Fortunately, we already have a tool that can address the root causes - mindfulness - the practice of stopping and deep looking in our daily activities so that we can not only recognize the fears, despair, and other notions that drive our unsustainable ways but also transform them in order to be able to touch the wonders of life right in the here and now.
With the practice of mindfulness we can see that the root causes of this pandemic disease of unsustainable behavior are our attachments to the deep, misguided notions of life as being non-changing and non-interdependent. Because of the presence of these notions in our thinking, we are attached to our bodily sensations, feelings, perceptions, relationships, people, our jobs, ideologies, new technologies, products we don’t need - all of which produce fleeting instances of excitement but not true happiness. These attachments prevent us from fully enjoying our lives while we are living it; in trying to keep things permanent or independent we are dragged into our past, we are dragged into our future and we live life not as human beings that are currently alive but ghosts from the past and the future. This lack of attention to our lives as we are living it, often leads us to take actions (including consumption choices) that hurt us, our families, circles of friendships, countries, and now a planet. We produce without awareness, we consume without awareness, leading to environmental degradation, social inequity, and ultimately a life without true happiness.
By practicing mindfulness we can understand the impermanent and co-dependent nature of life, enjoy the wonders of life as they occur in the present moment and thus, consume and produce in ways that help sustain this safe and livable planet that we were born into.
(Many of us may already practice mindfulness in several of our daily activities. This list has some additional guidelines to help us deepen our practice.)
16 exercises to help sustain the practice of mindfulness in daily life
Note: These exercises can be practiced during any activity, in any position and in any order.
The Four Preliminary Exercises
1. As we breathe in, we say, “Breathing in, I know I am breathing in.” As we breathe out, we say, “Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.”
2. “Breathing in a long breath, I know I am breathing in a long breathe. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out a long breath.“
This will vary depending on what we notice about our breathing - our breath can be long, short, deep, easy, uneasy, etc. We simply notice the characteristics of our breath.
3. “Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body. Breathing out, I smile at my whole body.”
We become aware of different parts of our body, the different elements of which our body is composed of, the positions of our body - whether we are sitting, walking, lying down, washing dishes, etc and the process of change occurring in our body. For instance, we can be aware of our feet, calves, knees, thighs, hips, back, stomach, small intestines, large intestines, lungs, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, bladder, your throat, face, head, hair and brain.
4. “Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body. Breathing out, I calm the activities of my whole body.”
We can invite all the cells in our body to participate with this exercise. We can also be as specific or as general as we want. For example, we can say, “Breathing in, I am aware of my brain. Breathing out, I calm the activities of my brain.”
The Second Four Exercises
5. “Breathing in I feel joyful. Breathing out, I feel joyful.”
6. “Breathing in, I feel happy. Breathing out, I feel happy.”
7. “Breathing in, I am aware of feelings (pleasant, unpleasant & neutral). Breathing out, I am aware of my feelings.”
We become aware of the arising, duration and fading of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral (functional) feelings. We also observe their psychological, physiological and physical roots and the impacts of our feelings on our mind, health and so on.
8. “Breathing in, I calm my feelings. Breathing out, I calm my feelings.”
The Next Four Exercises
9. “Breathing in, I am aware of my mind. Breathing out, I am aware of my mind.”
We become aware of other mental formations besides feelings including contact, attention, perceptions, volition, intention, determination, concentration, insight, etc. We observe these in the spirit of non-duality, with no barrier between the subject and object of observation.
10. “Breathing in, I make my mind happy. Breathing out, I make my mind happy.”
11. “Breathing in, I concentrate my mind. Breathing out, I concentrate my mind.”
12. “Breathing in, I liberate my mind. Breathing out, I liberate my mind.”
The Final Four Exercises
13. “Breathing in, I observe the impermanent nature of all dharmas (objects). Breathing out, I observe the impermanent nature of all dharmas.”
14. “Breathing in, I observe the disappearance of desire. Breathing out, I observe the disappearance of desire.”
15. “Breathing in, I observe cessation. Breathing out, I observe cessation.”
16. “Breathing in, I observe letting go. Breathing out, I observe letting go.”
Sources:
Thich Nhat Hanh, Breathe! You are alive: Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing, (Berkeley, Calif.: Parallax Press, 1988).
Thich Nhat Hanh, Transformation & Healing: Sutra on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, (Berkeley, Calif.: Parallax Press, 1990).
1) Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I vow to cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking and in my way of life.
2) Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing and oppression, I vow to cultivate loving kindness and learn ways to work for the well-being of people, animals, plants and minerals. I vow to practice generosity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources with those in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others. I will respect the property of others, but I will prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on earth.
3) Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I vow to cultivate responsibility and learn ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families and society. I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without love and a long-term commitment. To preserve the happiness of myself and others, I am determined to respect my commitments and the commitments of others. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct.
4) Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I vow to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I vow to learn to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy and hope. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord; or words that can cause the family or the community to break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.
5) Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I vow to cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking and consuming. I vow to ingest only items that preserve peace, well being, and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as certain TV programs, magazines, books, films and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body and my consciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society and future generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger and confusion in myself and in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial for self transformation and the transformation of society.
Exercises for recognizing and transforming feelings
1. Breathing in, I am aware that a feeling (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral) is present in me
Breathing out, I smile at the feeling
2. Breathing in, I am aware that the feeling (anger, fear, etc) is still present in me
Breathing out, I smile at the feeling
3. Breathing in, I am aware that the feeling has psychological (or physiological or physical) roots
Breathing out, I am aware of the roots of the feeling
4. Breathing in, I am aware of the health impact of the feeling
Breathing out, I am aware of fading away of the feeling
Exercises for recognizing and transforming other mental formations
1. Breathing in, I am aware that my mind is desiring (or fearing, tense, discriminating, or not fearing, etc) __
Breathing out, I see the impermanent nature of __
Five Contemplations for Eating in Mindfulness
1. This food is a gift of the whole universe, the earth, the sky and much mindful work.
2. May we eat in mindfulness so as to be worthy of it.
3. May we transform our unskillful states of mind and learn to eat in moderation.
4. May we take only foods that nourish us and prevent illness.
5. May we accept this food to realize the path of understanding and love.
Source:
http://www.plumvillage.org
