing out.
I am blooming as a flower.
I am fresh as a dew.
I am solid as a mountain.
I am firm as the earth.
I am free.
Breathing in, breathing out.
Breathing in, breathing out,.
I am water reflecting.
What is real, what is true.
And I feel there is space.
Deep inside of me.
I am free; I am free; I am free. - Thich Nhat Hanh

The World Needs our Happiness

Each moment is a chance for us to make peace with the world, to make peace possible for the world. The world needs our happiness.

--Thich Nhat Hanh--

Spiritual Connection by Thich Nhat Hanh

Spiritual Connection

 

Humans have always searched for our Spiritual connection. Every human who has ever lived on this planet has ached for, yearned for, Spiritual fulfillment. Every human who is not in denial feels the hole inside that comes from Spiritual dis-ease, from feeling disconnected from our Spiritual Source. Humans have been trying to fill the hole within ourselves by looking outside of ourselves. We were taught to look outside, to external manifestations to meet our needs, to find out who we are and why we are here. The answers do not exist outside - the answers lie within. We are here to experience this human evolutionary process. The more we awaken to the Truth of who we are (Spiritual beings) and why we are here (to experience being human) and stop giving power to the false gods of money, property and prestige, people, places and things, the more we can celebrate being here!

A Thich Nhat Hanh Lesson

http://www.phathue.com/buddhism/dharma-talks/thich-nhat-hanh-dharma-talk/

Taking Refuge by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Buddha taught that there's a very safe place we can come back to, no matter where we are and anytime we want.  That place is the island of our true self.

Within ourselves there is a safe island we can come back to, where the storms of life cannot shake us.

One of the Buddha's most widely quotes phrases is attadipa saranam, which means taking refuge (saranam) in the island (dipa) of self (atta).

When you come back to your mindful breathing, you come back to yourself, and you touch the safe island inside of you.  In that place you find your ancestors, your true home, and the Three Jewels.

The Three jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma (the teachings and the way to understanding and love), and the Sangha (our spiritual community of friends who support us on our path).

Breathing mindfully, you are already finding a refuge in your breath, and you become aware of what's going on in your body, your feelings, your perceptions, your mental formations, and your consciousness.

Mindful breathing brings all the different aspects of yourself back together as one. As you breathe, your body, your feelings, your perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness all connect with that breathing, just as if you were to lift your voice in song and everyone in your family would stop their chattering and listen! The breath calms and unifies your body and mind and harmonizes your person.

In that moment, the island of your true elf is manifesting as a safe space.

Being an island unto myself,

Buddha is my mindfulness, shining near, shining far.

Dharma is my breathing, guarding body and mind.

I am free.

As an island unto myself,

Sangha is working in harmony.

Taking refuge in myself, coming back to myself,

I am free.

Breathing in, breathing out,

I am blooming as a flower,

I am fresh as the dew.

I am solid as a mountain,

I am firm as the Earth.

I am free.

Breathing in, breathing out,

I am water reflecting what is real, what is true'

And I feel there is space deep inside of me.

I am free.

You can practice with this verse in times of difficulty and danger, when you need to keep your cool to know what to do and what not to do.  

The presence of mindfulness is the presence of the Buddha illuminating the situation, so you can know what to do and what not to do.

With the Buddha, the Dharma, ad the Sangha protecting you, you have nothing more to fear.

In this calm and focused state, you will know what actions to take in order to stabilize the situation.

There can be no greater security than that. Even facing death, we can die peacefully.

--Thich Nhat Hanh--

Lighting the Torch of Awareness - Thich Nhat Hanh

LIGHTING THE TORCH OF OUR AWARENESS

Let us light the torch of our awareness and learn again how to drink tea, eat, wash dishes, walk, sit, drive, and work in awareness. We do not have to be swept along by circumstances. We are not just a leaf or a log in a rushing river. With awareness, each of our daily acts takes on a new meaning, and we discover that we are more than machines, that our activities are not just mindless repetitions. We find that life is miracle, the universe is a miracle, and we too are a miracle.

--Thich Nhat Hanh--

The End of Suffering

The perfect footage set to Thich's Collaboration of 'The End of Suffering' click here

Bells of Mindfulness

Click here to see 'The Bells of Mindfulness' You Tube Video..

with Sister Dang Nhiem of the Deer Park Monastery

Do You Have Time To Love?

--by Thich Nhat Hanh (Nov 29, 2004)

To love is, above all, to be there. But being there is not an easy thing. Some training is necessary, some practice. If you are not there, how can you love? Being there is very much an art, the art of meditation, because meditating is bringing your true presence to the here and now. The question that arises is: Do you have time to love?

I know a boy of twelve whose father asked him one day: "Son, what would you like for your birthday present?" The boy did not know how to answer his father, who was a very rich man, able to buy anything for his son. But the boy did not want anything except his father's presence. Because the role the father played kept him very busy, he did not have time to devote to his wife and children. Being rich is an obstacle to loving, When you are rich, you want to continue to be rich, and so you end up devoting all your time, all your energy in your daily life, to staying rich. If this father were to understand what true love is, he would do whatever is necessary to find time for his son and his wife.

The most precious gift you can give to the one you love is your true presence. What must we do to really be there? Those who have practiced meditation know that meditating is above all being present: to yourself, to those you love, to life. [.]

Do you have enough time to love? Can you make sure that in your everyday life you have a little time to love? We do not have much time together; we are too busy. In the morning while eating breakfast, we do not look at the person we love, we do not have enough time for it. We eat very quickly while thinking about other things, and sometimes we even hold a newspaper that hides the face of the person we love. In the evening when we come home, we are too tired to be able to look at the person we love.

We must bring about a revolution in our way of living our everyday lives, because our happiness, our lives, are within ourselves.

--Thich Nhat Hanh

Refuge Prayer by Thich Nhat Hanh

REFUGE PRAYER

At the foot of the Bodhi Tree,

Beautifully seated, peaceful and smiling,

The living source of understanding and compassion,

To the Buddha I go for refuge.

The path of mindful living,

Leading to healing, joy, and enlightenment,

The way of peace,

To the Dharma I go for refuge.

The loving and supportive community of practice,

Realizing harmoney, awareness and liberation,

To the Sangha I go for refuge.

I am aware that the Three Gems are within my heart.

I vow to realize them.

I vow to practice mindful breathing and smiling,

Looking deeply into things.

I vow to understand living beings and their suffering,

To cultivate compassion and loving kindness,

And to practice joy and equanimity.

I vow to offer joy to one person in the morning

And to help relieve the grief of one person in the afternoon.

I vow to live simply and sanely,

Content with just a few possessions,

And to keep my body healthy.

I vow to let go of all worry and anxiety

In order to be light and free.

I am aware that I owe so much to my parents, teachers, friends and all beings.

I vow to be worthy of their trust,

To practice wholeheartedly,

So that understanding and compassion will flower,

And I can help living beings

Be free of their suffering.

May the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha support my efforts..

-- Thich Nhat Hanh --

Anger and Mindfulness

When someone touches the seed of anger by saying something or doing something that upsets us, that seed of anger will come up and manifest in mind consciousness as the mental formation (cittasamskara) of anger. The word “formation” is a Buddhist term for something that’s created by many conditions coming together. A marker pen is a formation; my hand, a flower, a table, a house, are all formations. A house is a physical formation. My hand is a physiological formation. My anger is a mental formation. In Buddhist psychology we speak about fifty-one varieties of seeds that can manifest as fifty-one mental formations. Anger is just one of them. In store consciousness, anger is called a seed. In mind consciousness, it’s called a mental formation.

Whenever a seed, say the seed of anger, comes up into our living room and manifests as a mental formation, the first thing we can do is to touch the seed of mindfulness and invite it to come up too. Now we have two mental formations in the living room. This is mindfulness of anger. Mindfulness is always mindfulness of something. When we breathe mindfully, that is mindfulness of breathing. When we walk mindfully, that is mindfulness of walking. When we eat mindfully, that’s mindfulness of eating. So in this case, mindfulness is mindfulness of anger. Mindfulness recognizes and embraces anger.

Every time we need the energy of mindfulness, we just touch that seed with our mindful breathing, mindful walking, smiling, and then we have the energy ready to do the work of recognizing, embracing, and later on looking deeply and transforming. Whatever we’re doing, whether it’s cooking, sweeping, washing, walking, being aware of our breathing, we can continue to generate the energy of mindfulness, and the seed of mindfulness in us will become strong. Within the seed of mindfulness is the seed of concentration. With these two energies, we can liberate ourselves from afflictions.

--Thich Nhat Hanh--

Attachment is an Impediment

Attachment to views is the greatest impediment to the spiritual path.

--Thich Nhat Hanh--

Walking Meditation When Angry

WALKING MEDITATION WHEN ANGRY

When anger arises, we may wish to go outside to practice walking meditation. The fresh air, the green trees, and the plants will help us greatly. We can practice like this:

'Breathing in, I know that anger is here.
Breathing out, I know the anger is me.
Breathing in, I know that anger is unpleasant.
Breathing out, I know this feeling will pass.
Breathing in, I am calm.
Breathing out, I am strong enough to take care of this anger.'

To lessen the unpleasant feeling brought about b the anger, we give our whole heart and mind to the practice of walking meditation, combining our breath with our steps and giving full attention to the contact between the soles of our feet and the earth. As we walk, we recite this verse, and wait until we are calm enough to look directly at the anger. Until then, we can enjoy our breathing, our walking, and the beauties of our environment.
After a while, our anger will subside and we will fill stronger.
Then we can begin to observe the anger directly and try to understand it.

--Thich Nhat Hanh--

Recollection of the Buddha

Recollection of the Buddha

The practice I would like to show you is called Recollection of the Buddha and it is taught in every school of Buddhism.
SIt down quietly, breathe in and out for a few minutes to calm yourself, and then ask, "Little Buddha, are you there?"
Ask the question very deeply and quietly. In the beginning you may not hear an answer. There is always an answwer, but if you are not calm enough, you won't hear it.
"Little Buddha are you there?" And then one day you will hear the voice of your little Buddha answering, "Yes, my dear, of course. I am always here for you."
Hearing this you smile. "I know, little Buddha, you are my calm. I know you are always there, and I need you to help me be calm.. I shout and I act as if I don't have a Buddha in me. Thankyou little Buddha I need you to be there."
The little Buddha says, "Of course I'll be here for you all the time. Just come inside and visit me when you need to."
That is the practice of touching the Buddha inside. It's a very important practice for all of us.
--Thich Nhat Hanh--

Walk with the Feet of the Buddha

THE ENERGY OF MINDFULNESS

It is possible to walk with the feet of the Buddha.  Our feet, empowered by the energy of mindfulness, become the feet of Buddha.  You can't say, "I can't walk with the feet of the Buddha, I don't have them."  It's not true. Your feet are the Buddha's feet, and if you really want to use them, it's up to you.  If you bring the energy of mindfulness into your feet, your feet become the Buddha's feet and you walk for him.  And that does not need some kind of blind faith. This is so clear.  If you are inhabited by the energy of mindfulness, you are acting like a Buddha, you are speaking like a Buddha, you are thinking like a Buddha.  That is Buddhahood in you.  That is something you can experience; it's not  a theory  --Thich Nhat Hanh--

Unconditional Love

Love is a mind that brings peace, and happiness to another person.
Compassion is a mind that removes the suffering that is present in the other.
We all have the seeds of love and compassion in our  minds, and we can develop
these fine and wonderful sources of energy.
We can nurture the unconditional love that does not expect anything in return
and therefore does not lead to anxiety and sorrow
--Thich Nhat Hanh--

The End of Suffering - Thich Nhat Hanh

I found this originally in Itunes but have found it to be a wonderous help to me through my grief and sorrow at the loss of my beloved father on August 15th, 2011.

Please check it out and see if it does for you what it's done for me and countless others.

With eternal love,

Little Miss Bliss ♥ 

The End of Suffering --Thich Nhat Hanh--

A Prayer for Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh

A PRAYER FOR PEACE BY THICH NHAT HANH

In beauty, sitting on a lotus flower, is Lord Buddha quiet and solid.

Your humble disciple, calm and pure of heart, forms a lotus flower with his hands, faces you with deep respect, and offers this heartfelt prayer.

Homage to all Buddhas in the ten directions.

Because of your love for all people, have compassion on us.

Help us remember we are just one family,

Worldwide.

Help us rekindle our compassion and brotherhood, and transform our separate interests into loving acceptance for all.

May your compassion help us overcome hatred.

May Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva's love help the flowers bloom again in the soil of all countries.

Humbly, we open our hearts to you, so you may help us transform our karma and water the flowers of our spirits.

With you deep understanding, help our hearts grow light.

Homage to Shakyamundi Buddha whose great vows and compassion inspire us.

I am determined to cultivate only thoughts that increase trust and love, to use my hands to perform only deeds that build community,

to speak only words of harmony and aid.

May the merit of this prayer be transformed into peace worldwide.

May each of us realize this, our deep aspiration.

Breathing Room

Breathing Room

We have a room for everything - eating, sleeping, watching TV - but we have no room for Mindfulness.

I recommend that we set up a small room in our homes and call it a 'Breathing Room', where we can be alone and practice just breathing and smiling, at least in difficult moments.

That little room should be regarded as an Embassy of the Kingdom of Peace. It should be respected, and not violated by anger, shouting, or things like that.  When a child is about to be shouted at, she can take refuge in that room. Neither the father nor the mother can shout at her anymore. She is safe within the grounds of the Embassy. Parents sometimes will need to take refuge in that room, also, to sit down, breathe, smile and restore themselves. Therefore, that room is for the benefit of the whole family.

I suggest that the breathing room be decorated very simply, and not too bright. You may want to have a small bell, one with a beautiful sound, a few cushions or chairs, and perhaps a vase of flowers to remind us of our true nature. You or your children can arrange flowers in mindfulness, smiling. Every time you feel a little upset, you know that the best thing to do is to go to that room, open the door slowly, sit down, invite the bell to sound - in my country we don't say 'strike' or 'hit' a bell - and begin to breathe.  The bell will help not only the person in the breathing room, but the others in the house as well.

I believe that every home should have one room for breathing. Simple practices like conscious breathing and smiling are very important. They can change our civilization.

--Thich Nhat Hanh

Choose the Right Channel

There are thousands of channels in our consciousness.

It's up to us to choose the channel.

--Thich Nhat Hanh--

Anything is Possible

Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Planting Seed of Happiness

Planting Seeds of Happiness

You have both seeds of happiness and unhappiness in you, planted by your parents, your ancestors, or your friends.

When seeds of happiness manifest themselves, you feel quite happy. But when seeds of sorrow, anger, and hatred manifest, you feel very unhappy. The quality of our life depends on what seeds we water in our consciousness.

When you practice breathing, smiling, and looking at beautiful things around you, you are planting seeds of beauty and happiness. That is why we practice things like breathing in and seeing ourselves as a flower, breathing out and feeling fresh, breathing in and seeing ourselves as a mountain, breathing out and feeling solid like a mountain.  This practice helps us plant seeds of solidity and freshness in ourselves.  Every time we walk with calm and ease, or we smile and release the tension in us, we are planting seeds that will strengthen our happiness. With each happy step, we plant a happy seed.

- Thich Nhat Hanh -

The Precious Gem - A Poem by Thich Nhat Hanh

Precious gems are everywhere in the cosmos and inside of every one of us.

I want to offer a handful to you, my dear friend.

Yes, this morning, I want to offer a handful to you,

A handful of diamonds that glow from morning to evening.

Each minute of our daily life is a diamond

That contains Sky and Earth, Sunshine and River.

We only need to breathe gently for the miracle to be revealed:

Birds singing, flowers blooming.

Here is the blue sky, here is the white cloud floating,

Your lovely look, your beautiful smile.

All these are contained in one jewel.

You who are the richest person on Earth

And behave like a destitute son,

Please come back to your heritage.

Let us offer each other happiness

And learn to dwell in the present moment.

Let us cherish life in our two arms

And let go of our forgetfulness and despair.
- Thich Nhat Hanh

Pebble Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh

Pebble Meditation
by Thich Nhat Hanh

I would like to ask you to sing the song of the practice, in which there is a flower, there is a mountain, there is still water, and there is space. Let us sing together:
Breathing in, breathing out.
Breathing in, breathing out.
I am blooming as a flower.
I am fresh as a dew.
I am solid as a mountain.
I am firm as the earth.
I am free.
Breathing in, breathing out.
Breathing in, breathing out,.
I am water reflecting.
What is real, what is true.
And I feel there is space.
Deep inside of me.
I am free; I am free; I am free.

Children can practice sitting meditation together in a circle. You bring your pebbles in, and after having breathed in and out with the bell, you pick out four pebbles, and you put them on your left. One of you will be the leader of sitting meditation. You invite the bell one time for people to breathe in and out, allow themselves the time to breathe in and out three times. And after having practiced three sounds of the bell, you begin your pebble meditation. I would like you to draw four things for me.

The first thing is a flower, any kind of flower, just draw a flower; and I want you to draw the flower while breathing in and breathing out. A flower represents freshness. The flower is within you because you are able to be fresh. All of us have the capacity of being fresh, if we have lost our freshness then we can practice breathing in and out and restore our freshness. So flower has flowerness within it. You also are a flower, and you have your flowerness. We are beautiful every time we restore our flowerness. With two fingers, you pick up one of the pebbles and you look at it. This is the flower. And you put the first pebble on the palm of your left hand. And you put the left hand above your right hand and you begin to practice the first pebble. “Breathing in, I see myself as a flower. Breathing out, I feel fresh.” Three times. And while you practice, “Flower, fresh.” You recuperate, you restore the flowerness in you, you become fresh. And after three breathings like that, you use your two fingers, pick up the first pebble, look at it, smile to it, and you put it on your right.

The second thing I would like you to draw is a mountain. You draw a mountain. Maybe you need only two lines in order to make a mountain. Also, breathing in and breathing out, smile when you draw the mountain. Mountain represents solidity, stability. There is a mountain within yourself because when you practice sitting and walking, you can develop the capacity of being solid, stable. Solidity and stability is very important for our happiness. And we know that we have the capacity to be stable, to be solid. And if we know how to practice walking mindfully or sitting mindfully, we cultivate our solidity, our stability. So that is the mountain within us. Now you pick up the second one. Look at it. This represents a mountain. You put it on your left hand, your left hand on your right hand, and you begin to practice Mountain. “Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain.” You have a mountain within. And you practice three times: “Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain. Breathing out, I feel solid.” You put it on your right. It is a lot of fun practicing meditation.

The third thing I’d like you to draw is water. You draw water, a lake or something like that with water, still water, because still water can reflect the sky, the clouds, the mountains, and so on. Still water is wonderful. When the water is still, it can reflect things as they are; it does not distort things. We don’t have wrong views, misunderstanding about things inside and outside of us. That is why to learn how to breathe in and breathe out mindfully, we can still ourselves, we can calm ourselves. We make the still water apparent within us. So still water is within you.

The third pebble represents still water. You look at it. Still water is within you. When the water in you is still, you are calm, you are serene. You see things clearly as they are. You do not distort things. You do not have wrong perceptions. It is wonderful. “Breathing in, I see myself as still water.” Still water is one of the most beautiful things I have seen. Still water reflects the sky as it exactly is. It reflects the clouds, the mountains exactly as they are - no distortion at all. “Breathing in, I see myself as still water. Breathing out, I reflect things as they truly are.” Three times, and then you pick it up, and you put it on your right.

The fourth thing I would like you to draw is space. How can you draw space? Maybe you would like to draw the sky, representing space. Space is within you. The people who do not have space inside are not happy people. That is why you have to practice in such a way that you bring a lot of space within. It is very important. You look at the table. You think that the table is made of wood; but in fact there is a lot of space within the table. Matter is just a little bit; most of the table is space. Our body, our consciousness are also like that. That is why you have to breathe in and out and recognize that there is a lot of space within. And touching the space within, you become free; and you become happy.

Now, the fourth pebble. You look at it. You smile to it. This represents space. Remember, people without space within cannot be happy. People without space around them cannot be happy. Be like the moon traveling in the beautiful sky. It has a lot of space. Freedom is what we want, and space is inside. We have to touch the space inside to be free. Without freedom, no one can be truly happy. “Breathing in, I see myself as space. Breathing out, I feel free.” Three times, and then you pick it up, and you put it on your right. And now you have finished your pebble meditation.

Now, you only have to wait for three sounds of the bell to conclude your sitting meditation.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh is an apostle of peace and non-violence… His ideas for peace, if applied, 

would build a monument to ecumenism,

to world brotherhood, to humanity. 

—Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thich Nhat Hanh Quote Collective in Facebook

TNH|FB - Click on purple to visit..

Thich Nhat Hanh Music 2011

Thich Nhat Hanh Zen Meditation/Mindfulness Music Taiwan 2011


Click on the above link to hear the Thich Nhat Hanh Zen Music, it is so relaxing, meditative and full of mindfulness ♥