J 'Bell - The Mindfulness Bell

The Reward Is Tremendous
by RichardBrady & AudreyRussek
When I first read The Miracle of Mindfulnessin the spring
of 1988, noneofmyfriends was involved withmeditation.
It turned out that Chris, a twelfth grade student at the
Quaker high school where I teach, became my first Dharma
teacher.
Chris had spent his three-week senior project time at a local
Zen center. In a presentation to the school, Chris said that he
and a classmate had been reading Eastern philosophy and
religion since seventh grade. When he had learned of a Zen
center nearby, he decided to "put his body where his mind
was." After his presentation, a student in the audience asked
whether his meditation had had any effect on his life outside the
zendo. Chris responded that many of the effects were subtle
and difficult to put into words. "However," he continued, "I
can say that Iam less angry as a result." Iwas very movedby
Chris' presentation and told him so, going on to say that he had
inspired me to try out meditation practice.
In September, I shared this story with students at an assembly
where I led the school in a two-minute sitting meditation,
presented slides of the monks and nuns in Plum Village, and
talked about my experiences during the Winter Retreat there
earlierinthe year. Several days later, Audrey, a twelfth-grader,
shared this story at our all-school worship meeting:
"I'vebeen thinking about the fact that the main change Mr.
Brady' s student noticed in himself after he had been meditating
on a regular basiswas that he was less angry. Lately, I've been
soangry myself because I've had all this resentment building
up inside over responsibilities that I have to fulfill. I really want
to letitall go, but I can't. This makes me even more resentful
and angry. The other night I was sitting at my desk around
12:30 a.m. completely stressing because I had so much work to
do. I was on the verge of breaking. But I just closed my eyes and
took in ten deep breaths, concentrating on my inhaling and
exhaling the whole time. When I opened my eyes, I was so
relaxed. If any of you are feeling stressedout or angry, just take
ten seconds to close your eyes and breathe. The action is so
little, but the reward is tremendous."
Richard Brady, True Dharma Bridge, teaches high school in
Washington, D.C. Audrey Russek is a high school student.
I justFinished reading Thich Nhat Hanh's book, Peace Is
Every Step, and it truly moved me. I feel a lot better because
I practice mindfulness and breathing. Ithink this practice
is really wonderful. Inow wear something thatlooks like
a ball-bearing on a chain around my neck, and it sounds
like a chime when I move too fast. When I hear it, it
reminds me to slow down and breathe.
Beth Syre Hill, Age 11
Salada, Texas
Joyful Dishwashing
by Shuko Maseda
One day my mother gave me the book, Peace Is Every
Step. After reading about 30 pages, I found myself
reading deeply, as if I were absorbing with my eyes every
passage, word, and letter. What was written on the pages had
not been taught by anyone, but they were all things being taken
for granted in our daily life. My everyday life was so restless
and fidgety that Icould not even become aware of such daily
wonders. When my heart calmed down, I realized I was smiling
unconsciously.
Itwas a Saturday evening, and dishwashing was tofall on
me or my younger sister. We usually decide whowill washthe
dishes by tossing a token. I don't usually like to wash dishes,but
that evening, everything was different. I had read the part
"Washing Dishes," and these lines swept away my dull ideas
about dishwashing. "The idea that doing dishes is unpleasant
can occur only when you are not doing them." This first line
astonished me. I said to myself, "This is true! I know I feel
tired when Istart dishwashing, but soon it changes into fun."
The further I read on, the more deeply I thought. The author
said the reason for dishwashingis not only to have clean dishes,
but also just to do the dishes, to live fully in each moment while
washing them. If we wash dishes lazily, thinking about other
things, we lose and spoil the time. But if we wash dishes
wholeheartedly, we can get the deep satisfaction that is equal
to cleaning the whole house.
That evening I practiced washing—plate by plate—deliberately,
concentratingonmy breath, letting go of thoughts that
came up. I was not annoyed by the noisy sounds from the
television. Lastly, after washing away the detergent, I put three
pairs of chopsticks into the dish drier and pushed the drier
buttonwith great happiness, feeling inexpressibly refreshed. It
made me feel as if myfeet were madeof down, floating lightly
in the air. I felt so refreshed that I also did the laundry!
That day I was ableto practicemindfulness by engagingin
two household chores which gave me a deep satisfaction. Since
that day, ThichNhat Hanh and Peace Is Every Step have been
a tremendous and profound influence on me. After reading this
book,my heart has become stable and calm. I realize how the
author is aspiring to world peace. It is my greatest joy and
happinessto have known the master Thich Nhat Hanh through
this book.
Shuku Maseda, age 16, lives in Kyushu, Japan. This piece was
translated and sent to us by Hisayo Ikeda, the translator of the
Japanese edition of Peace Is Every Step.
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