Thich Nhat Hanh Healing in Vietnam The Wonderful World of Gathas

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practical WISDOMThe main thing was to let go of perceptionsand the unpleasant feelings associated withthese perceptions. Since body and mind areinextricably interwoven, relaxing the body isimmediately effective in relaxing the mind.In the month of May 1989, during aretreat in the state of Virginia, I heard Thaylead the retreatants in guided total relaxationfor the first time. The relaxation stressedabdominal breathing and the lightness ofour limbs as they relaxed like a piece of silkor duckweed floating on the water with thecurrent. These images help us develop anattitude of non-resistance and effortlessnessthat is the ability to flow with what is happening.As the guidance ended, still lyingdown, we listened to a recording of wavesbreaking on the seashore. Sometimes Thaywould read a poem of Thay’s in Vietnamese.It was never translated because the purposewas the musicality of the tonal language andthe soothing rhythm of the verses.When you arewalking in “hell”or “purgatory,”know that you arewalking there.That is the simplestthought andparadise can ariseout of it.During the guided total relaxation animportant instruction is to let go — let go ofeverything. I often use this practice of totalsurrender and acceptance when I am unwell and the practice ofletting go in body and mind has an immediate effect of changingthe situation for the better. When talking to someone who is sick inhospital, if we can help him or her let go, it can be very helpful.The Determination to RelaxWalking and relaxation are experiences I enjoyed before I metthe practice of mindfulness. So now do I have to make an effortto walk mindfully and to relax? It sounds like a contradiction tomake an effort to relax. The practice lies in this: when you are notrelaxed, know you are not relaxed. That is the simplest thoughtand relaxation can arise out of it. If not, take your thought a littlebit further to know the causes for your not being relaxed and thatwill help remove the causes. When you are walking in “hell” or“purgatory,” know that you are walking there. That is the simplestthought and paradise can arise out of it.When there is thinking that leads to fear and depression, knowwhere the thinking is leading and you can come out of it withoutfear and depression. Just attention to breath or steps is wonderful.The Chinese word for thought, mind or intention is yi. In theword Anapanasati, sati or mindfulness is translated into Chineseas shouyi — holding or maintaining our mind. We hold our mindto our breath so that our mind does not need to wander into placesof unnecessary suffering.If someone is not able to sleep at night and she can practicetotal relaxation while lying awake, she can be refreshed and lesstired the next day. As you lie in bed you can guide yourself oryou can listen to a recording of a guided total relaxation so thatyou do not need to make any mental effort to remind yourself.Nothing Is WastedRelaxation, prashrabdhih, is one of the SevenFactors of Enlightenment, as is effort, virya.We need them both. There needs to be acertain determination to be relaxed and thatdetermination can be called effort. Withoutthe determination, habit energies of thinkingmake us tense. Equally important is the abilityto be quiet and at ease in the situation thatpresents itself. After a while the practitioneris able to relax and the result is energy ratherthan effort. Effort and relaxation are notopposing forces; they are complementary.So when we know how to relax we have theenergy to make effort.This year in Vietnam, Thay is teachingrelaxation as one of the essential practicesof the Anapanasati Sutta (the Discourse onthe Full Awareness of Breathing) where theexercise is: “breathing in I am aware of mywhole body, breathing out I relax my body”.This is one of the most important practicesI can do for myself and for everyone else atthis time. When my body and mind are trulyrelaxed I have the freedom to be able to lookdeeply and see a little bit more of reality.Since I came to the practice of mindful walking and relaxationrelatively late — I was 36 years old — I have sometimesasked myself whether I have not wasted a large part of my life.When I look deeply I see that no time has been wasted becausenow that I know how to practice mindfulness and concentration,I can make use of all that has happened — positive or negative. IfI had this life again would I live it differently? To me that is just ahypothetical question. My blood ancestors needed to go throughthis with me. How could I force them to do it differently? Theylaid the bridges and asked me to continue, without looking back.They wish for me to take them forward in a different directionbut always building on what had gone before, taking that as theessence, not as good or bad.So the practice in India was necessary. Without it the practicein Plum Village would not have been possible. As I walked on thelittle forest paths carrying building materials, I was always askingmyself: How can I make this a spiritual practice? It took time forthe question to be answered. It took another ten years to come toPlum Village.Sister Annabel, Chan Duc, True Virtue,became a Dharma teacher in 1990 andwas Director of Practice at Plum Villagefor many years. Since 1998 she hasbeen abbess at the Green MountainDharma Center in Vermont.24 Summer 2007
practical WISDOMThe mind can go in a thousand directions,But on this beautiful path, I walk in peace.With each step, a cool wind blows.With each step, a flower blooms.If your path is like mine, you often find your mind jumpinginto the future, back to the past, fabricating ridiculous situations,and taking you to places you don’t want to go. Before you know ityour path is littered with boulders of fear, anger, despair, frustration,and forgetfulness.Thay tells us that the practice of Plum Village is to come backto the present moment and take care of the situation. Wherever weare — at home, at work, driving, gardening, at a meeting — wecan use the energy of mindfulness to bring us back to ourselves,to the present moment. One powerful resource available to all ofus is to make use of gathas throughout our day. Gathas are shortpoems or verses that we can recite, regardless of where we are,to help us return to the present moment and to dwell in mindfulness.Monastics in Thay’s tradition practice gathas throughouttheir day.As Thay says, “when we practice well, the gathas are with uscontinuously and we live our whole lives in awareness.” Gathasallow us to focus our mind, making it possible to almost instantlyreturn to ourselves. Gathas help us to stop our relentless running,to slow down, to enjoy life in the here and now. While we enjoywalking, sitting, washing the dishes, turning the compost, wecan stop our wild thinking; then we see the wonders of life in thepresent moment.At my first retreat in the late 1980s, Thay taught us the followinggatha, strongly suggesting that we memorize it:Breathing in, I calm my body.Breathing out, I smile.Dwelling in the present moment,I know this is a wonderful moment!I did what Thay suggested and I will carry this gatha with mealways. It is a continuous source of peace and calm.Dwelling in MindfulnessIn June 2006 at the Breath of the Buddha Retreat at PlumVillage, Thay told us to use gathas and poetry to help us dwell inmindfulness throughout our day. For example, early in the morning,standing in front of my altar, I start every day as follows:Waking 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.Start by memorizing a few short gathas (see sidebar). Thenadd more, including longer ones. Notice the rhythm of the lines:recite the first line as you breathe in and recite the second line asyou breathe out, and so on. When you are stuck in traffic, waitingin the queue at the bank, walking down a hallway at work, or goingto the restroom, recite this gatha:The WonderfulWorld ofGathasBy David PercivalI have arrived (in-breath)I am home (out-breath)In the here (in)And in the now (out) (repeat all four lines)I am solid (in)I am free (out) (repeat two lines)In the ultimate I dwell (in)In the Pure Land I dwell (out) (repeat two lines)You will be able to sit, stand, or walk at ease. You can calmyourself, you can smile at the chaos around you, and you will beable to continue what you are doing in a focused mindful way.Then, when you find your mind going off in another direction,pull another gatha from your gatha storehouse.If you do a lot of walking meditation, either slow or fast (forexercise), you will note the built-in rhythm of walking and thegatha adapts well to any kind of walking. For example, with fastwalking, my rhythm is four steps to each stanza:In (in breath, four steps)Out (out breath, four steps)Deep (in, four steps)Slow (out, four steps)Calm (in, four steps)Ease (out, four steps)Smile (in, four steps)Release (out, four steps)Present moment (in, four steps)Wonderful moment (out, four steps)Or, with slow walking use one step per line. For me, fastwalking is a very mindful practice and I try to do it in the presentmoment, enjoying the blue sky, the flowers, the insects, the birds,and my faster breathing.A gatha is a poem, a song (see A Basket of Plums), and aguided meditation. They are the same and used in different situations.For example, with “Breathing In, Breathing Out,” I sing orthe Mindfulness Bell 25
Page 1 and 2: Summer 2007 A Publication of Plum V
Page 3 and 4: ISSUE NO. 45 - Summer 2007Dharma Ta
Page 5 and 6: sharing OUR VIEWSThank you so much
Page 7 and 8: dharma TALK“I am taking each step
Page 9 and 10: dharma TALKand walking meditation.
Page 11 and 12: dharma TALKbrought up a few exercis
Page 13 and 14: healing in VIETNAMThousands on a Fe
Page 15 and 16: healing in VIETNAMPhotos of the Gre
Page 17 and 18: Preparations for these ceremonies w
Page 19 and 20: peaceful HEARTDharma Rainin the Roc
Page 21 and 22: peaceful HEARTmunity? That way we
Page 23 and 24: peaceful HEARTYMCADharma SongSung t
Page 25: practical WISDOMrunning water, no e
Page 29 and 30: practical WISDOMJI was confined in
Page 31 and 32: practical WISDOMHugging asPracticeB
Page 33 and 34: In Memoriam:in MEMORIAMThay Giac Th
Page 35 and 36: in MEMORIAMDyingPoems will die.Ten-
Page 37 and 38: in MEMORIAMSunday arrived. It was a
Page 39 and 40: heart to HEARTHeart to HeartHeart t
Page 41 and 42: young REFLECTIONSOver the summer I
Page 43 and 44: young REFLECTIONSphoto by Emily Whi
Page 45 and 46: young REFLECTIONSStudents and facul
Page 47 and 48: ook REVIEWSFirst BuddhistWomenPoems
Page 49 and 50: Build sanghaSpread the dharmaDeepen
Page 52: Sangha on alms round in Bao Locphot

Thich Nhat Hanh Healing in Vietnam The Wonderful World of Gathas

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