Monday, April 28, we will meet online.
Dear Thay, Dear friends,
This week, we will meet Monday evening, April 28th, from 7-8:30PM EDT online; Wednesday morning, April 30th, from 7-8AM EDT in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); and Friday, May 2nd, 12-1PM EST online.
On Monday night Marie will facilitate. She shares: We will recite the Five Mindfulness Trainings and collectively explore our experiences with the Fourth Training, Loving Speech and Deep Listening.
This training continues to be the most challenging for me. Now, with the state of the world and this country being what they are, my fuse feels shorter, even as I know that reacting doesn’t help. What does help? Listening to and practicing with Thich Nhat Hanh’s short teaching on Loving Speech & Compassion. During his talk, Thay invites us to a “three-day practice challenge” to help expand our capacity to heal through deep listening.
On Monday night, after reciting the trainings together, we will watch the video, share our responses and explore our practice with the Fourth Training, which is written below for your ease of reference.
Before we meet (and after) you might notice what helps and what hinders your capacity to understand suffering, to listen deeply, and to speak with love and compassion.
With a warm bow,
Marie
The Fourth Mindfulness Training: Loving Speech & Deep Listening
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations.
Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to speaking truthfully using words that inspire confidence, joy, and hope. When anger is manifesting in me, I am determined not to speak. I will practice mindful breathing and walking in order to recognize and to look deeply into my anger. I know that the roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person. I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to transform suffering and see the way out of difficult situations.
I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to utter words that can cause division or discord. I will practice Right Diligence to nourish my capacity for understanding, love, joy, and inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence, and fear that lie deep in my consciousness