This Monday May 8, we will meet in person.
See calendar for online and in person schedule here.
Address for the OHMC meditation space:
3812 Northampton St. NW
Washington DC 20015
This Monday evening, Annie will facilitate and we will meet in person at the OHMC meditation space at 3812 Northampton Street NW DC 20015 from 7-8:15PM.
Near the end of his life, the Buddha spoke about being an island unto ourselves. Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) often refers to this island as a place of refuge inside of ourselves. There’s even a Plum Village practice song called The Island WIthin:
Breathing in, I go back to the island within myself.
There are beautiful trees within the island,
There are clear streams of water,
There are birds, sunshine, and fresh air.
Breathing out, I feel safe.
I enjoy going back to my island.
When I first began to practice mindfulness, I didn’t enjoy going back to my inner island. There were many parts of me that weren’t very happy. When I went inside in search of my island, I would often encounter critical and unhappy demons. This meant that when I was emotionally challenged I often felt ungrounded and had to search outside of myself for something to support me.
With the practice of mindfulness over time, my inner island has become much more easeful and a source of stability and healing. I can enjoy being with myself, I know how to take care of the demons and ghosts when they arise, and most of the time I am able to do so.
Of course there are many times when my island gets hit by massive storms and it doesn’t feel like much of a refuge. What’s important is that over time it has become more calm and gentle and a place I can trust to be there when I need restoration. This means I am also less likely to need to grasp for someone or something outside of myself.
In the Discourse on Taking Refuge in Oneself in the Samyukta Āgama, the Buddha is quoted as saying:
Practice taking refuge in the island of the Dharma. Know how to take refuge in the Dharma, and do not take refuge in any other island or person.
This means to practice dwelling in the contemplation of the body in the body. Using the exercises diligently to nourish Right Understanding and Right Mindfulness to master and transform craving and anxiety that belong to the world.
Contemplate the body outside the body, Using the exercises diligently to nourish Right Understanding and Right Mindfulness to master and transform craving and anxiety that belong to the world.
That is what is meant by returning to the island of oneself in order to take refuge in the island of oneself.
Our island is always available to us. When we neglect our island, it falls into disrepair, making it a less welcoming place. Our practice needs to tend to our island daily – by coming back to our bodily sensations and our breath and becoming aware of and transforming unwholesome mental formations. In that way we maintain a beautiful island on which we can always rest.
In addition to dwelling in the body, we nourish our right understanding and right mindfulness to transform the craving and anxiety that belong to the world. We don’t identify with craving and anxiety (or fear, anger, delusion, etc.) and instead we can see it as something to embrace and transform with our mindfulness. This is the practice of right effort, or watering the wholesome seeds and not watering the unwholesome ones.
When we practice like this, our island blossoms! And then, when the outside world becomes difficult (which it definitely will from time to time) we will have our own safe and healing space within.
The Buddha taught about the island within as a way to practice with the pain of living in a world of change. When it became clear that his own life would soon be over, the Buddha knew that his community would be heartbroken to lose him. So he offered this final teaching:
I have reminded you many times that everything we cherish and hold dear today, we will have to let go of and be separated from. In not too long a time, I will also pass away. Therefore, I urge you to practice being an island unto yourself, knowing how to take refuge in yourself, and not taking refuge in anyone or anything else.
After our meditation period, we will have time to share about our own practice of the island within. Some questions to consider:
What does your island within look and feel like?
What are the difficulties that you find in your inner world?
What practices might support you in taking refuge in your island?