Mick is facilitating Monday night. He shares:
“ We must be aware of the real problems of the world. Then, with mindfulness we will know what to do and what not to do to be of help”
---Thich Nhat Hanh (Peace Is Every Step)
As I was doing walking meditation last week, I asked myself, “Am I really here in the present moment?”. This question has come up over the past month while doing sitting and walking meditation. In answering this question there feels to be different levels, or depths of presence. They could be categorized as being here and there, present, and deeply present.
Deeper inside this question of presence is the question of what does it mean to be present, or to wake up.
On the web page of a Plum Village sangha called Wild Geese Sangha in Scotland, they write:
Mindfulness is our inherent capacity of healing and renewal. It is the basis for transforming ourselves and creating a more harmonious family and society. To be mindful is to be aware of what is going on in our body, in our feelings, in our mind and in the world, as we avoid doing harm to ourselves and others.
True presence during sitting and walking practice to what is going on in the body, heart, and mind condition us to carry that awareness into every action, every moment of the day.
Our mindfulness practice then clears the space for healing and renewal in ourselves,
and provides the clarity of how and when to engage with the suffering of the world.
This Monday night we will read a one page excerpt entitled Mindfulness Must Be Engaged from the book Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. We will have time to share about what Engaged Mindfulness means to you, on and off the cushion, and how you engage mindfully with yourself, those closest to you, and with the suffering of our present time.