This Monday April 24, 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, April 24, Camille will facilitate and we will meet in person at the OHMC meditation space at 3812 Northampton Street NW DC.
We will read the Five Mindfulness trainings and focus on True Happiness- the second Mindfulness Training
There is so much I can learn from this training, True Happiness. I read and practice this training over and over and I still find bits of understanding and wisdom that I have missed.
In Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay)’s book Happiness, Thay says, “Happiness is not something to seek out, but instead something to relax into.”
We can cultivate happiness in each moment. I often find that I can touch happiness when I am resourcing myself in nature. In moments when I am stressed, feeling tense, and not able to concentrate, I can often find happiness in taking a walk, watching and listening to the birds, enjoying all the colors in nature, and gardening. All of these activities help me to center, calm, and find peace. And yet when I go home and back to the challenges in my life, I am often back where I started - stressed, tense, and agitated.
So, I try to remember what Thay also l says about happiness: “There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way”.
I know it is helpful to have resources to turn to in times of stress. I can return to this mindfulness training and be reminded that my “happiness depends on my mental attitude and not on external conditions” I can remember to come back to the present moment, in body and mind, in the here and now. In that moment, when I come back from my walk or whatever diversion I have found, I can acknowledge my suffering and embrace my feelings of pain, anger and fear. Then, with awareness and compassion I can transform the feelings or actions that are causing me pain.
When I can heal my own suffering I can then be more aware of the suffering of others and can generate more joy and happiness in my life and in the lives of others.
As I access deeper awareness and understanding of the Mindfulness Trainings, and with the support of our teacher Thay and my sangha, I have become much more attentive and able listen to others with more understanding and compassion. Our practice shows up in everyday experiences that we don’t always plan, but that may help bring about true happiness.
One experience I had in the grocery store left me feeling deeply grateful and joyful for a complete stranger. I asked a woman at the grocery store how she was doing. She proceeded to tell me how upset and scared and worried she was about her financial situation, owing money for her car repair for work she didn’t know had to be done and unpaid medical bills and that she was not sure how she would pay for all of it. She talked for about 10 minutes and I just listened. When she was done she looked at me and smiled and happily thanked me for listening. She really needed to let it all out and said it made her day that she had someone to talk to. I thanked her for sharing with me and allowing me the gift of being a good listener. I smiled and was so happy to have met her that morning, it really brought me joy.
I like to remember what Thay says - “that I can live happily in the present moment simply by remembering that I already have more than enough conditions to be happy.”
Please consider sharing on Monday night and perhaps thinking of the following questions to consider:
Are you able to access True Happiness and in what ways?
What experiences bring you joy?
How have your experiences affected others?
How does this training feel for you and is it easy to practice?
I look forward to seeing you in person on Monday night.
In light and peace,
Camille