Fan Deng interprets "The Miracle of Mindfulness"

Fan Deng interprets "The Miracle of Mindfulness"

A book that allows you to live in harmony with yourself and extinguish all pain. After reading this book, you will find that there are almost no so-called difficulties in life. As long as you can learn to be mindful, you will become calm in a second. If you believe that you can live a peaceful and happy life and are willing to work hard for it, please read this book "The Miracle of Mindfulness".

About how to face the endless situations in life and our inner anxieties. I recommend everyone to read this book "The Miracle of Mindfulness". This book has been very helpful to me. Since I read this book, I have found that my life has become much calmer. This is not through simple what we call There is a method that can be produced through hard work, and if you don’t master this method, you will never know how to face your negative emotions.

The core of this book is that what is the biggest miracle in life is not that you can soar into the clouds or ride on fire, but that you can still breathe in every day. Don’t you feel Is this amazing? You can breathe it in once you spit it out. In this way, your body will function and you will be able to live. When you can focus on your breathing and breathing, making you clearly aware of the condition of your body, this state is called mindfulness. It is the most important miracle in life. When you master this miracle of mindfulness, you will find that in fact, the various negative emotions that annoy us in the world are just superficial things.

Buddhism often talks about emptiness. Many young people don’t understand what emptiness is. Emptiness means nothingness. But I’m really angry. In fact, what Buddhism talks about is emptiness. It’s called nothingness. Self-nature, the so-called Dharma has no self-nature, means that all phenomena in the world are caused by the combination of causes and conditions, and there is no independent and unchanging ontology. For example, does this table have to be a table? At the moment, its karma and karma are aligned, and it is a table. But two years later, its karma and karma disappear. It is chopped into firewood, burned to ashes and thrown into the grass, and then grows into a plant or is eaten by animals. After growing into an animal, it appears in another state. This is called the self-nature of Dharma. If you can understand that the external things around you are empty and have no intrinsic nature, you will find that the only real thing you can pay attention to is the thoughts in your heart. Observe them, and they will naturally gradually dissipate. .

The author of this book is Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese who stayed in France. During the entire war, he traveled to Europe and the United States to call on everyone to stop the war. The following two stories are written by Thich Nhat Hanh in his book:

The cup in your hand

In the United States, I have a close friend named Jim Forest. When I first met him eight years ago, he was working at the Catholic Peace Fellowship. Last winter, Jim came to visit me. I usually wash the dishes after dinner and then sit down and have a cup of tea with everyone. One night, Jim asked him to wash the dishes. I said, "Okay, but if you want to wash the dishes, you have to know how to wash the dishes." Jim replied, "Don't come here, you think I don't know how to do the dishes." Do you want to wash the dishes?"

I replied: "There are two ways to wash the dishes. The first is to wash the dishes to make them clean, and the second is to wash the dishes to wash the dishes." Jim He happily said, "I choose the second option - washing dishes for the sake of washing dishes." From then on, Jim knew how to wash dishes. I gave him this "responsibility" for a whole week.

If, while we are washing the dishes, we are only thinking about the cup of tea we are about to drink, and so we finish the dishes in a hurry as if they are an abomination, then We are not "washing dishes for the sake of washing dishes." To put it further, we are not living in the present moment at all when we are washing the dishes; we are standing in front of the sink and completely unable to appreciate the miracle of life.

If we don’t know how to wash dishes, we probably don’t know how to drink tea either: when drinking tea, we will only think about other things and are hardly aware of the cup in our hands. Tea. In this way, we are sucked away by the future - unable to live in reality, not even for a minute.

Eating Oranges

I remember when Jim and I first traveled to the United States together several years ago, we sat under a tree and shared an orange to eat. He started talking about what we were going to do in the future.

Whenever we talked about an attractive or exciting project, Jim got so caught up in it that he completely forgot what he was doing at the moment. He threw a piece of orange into his mouth, and before he started chewing, he was about to throw another piece into his mouth. He almost didn't realize he was eating an orange. I also had to tell him, "You should eat the orange segment that's already in your mouth first." Then Jim realized what he was doing.

It's like he's not eating oranges at all. If he ate anything, then he was "eating" his future plans.

An orange has many petals. If you know how to eat a good slice, you probably know how to eat a whole orange. But if you can’t eat an orange segment, then you don’t eat oranges at all. Jim understood. He slowly lowered his head and concentrated on eating the orange slice that was already in his mouth. He chewed it carefully before reaching for another piece.

Later, Jim was imprisoned for his anti-war activities. I was worried about whether he could endure the four walls of the prison. I wrote him a text message: "Remember the oranges we shared together? You Life there is like that orange. Eat it and become one with it. Don’t worry about what will happen tomorrow.”

The above story about washing dishes and eating oranges is actually true. You know that mindfulness means being aware of the reality of the moment. Every moment in life becomes an opportunity for you to practice, not just during meditation.

When you are walking on a country road or a boulevard, or even under the scorching sun, you can remain aware of the seedlings, green trees or sunlight beside you, and know that you are walking mindfully at this moment. Instead of walking with the body, the mind is hanging somewhere else. Being able to fly through the clouds or walk on fire is not a real miracle. The real miracle is walking on the earth. When you can become one with walking, that is a miracle.

So how do we practice mindfulness? Thich Nhat Hanh’s answer is: focus on work, stay alert and awake, be prepared to deal with any situation that may occur, and adapt to changes. This is mindfulness. It is difficult to separate work from practice, and it is not a good way to practice practice. Wang Yangming once wrote a letter to teach his students, saying, "Did I ever tell you to find time to practice?" Isn’t solving cases every day a practice for one’s own soul?

When we are angry, we ourselves are anger itself; when we are happy, we ourselves are happiness itself. We are also observers of our own hearts. Therefore, the important thing is not to drive away or cling to any thought, but to be aware of it. A scattered heart is still a heart, just like waves are still water. When you take a good look at yourself, your confused heart will become a true heart. The true mind is the self, which is the Buddha. The so-called, knowing the mind and seeing the nature.

I like to walk alone on the country paths, with rice fields and wild grasses on both sides of the road. I took every step with mindfulness and felt that I was walking on this incredible land. In such moments, existence itself is an astonishing miracle. Generally speaking, people think that walking on water or air is called a "miracle", but I think the real miracle is not walking on water or air, but walking on the earth.

Every day, we are surrounded by miracles that we are not even aware of: the blue sky, the snow-white clouds, the green leaves, the curious black eyes of children--that is also ourselves. eyes.

Everything is a miracle.

Fan Deng interprets the second version of "The Miracle of Mindfulness"

We read to solve problems, and this book teaches us how to face the endless situations in life and inner anxieties. problem.

After I read this book, I felt much calmer inside, and it helped me to control my emotional problems to a great extent.

What do you do when you have negative emotions? What methods can this book give us to help us relieve various negative emotions~

The core sentence of the book "The Miracle of Mindfulness" is: What is the greatest miracle in life? It is not about being able to fly in the clouds or riding on hot wheels, but to focus on your every breath and every breath every day, which is the state of mindfulness.

The Buddha said: "Everything is empty." "Empty" does not mean absence. The core of it is that the law has no inherent nature. Nothing has a definite nature and its status changes.

A table, when the causes and conditions come together, it is a table. But a few years later, the causes and conditions dissipate and it becomes a pile of wood. When the firewood is burned to ashes, it serves as fertilizer and exists in another state. And a person, at this time due to the combination of karma and fate, may become ashes, a ghost, or an immortal in a few years. So we will find that everything around us is empty, and all we can focus on is our own thoughts at this moment, and then observe them, and they will naturally gradually dissipate.

Then let’s start to follow the context of this book~

The author of this book is Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese. During the Vietnam War, he traveled to France and the United States, calling for peace and an armistice, and Create "Plum Village" in France. We accept visitors from all over the world who want to practice mindfulness.

This book is a long letter written by Thich Nhat Hanh to a friend. It does not elaborate on detailed Buddhist principles, but from this letter alone, we have learned what mindfulness is and why mindfulness is a miracle.

The beginning of this book depicts a scene: After getting married, a young man who once practiced with a Zen master found that he had to work, take care of his wife’s emotions, change diapers for his children, and had less time for his own practice. , and then he tried to apply the practice of righteousness in his life, and realized that spending time with his wife and children was also his own time. There is no such thing as your time or my time. When you are with your children, thinking about the work that has not yet been completed will not help you solve the problems between your children and your work. On the contrary, it will make you more painful and anxious. Therefore, when you are with your children, you should focus on spending time with your children. When you are at work, work hard and maintain mindfulness at all times. , let your thoughts focus on the current thing.

The topic changed and the example of washing dishes was mentioned again.

Many people think that washing dishes is not an easy task, especially when your friends are waiting for you to play mahjong or drink tea with you. I always think about finishing the dishes quickly and doing other things.

What is the correct way to wash the dishes?

The so-called maintaining mindfulness requires that when we wash the dishes, we should just wash the dishes. In other words, when washing the dishes, we should remain fully aware of the fact that "the dishes are being washed." At the moment of washing the dishes, I am completely myself, following my own breathing, and aware of my thoughts and movements. This is mindfulness, this is the miracle of mindfulness.

If when washing dishes we only think about the cup of tea we are going to drink next, or rush to join a chat or game with friends, or watch a favorite TV series, you will be in a hurry. You want to finish washing the dishes in a hurry, as if washing the dishes is a disgusting thing, but the process of washing the dishes is also a part of your life, and you have created a disgusting thing in your life. Then we are not washing dishes for the sake of washing dishes. In other words, we are not living in the present moment when we are washing the dishes. In fact, when we stand at the sink, we completely fail to appreciate the miracle of life.

"The Doctrine of the Mean" says: "Everyone eats and drinks, and rarely knows the taste." We eat every day, but few of us feel its taste. What do we think about when the meal comes? What do we think about? “Where shall we go after eating, and what shall we do?”, “Eat quickly, don’t delay things”, or take a photo and post it on Weibo and post to Moments, without really experiencing the taste of the food. Practicing mindfulness even requires us to feel the taste of every bite of food.

How can practicing mindfulness help us?

The Zen master once ate an orange with one of his students Jim. Jim went to break off a piece before finishing the piece in his mouth. Thich Nhat Hanh said: "You should eat the orange in your mouth first." ". Jim then realized that he was not in a state of mindfulness. Only by focusing on eating every segment of the orange can you truly know how to eat oranges.

Later, when Jim was imprisoned for opposing the war, the Zen master wrote a letter to him, "Do you still remember the orange we ate together? Your life there was like that orange. After eating it, you were connected with the orange. It becomes one. Tomorrow everything will be over. "Is there any difference between sitting in prison and sitting at home? Yes, because there is no freedom in prison, right? I couldn't go where I wanted to go and felt restricted, so I felt very painful inside. But there is no difference in the action of sitting, because when you sit in prison, your righteous thoughts run away and you yearn for the outside world, which causes inner pain. Feeling the feeling of the moment and understanding the state of the moment is the miracle of mindfulness.

"The Miracle of Mindfulness" brings us the simplest method, which is to bring our body and mind into the body and understand the current state when encountering any problem.

Whether it is washing dishes, eating oranges, or other situations in life, when we know that "mindfulness" means "maintaining awareness of the reality of the present moment", every moment in life becomes Your opportunity to practice. And not just during meditation. When you are walking on the road, even under the scorching sun, you can remain aware of the green trees and sunshine next to you, and know that you are walking mindfully at this moment. Instead of the body walking, the mind is thinking about other things. Waiting for a bus, attending a meeting, or having a delayed flight are all processes in our lives. Maintaining mindfulness and focusing on your inner feelings is called mindfulness.

Well, I think it is difficult for me to do it personally. I am thinking about other things when walking. It is still difficult to control myself when I feel sad. The road to cultivation is long and long~

Teacher Fan Deng once met his idol Liu Chuanzhi on a plane. Liu Chuanzhi was reading "Du Lala's Promotion", while Teacher Fan Deng was reading "The Diamond Sutra". Liu Chuanzhi curiously asked Teacher Fan Deng why young people read this book. Teacher Fan Deng asked: "What do you think is the greatest pain in life?" Liu Chuanzhi said: "The most painful thing is that a person can never find what he wants." This is the "suffering of not getting what you want" in Buddhism. Teacher Fan Deng said that the greatest pain in life is: the pain that you think should not be painful. Suppose someone spends 5 million to buy lottery tickets and only has 2 million left. You won’t feel pain and may still find it funny. Do you feel pain when someone else loses love? It is very painful for you to fall out of love, but you do not suffer when others suffer, because you think that you are different from others and you should not bear such pain. How to control this pain and extinguish it as soon as possible? The best way is to maintain mindfulness. When you maintain mindfulness, you will understand that this is just an experience. You can feel my existence at this moment, and the me you feel in other places is the same. thing.

When you know that mindfulness is awareness of the reality of the present moment, it can be practiced at any time in life, not just in Zen.

The "unity of knowledge and action" in Wang Yangming's "Traditional Records" is not the consistency of words and deeds or prophetic understanding in our conventional understanding? Or go back? Teacher Fan Deng explains that the core of this word is that when you are doing something, your thoughts do not run away. Your mind is focused on what you are doing.

For example, if we sometimes play on our mobile phones or WeChat while walking, we will feel very tired because we are distracted and do not integrate knowledge and action.

One of Wang Yangming’s students, a senior administrative official, complained to Wang Yangming that he had no time to practice, and had to deal with complicated worldly affairs and frequent work. Wang Yangming replied to him, "When did I tell you that you have to find a special time to practice? You can practice at any time. When someone wants to win a lawsuit and give you money, you don't want it. If you practice yourself, don't be greedy. Let's talk about it as a person." If you don't get irritated when your words are unclear, you are practicing your patience. When the case is complicated and you can figure out the clues, you can practice your discernment all the time.

Our study is only a method, and cultivation also depends on our own nature and level of diligence. Thich Nhat Hanh gave us a method on how to practice mindfulness. The answer is to focus on work first.

When we work, we always think about it. While eating, we think to ourselves: "Why aren't you getting off work yet? I'm so anxious." Once we have this thought, we will feel anxious and painful, so all the pain comes from our WeChat circle of friends. They say, "It's Monday again, it's so painful," and "I still have to pray for 3 days before I have a holiday." In fact, you may not be happy even if you have a holiday. If you quarrel with your partner during the holiday, a good holiday will be blown away... and everything will be lost. It is pain or happiness of its own nature, but it comes from the definition given by one's own discriminating mind. Experience the feeling of going to class and going to work, because this is a destined day in our lives, no matter happiness or pain, it must be here. Enjoy going to work and devote yourself to it. Go to work and take a good rest when you are home and on vacation.

Let’s talk about the first method of practice given by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh: stay alert and focused at work. Be awake, be prepared to deal with situations that may arise, and then adapt accordingly.

The most difficult place to practice is at home, followed by work, and then at the temple. There are too many things.

It is difficult to separate work and practice.

The specific methods are:

1. Breathe deeply and deeply. Inhale, know how to breathe in, know how to breathe out, and how to count your breaths. When you can do it freely in the later stage, you can stop counting your breaths and focus on breathing.

2. Zen is used when walking, standing, sitting or lying down. When working, eating, washing dishes, chatting with friends, keep mindfulness at all times.

eg: A man attained enlightenment. After a while, his disciple asked him, "Master, what will you do after enlightenment? Is it any different from before?" The master replied: "Come and eat when you are hungry." "Sleep when you're sleepy." My disciple said that I was hungry and had to eat and then sleep when I was sleepy. So what's the difference between enlightenment and enlightenment? Master said, I should eat and sleep. I should eat whatever I can and sleep wherever I can, but you are very picky about food and housing. This is "the best way is to have no difficulty, only to choose." Many of us would say, "Is this job better or that job better?", "This meal is better, or that meal is better?" Because we are too picky and have a lot of discrimination, pain arises spontaneously.

Some people may ask, after cultivating like this, will life be boring, dull and boring? Just like what we call "the golden mean", the golden mean is not boring, make-do, or just about the same, but refers to the extreme that is appropriate. Confucius never reached that state in his life, and he never saw anyone reach that state. When we practice non-discrimination, there are a lot of things we can pursue in life.

Why do we think we should pursue money and rights? This is all because of social inertia. We are manipulated by social inertia. We always think that "others have cars and big houses," and I also want a car and a house. , without which it would be very painful. This is because we have fallen into social inertia. Just because social inertia pulls you away, you can't face your inner freedom.

What is true freedom? True freedom is not to do whatever you want. A person who does whatever he wants is the least free. Have we ever done something crazy but didn’t know why, and then felt regretful that we shouldn’t have said those words or hit someone? Because we are controlled by our emotions and are slaves to our emotions. To be the master of our emotions, we need to mobilize our mindfulness.

Practicing mindfulness is the introduction to Buddhism. If you let go of everything, you will find that everything is empty, all appearances, without self-nature. A bad thing may be a good thing after a few years, but When bad things happen we feel great pain inside.

So try to cultivate our mindfulness, give yourself a "mindfulness day", spend one day a week practicing mindfulness, and remind yourself to maintain mindfulness every moment on this day, get up in the morning, brush your teeth, eat, Anger - tell yourself, "I am angry at the moment". How to stop being angry quickly is to know the person who makes you angry. Look at the angry person in the mirror and say "This person is angry". The angry person People will no longer be angry. If there is no observer and the angry emotion is allowed to drive anger, the emotion will never stop.

Face our pain and take care of them. Both positive and negative emotions need to be taken care of, because they are part of our lives, and these emotions will become more and more sensible. Don't hold it in, or you'll get sick.

We always think that we are different from others, but everyone is the same. I can also bear the pain that others can bear.

When Socrates was sentenced to death, he said: "I will die now and you will live. Only God knows who is more unfortunate." In his opinion, there is not much difference between death and life.

The author is a highly educated monk, so the second half of this book describes heights that are beyond the reach of ordinary people. Teacher Fan Deng said that there is a particularly good passage in it (but I may not be at a high level and cannot fully understand its profound meaning): If a person looks at reality from a Buddhist perspective, you will become pessimistic, and neither pessimism nor optimism is too high. Simplifying the truth and focusing on reality as it really appears, a pessimistic attitude will never allow the peaceful smile to bloom, the smile that appears on the faces of Bodhisattvas and other righteous people, which is the truly peaceful smile. The most important thing is to maintain a state of mindfulness and no discrimination. There is no such thing as pessimism and optimism.

And how to control our negative emotions? Whenever a good thought arises, recognize that a good thought arises in my heart. When an evil thought arises, recognize that an evil thought arises in my heart. No matter how much you don't like it, don't be attached to it. , try to eliminate it, it is enough to recognize it. If you have left mindfulness, you must also know that you have left it, and you must maintain it and recognize that mindfulness is still there.

Just as Western psychology defines "I": "I am my observer."

When you find your observer, you are practicing your own mindfulness, and we usually get rid of our observer. So Zen Buddhism will sometimes give you a heads-up: "Where is the master?"? Are you the one who calls the shots in your body?

When you encounter a problem that you cannot solve, first do what you can, calm down your heart, and other things will be done.

When the discriminating mind arises, knowing that one has the discriminating mind, the discriminating mind will weaken~

Finally, it may be difficult for us to maintain the miracle of mindfulness, but cultivation itself is a matter of Interesting things are also interesting because they are not easy. The level is too high and it is not fun until you reach it. If something is obtained casually, it is not worth much. If it is too simple, it is boring.

No matter what you do in life, work, study, or live, treat it as a process of cultivation, and be able to always appreciate the difficulties and setbacks you encounter in the process of cultivation, understand it and take care of it , observe whether it is progressing or regressing. This process itself is also the miracle of mindfulness.