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mindful LIVINGMindful InAny WeatherBy Frank DoyleNow I can enjoy the work a lot more regardlessof the weather; in fact, I quite like thedays when the weather is really wild.II work as a postman in South East England. My workplace consistsof a small, quiet sorting office for the first part of the day, and thenthe High Street and the narrow streets that lead off it for the restof the day.I’ve been doing this job since 1979. Years ago, I worked in alarger office in a nearby town, and that was a much noisier placeto be, particularly at 5:00 a.m. when we started work. You wouldn’tthink that we had all just woken up. In fact, when one man beganworking there, he remarked that he thought he had stumbled uponthe annex to a lunatic asylum: music playing, shouting, insults(mostly friendly), laughter, complaints, arguments with management,none of it at all mindful. When I think back to how I behavedmyself at that time, oh dear! But, as we all behaved very much inthe same way, no one could see anything wrong with it.The first time I heard about mindfulness was around 1990,when I came across a book called When the Iron Eagle Flies byAyya Khema. The author wrote about washing dishes while washingdishes, quoting the Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.This was the first time I had heard of Thay. I can remember thinkingthat this was an interesting idea—washing dishes while washingdishes. Ultimately, it meant being mindful all the time, somethingI thought only an enlightened person could do.Having found out about Thay, I went in search of some ofhis books, in which he explains how mindfulness works, and thatit is possible to be mindful of everything we do; we just have topractice, quite a lot.I am now working in our reasonably quiet little office by thesea. Over time, since I have been studying Thay’s teachings andhave become more committed to Dharma practice, I can see thatmindfulness helps me to be more aware of what I am thinking,saying, feeling, and doing. It has helped me to accept things asthey are much more easily.As an example, I might feel that I am not happy with havingto be at work, delivering mail in the wind and rain on a winter’sday. But by being mindful, I can become aware of the feelings inmy body and the thoughts in my head, and say, “These are justthoughts and feelings; I don’t have to believe them; they willchange anyway.” The remarkable thing is that they begin to diminishand fade away. “Hey! This really works,” I remember thinkingonce. Gradually, with much practice, I have been able to exchangenegative thoughts and feelings for more positive ones. Now I canenjoy the work a lot more regardless of the weather; in fact, I quitelike the days when the weather is really wild.30 Winter/Spring 2010
mindful LIVINGphoto © Johneubank... | Dreamstime.comWhat has helped me most is being able to practice withDharma friends. I attended an extended Day of Mindfulness ledby Brother Michael at New Barn, South West England, in September1997. The practice, the warm welcome, new friends, walkingmeditation in the fields, and the sound of the bell bringing us backto the present moment, all made me feel truly at home.When I arrived back home and back at work, I decided thatI would remember the sound of the bell at a couple of places onmy delivery, where I could stop for a few moments, take threemindful breaths, or more, and try and be present for myself. Juststopping and taking three breaths has a wonderful effect, bringingme back to awareness, and so I am refreshed and ready tocontinue on my way.At a recent retreat led by Sister Annabel, also at New Barn, shespoke about a pebble she carries in her pocket. When she feels itthere, it reminds her to breathe mindfully. When she spoke about itI thought of a pebble I had at home that would be just right to use.Now I keep it in my pocket and use it during the day. It’s a remindernot only to breathe but also to come back to awareness.On the last day of the retreat I took the Five MindfulnessTrainings. I knew that I needed to work on the fourth training,concerning mindful speech and deep listening. Mindful speechwas something I felt I should be more aware of. The workplace iswhere I can be least mindful of what I say. Some of the topics andthe language used may be acceptable to a degree in my workingenvironment, but not anywhere else. I may find myself taking partin a conversation at work, using language that is unacceptable,and being the loudest voice, but I now am able to see what I amdoing much more quickly. I’m able to see how I am watering thenegative seeds within and how they affect me as they rise up. If Iam aware enough, I will stop. And then, eventually, I won’t takepart in unmindful speech in the first place.Frank Doyle, Wonderful Sharingof the Heart, took Thay’sadvice and started a Sangha inSouth East England, called theFolkestone and Hythe Sangha.He also practices with DeepListening Sangha, a telephoneconference Sangha in the UK.the Mindfulness Bell 31
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Page 12 and 13: miracle of SANGHAADear Brothers, Si
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Page 18 and 19: miracle of SANGHAA Living ThayBy Ca
Page 20 and 21: embracing VIETNAMOSupportMonasticsi
Page 22 and 23: embracing VIETNAMreflection. Only 7
Page 24 and 25: embracing VIETNAMTheGermanMaitreyaF
Page 26 and 27: embracing VIETNAMWhere Help Is Need
Page 28 and 29: mindful LIVINGA New Level of Mindfu
Page 30 and 31: mindful LIVINGBees in LavenderWhat
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Page 38 and 39: death and DYING“Now is an excelle
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Page 44 and 45: death and DYINGphoto by Corina Bene
Page 46 and 47: sangha NEWSSangha NewsThe Steering
Page 48 and 49: media REVIEWSHappinessEssentialMind
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