Happy Mindfulness Day! Today and every day.

Dear friends,

Happy Mindfulness Day!

Since 2010, Mindfulness Day has been celebrated every September 12. These celebrations were launched by the nonprofit Wisdom Publications as a way to spread awareness about mindfulness.

Whether you’re taking this opportunity to engage in the practice of meditation, to join a local sangha, or to start a new mindful habit, we’d like to share with new and seasoned practitioners alike some suggestions to nourish this day (or any day!).

◾ Read about the Art of Mindful Living as explained by Thich Nhat Hanh, a pioneer who brought mindfulness to the West since the early 1970s. Throughout his life, he developed new ways to apply ancient wisdom to the challenges of modern life, and this collection of texts, books, and video and audio material will take you through the essential practices that can be interwoven into your daily life.   

◾ Two of the most accessible ways to introduce mindfulness into your daily routine are to go for a mindful walk and (/or) eat one of your meals mindfully. If you’re new to the practice, start by having a look at these introductions to walking meditation and eating meditation – brand-new tutorials, part of a series of video introductions and orientations about the basic mindfulness practices in the Plum Village tradition.

◾ Also watch this Dharma Talk by Thich Nhat Hanh, from a public event which took place on a Day of Mindfulness at Blue Cliff Monastery on September 1, 2013. 

Days of Mindfulness are full days of communal mindfulness practice in the Plum Village style. Monks, nuns, and lay practitioners – Plum Village residents, guests, neighbors, and friends – come together to listen to a Dharma talk and to practice sitting meditation, walking meditation, mindful eating, smiling, and breathing together. The day unfolds naturally, with as little guidance as possible, so everything can flow relaxingly. 

If you would like to know more about A Day of Mindfulness, here’s an excerpt from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book The Miracle of Mindfulness (first published in 1975 by Beacon Press):

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Every day and every hour, one should practice mindfulness. That’s easy to say, but to carry it out in practice is not. That’s why I suggest… that each person should try hard to reserve one day out of the week to devote entirely to their practice of mindfulness. In principle, of course, every day should be your day, and every hour your hour.  But the fact is that very few of us have reached such a point. We have the impression that our family, place of work, and society rob us of all our time. So I urge that everyone set aside one day each week. Saturday, perhaps.

If it is Saturday, then Saturday must be entirely our day, a day during which you are completely the master. Then Saturday will be the lever that will lift you to the habit of practicing mindfulness. Every worker… has the right to such a day, for without it we will lose ourselves quickly in a life full of worry and action, and our responses will become increasingly useless.  Whatever the day chosen, it can be considered as the day of mindfulness.

To set up a day of mindfulness, figure out a way to remind yourself at the moment of waking that this day is your day of mindfulness. You might hang something on the ceiling or on the wall, a paper with the word “mindfulness” or a pine-branch — anything that will suggest to you as you open your eyes and see that today is your day of mindfulness. Today is your day. Remembering that, perhaps you can feel a smile which affirms that you are in complete mindfulness, a smile that nourished that perfect mindfulness.

While still lying in bed, begin slowly to follow your breath — slow, long, and conscious breaths. Then slowly rise from bed (instead of turning out all at once as usual), nourishing mindfulness by every motion. Once up, brush your teeth, wash your face, and do all your morning activities in a calm and relaxing way, each movement done in mindfulness. Follow your breath, take hold of it, and don’t let your thoughts scatter. Each movement should be done calmly. Measure your steps with quiet, long breaths. Maintain a half smile.

Spend at least a half hour taking a bath. Bathe slowly and mindfully, so that by the time you have finished, you feel light and refreshed. Afterwards, you might do household work such as washing dishes, dusting and wiping off the tables, scrubbing the kitchen floor, arranging books on their shelves. Whatever the tasks, do them slowly and with ease, in mindfulness. Don’t do any task in order to get it over with. Resolve to do each job in a relaxed way, with all your attention. Enjoy and be one with your work. Without this, the day of mindfulness will be of no value at all. The feeling that any task is a nuisance will soon disappear if it is done in mindfulness.

Take the example of the Zen Masters. No matter what task or motion they undertake, they do it slowly and evenly, without reluctance.

For those who are just beginning to practice, it is best to maintain a spirit of silence throughout the day. That doesn’t mean that on the day of mindfulness, you shouldn’t speak at all. You can talk, you can even go ahead and sing, but if you talk or sing, do it in complete mindfulness of what you are saying or singing, and keep talking and singing to a minimum. Naturally, it is possible to sing and practice mindfulness at the same time, just as long as one is conscious of the fact that one is singing and aware of what one is singing. But be warned that it is much easier, when singing or talking, to stray from mindfulness…

At lunchtime, prepare a meal for yourself. Cook the meal and wash the dishes in mindfulness. In the morning, after you have cleaned and straightened up your house, and in the afternoon, after you have worked in the garden or watched clouds or gathered flowers, prepare a pot of tea to sit and drink in mindfulness. Allow yourself a good length of time to do this.

Don’t drink your tea like someone who gulps down a cup of coffee during a work break. Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the whole earth revolves — slowly, even, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this actual moment is life. Don’t be attached to the future. Don’t worry about things you have to do. Don’t think about getting up or taking off to do anything. Don’t think about “departing.”

Be a bud sitting quietly in the hedge
Be a smile, one part of wondrous existence
Stand here. There is no need to depart.
This homeland is as beautiful as the homeland of our childhood
Do not harm it, please, and continue to sing…
(“Butterfly Over the Field of Golden Mustard Flowers”)

In the evening, you might read scriptures and copy passages, write letters to friends, or do anything else you enjoy outside of your normal duties during the week. But whatever you do, do it in mindfulness. Eat only a little for the evening meal. Later, around 10 or 11 o’clock… you will be able to sit more easily on an empty stomach. Afterwards you might take a low walk in the fresh night air, following your breath in mindfulness and measuring the length of your breaths by your steps. Finally return to your room and sleep in mindfulness.

Somehow we must find a way to allow each worker a day of mindfulness. Such a day is crucial. Its effect on the other days of the week is immeasurable. Ten years ago, thanks to such a day of mindfulness, Chu Van and our other sisters and brothers in the Tiep Hien Order were able to guide themselves through many difficult times. After only three months of observing such a day of mindfulness once a week, I know that you will see a significant change in your life. The day of mindfulness will begin to penetrate the other days of the week, enabling you to eventually live seven days a week in mindfulness. I’m sure you agree with me on the importance of the day of mindfulness!