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By Thich Nhat Hanh
My dear f riends, suppose someone isholding a pebble and throws it in theair and the pebble begins to fall down
into a river. After the pebble touchesthe surface of the water, it allows itselfto sink slowly into the river.
It will reach the bed of the riverwithout any eort. Once the pebble isat the bottom of t he river, it continuesto rest. It allows the water to pass by.
I think t he pebble reaches the bed ofthe river by the shortest path becauseit allows itself t o fall without m akingany eort. During our sittingmedit ation we can allow ourselves torest like a pebble. We can allowourselves to sink naturally withouteort t o the position of sitting, t he
position of r esting.
Magazine of Mind ful Living ~ Issue No 22, November 2009
Resting is a very impor tant practice; wehave to learn the art of r esting. Resting isthe fi rst part of Buddhist m editation. Youshould allow your body and your mind torest. Our mind as well as our body needsto rest.
The problem is that not many of us knowhow to allow our body and m ind to rest.We are always struggling; struggli ng hasbecome a kind of habit.
Resting in the riverWe cannot resist being active, strugg ling allthe time. We struggle even dur ing oursleep.
It is very important to realize that we havethe habit energy of struggling. We have tobe able to recognize a habit when itmanifests itself because if we know how torecognize our habit, it will lose its energyand will not be able to push us anymore.
When an animal in the jungle is wounded, itknows how to find a quiet place, lie downand do nothing. The animal knows that isthe only way to get healedto lay downand just rest, not thinking of anything,including hunt ing and eating. Not eating isa very wonderful way of allowing your body
to rest. We are so concerned about how toget nut riti on that we are afraid of resting,of allowing our body to rest and to fast.The animal knows that it does not need toeat. What it needs is to rest, to do nothing,and that is why its health is restored.
In our consciousness there are wounds
also, lots of pains. Our consciousness alsoneeds to rest in order to restore itself.
Cont inued over the page
Image by sweet lit tle lies
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The Lotus Bud ~ Issue No 22, November 2009
Our main activit ies
Wednesday Mindfulness Meditation at Camperdown
We welcome all to come join us fo r meditation practice - We meet at 7:30 pmeach Wednesday at the Buddhist Library, Church St, Camperdown, Sydney.
Mindfulness Days - monthly
Once a month we offer a day of mindful practice andcontemplation. The day normally consists of chanting sitting meditation,outdoor walking meditation (If weather permits), a dharma talk and lunch.
Coming events
Informal Lunch
Sunday Oct 25th12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
@ Johns House1 The Avenue Hurlstone Park
How to contr ibut e to The Lotus Bud
In person at t he Wednesday night group
By e-mai l to: cbark er@uow .edu .au
By post to: Chri s Barker, Facult y of Art s, Uni of Wollo ngon g, 2500
Contr ibut ions can be short or long but need to be under 600 words.
WHO WE ARE
The Communities ofMindful Living areinspired by the
Buddh ist teachingsof Zen MasterThich Nhat Hanh(pictured).
We aspire to live ful ly in each moment for the peaceand happiness of ourselves and all beings. We meetregularly to observe the art of m indful living and tofoster a supportive community of practit ioners.
Contacts
Sydney, Inner West - John Barclay 9559 [email protected]
Sydney South West - Khanh Le Van 9543 [email protected]
Blue Mountains - David Moore 4782 [email protected]
Lismore Area - Tony Mills 6688 [email protected]
Sylvania - Coral Miles 9544 [email protected]
www.lotusbudsangha.org
All im ages used wit h permi ssion fr omwww.flickr.comcreative
commons unless otherwise stated.
Reading bellAs you read t his magazine youhave an opport unity t o go back to
the present moment.You wil l not ice a bell:throughout the magazine.
When you come to each bell, youmay like to stop reading, clearyour mind and return to yourbreath before continuing.
