04/12/2021
Danke dem grossen buddhistischen Meister Thich Nhat Hanh für dieses wunderschöne Zitat: "Meditieren heisst, sich bewusst zu sein, was gerade los ist." Egal ob während des Vietnamkrieges, in ruhigen Zeiten oder in den jetzigen turbulenten Zeiten.
Genau das üben wir in jeder Yogastunde: Präsent sein mit dem was ist, mit der nackten Realität.
We coined the term “Engaged Buddhism” in the 1960s when the war was very intense in Vietnam. We practiced sitting meditation and walking meditation, but we could hear the bombs falling outside and the cries of the wounded. To meditate is to be aware of what is going on, and what was going on at that time was suffering and the destruction of life.
Once you know what is going on, you’re motivated by a desire to do something to relieve the suffering — both in you and around you. And so, we had to find a way to practice mindful breathing and do walking meditation while helping those wounded by bombs — because if you don’t maintain a spiritual practice during the time you serve, you will lose yourself and you will burn out. And so, we learned to breathe, to walk, to release the tension so we could keep going. These are the origins of Engaged Buddhism; it was born in a difficult situation, where we wanted to maintain our practice while responding to suffering. In such a situation, anything you do in mindfulness whether it is social action, drinking your tea, sitting in meditation or making breakings - you do it not only for yourself. You are preserving yourself so you can help the world.
--Thich Nhat Hanh in “Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet” (published Oct. 2021) by HarperOneBooks
--Order or gift a copy at: https://buff.ly/3pfOKB4