J 'Bell - The Mindfulness Bell

Present Moments in China
by Jamie Burnett
Iread the last issue of The Mindfulness Bell with surprise
and great joy. I had justvisited many of the same places that
Thay and others had traveledto in China. How small our planet
isand how interrelated we all are! Ivisited China for the first
time to attend the Fourth World Conference on Women, Non-
Governmental Organizations (NGO), in Huairou. Attending
the meetingwasan honor and a pleasure,allowing me to meet
women from all over the world, learn about their lives, and
share my life with them.
There were over 30,000 women at the NGO Conference,
approximately 3,000 workshops, countless other presentations,
and many opportunities to share experiences. Reports in
the American pressbefore the conference hadme anticipating
much physical discomfort there. While I did have some momentsof
discomfort, Ialso experienced much joy. For me, all
of the moments were present moments filled with wonder. My
practice enabled me to be present for so many of these moments.
Every day, every hour, "breathing in, breathing out"
calmed me and brought me fully into the present moment,
enabling me to experience all of my emotions.
I would like to share two examples. My practice allowed me
to be "with" a woman standing next to me aswe waited inthe
rain for lunch for almostan hour. I was able to be in the moment
with her—with the rain, the chill, and the discomfort—and
open to learn about her life as a Palestinian woman, her
struggles and her joys. I was also able to share my struggles and
joys with her.
My practice also allowed me to be present for long bus rides
on not very comfortable buses. One morning, I took a busfrom
Huairou to Beijing, and ended up in the backof the busseated
behind a Vietnamese woman and an American woman. The
Vietnamese woman had not had an opportunity to rest since
arriving at the conference, and the bus was very noisy and
uncomfortable. Although Iwanted very much to talk withthe
Vietnamese woman, between her fatigue and the noise level on
the bus, it was clear that a conversation would not be possible.
I found myself breathing in and out, steadying myself,
being with the moment—with the clankingopen windows, the
roar of the engine and the wind, the vibration through the thinly
cushioned seat and even thinner floorboards, the thick dust
mingling with the exhaust fumesin the air, the heavy damp heat
of the morning, and the brightsun reflecting offthe white metal
interior of the bus. I was also aware of my own fatigue, the
smell of so many bodies close together on a very hot, sunny
day, and odors of different foods the womenfromAfrica seated
behind me were eating and offering to everyone on the bus.
Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment.
How many millions of times that gatha has centered me and
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brought me back to my true self in the last seven years!
The Vietnamese woman seatedinfront of me begantofall
asleep and her head slowly, gently drifted toward the American
woman sitting next to her until her head rested on the
shoulder of the American. I breathed and remembered a
generation ago when this woman's country and mine were
locked in bloody battle. I wondered if she, too, had lost a
beloved brother in that war; if she, too, had a mother whose
heart was broken and a niece who never had the chance to
know her father.
After afew minutes of sleep, the Vietnamese woman was
awakened by ajolt from the bus. She looked startled and a little
frightened as she realized she had laidher head on the American
woman's shoulder. Then she laughed shyly and bowed
veryslightly to her seat mate. In my heart, I bowed back to her.
Jamie Burnett lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
Embracingthe Fourth Precept
by Eurydice Hirsey
During the summer at Plum Village in 1994, my
husband, Barry Roth, was ordainedas a Dharma teacher;
I took the Fourteen Precepts of the Order of Interbeing; and
our son, Matthew, took the Five Wonderful Precepts. After
returning home, we all looked deeply into ourfamily life with
mindful discernment, and rededicated ourselves to cultivating
a more engaged lifestyle. Wefelt a heightened awareness
of the great need for social justice and, last June, we participated
in a human rights delegation to Guatemala with six
other peace activists.
Although Buddhism has not been widely cultivated in
Central America, the spiritual practices of the indigenous
Mayan culture are filled with a truth inherent in all spiritual
traditions.We did not meet anyone who had not lost a family
member either to disappearances, murder, or torture. While
their pain was a constant companion, anger was not. Love, not
anger, motivated them.
Seeing, hearing, and touching the very heart of suffering in
Guatemala brought tovivid life the deep need for The Fourth
Precept. You cannot close your eyes to the truth in Guatemala—the
dismal effects of profound poverty and a long
history of murder and repression are everywhere. You are
forced to witness in the banal, a legacy of centuries of brutal
human rights abuses. Yet, in the midst of this ocean of samsara,
we felt a reservoirof hope, kindness,and deep resolve among
the Mayan people—a resolve to end the suffering nonviolently;
a resolve to bring out the truth in order to transform it;
a resolve to create anew. Inthe steamy jungles and denserain
forests of Guatemala, the depth of mindful awareness shines
a very steady light on compassion and determination.
Eurydice Hirsey, True Precious Light, is a chiropractic physician
in the Greater Boston area.