Photo by Ash Carr
“There is no end of craving. Hence contentment alone is the best way to happiness. Therefore, acquire contentment.” -Swami Sivananda
The Fifth Mindfulness Training was one of the primary reasons I decided to receive the Mindfulness Trainings from Thich Nhat Hanh on my very first encounter with him and with the trainings in 1999.
I have a long history of using substances and habits to distract from and avoid the present moment. So when I read the Fifth Mindfulness Training (below), I knew that I needed the support that it provided in order to begin to reestablish myself in the present moment and let go of the habits that were keeping me separate from others and from finding true freedom.
Nourishment and Healing
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming
I will practice looking deeply into how I consume the Four Kinds of Nutriments, namely edible foods, sense impressions, volition, and consciousness.
I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs, or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and conversations.
I will practice coming back to the present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor letting anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment.
I am determined not to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety, or other suffering by losing myself in consumption. I will contemplate interbeing and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and the Earth.
The Fifth training contains a lot of prohibitions on things that we might find sense pleasure or excitement in. And, I’m a big believer in pleasure! That’s why I spent significant time during my 2nd and 3rd decades of life in a haze of alcohol, drugs, bingeing, purging, and starving myself, on top of plenty of time in front of the TV. Thinking that this was as good as it got.
What I’ve discovered since then is that these particular habits only brought me fleeting pleasure and increased my craving for more. Over years of practice, I have found a deeper joy that’s accessible only when I refrain from distracting myself from the present moment. For some of us, letting go of these habits comes easily, while others of us need a lot of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha to support us as we slowly learn how to tolerate the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that arise when we resist our habits.
Losing myself in consumption only puts a very loose lid on loneliness and anxiety, it doesn’t transform it or prevent it from reemerging. In fact, it can cause me to be neglectful of my own body, my awareness, and my loved ones. I want to be present for what I most love in life, and to “practice coming back to the present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and around me.” This training helps me remember that.
I practice for the sake of my descendants (and ancestors) and I know that my physical and mental health contributes in wholesome and unwholesome ways to the world. I have a deep aspiration to show up for the world and for my beloveds in the most healing way that I am able to, by setting aside unhelpful and distracting habits. And, I recognize that I will be practicing with this training (and all the trainings) until I take my last breath.
Thich Nhat Hanh, in a Question and Answer session in 1997 says this about habits of craving:
Almost all pain is born from a lack of understanding of reality.
The Buddha teaches us to remember that it is not the object of craving that makes us suffer, it is the craving that makes us suffer.
It is like a hook hidden in the bait. The bait looks like an insect, and the fish sees something it thinks is tasty, not knowing that there is a hook inside. It bites and the hook catches it.
Our temptation and craving are due to a lack of understanding of the true nature of the object we crave. When mindfulness is present, we begin to understand the nature of our craving and our pain, and this understanding can liberate us.
On Monday, we will read the Five Mindfulness Trainings together and focus our discussion on the Fifth Mindfulness Training. We might ponder the following questions:
What habits (from the list in the training or others) prevent me from being in the present moment and from accessing the deep joy that results?
What habits am I willing to let go of right now?
What does it mean to me to consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness?
What does it mean to me to consume in a way that preserves peace, joy and well-being in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and the Earth?
I look forward to seeing you then,
With love,
Annie.