In his writings, Master Nhat Hanh has repeatedly mentioned the method Xi of practicing mindfulness at home, although it is not mentioned in the scriptures, but it can be regarded as a skillful use of the verses of the Emperor Vadhi by later generations.
This kind of practice Xi is often especially effective for Xi practitioners who are forced to breathe by the fast-paced life and high-pressure rhythm.
The picture below is taken from "Practicing with Heavy Work").
The present is home, a kind of self-reminder.
A home is not necessarily a home in the sense of physical space. It is often used to suggest a place or environment that gives you the feeling you want, that you desperately want to go, and that you stay for a long time.
If our minds are entangled in the future, always thinking about speeding up the work at hand, saving time, and doing things planned for the future, then the things at hand often become a burden, and fatigue is the norm. Even when we get home, it's not necessarily where we want to stay.
For example, after a long day of work, I come home tired, and I want to just lie in bed, pick up my phone, and brush whatever I want. But in reality, you have to cook for your children, clean the house, take care of your work and rest time, arrange for the whole family to wash, get up in front of others, and sleep behind others. As a result, the matter at hand often becomes a task and a drag, even if the hands and feet are nimble, it is easy to lose your temper when you encounter non-cooperation. Because home is no longer home, it is not a place where a monkey wants to climb.
Remind yourself that the present is home, and if the present is the place where the heart belongs, the so-called heavenly place, where we try our best to achieve, then why can't we feel it?
The picture below is taken from "Practicing with Heavy Work").
People who have experience in mindfulness practice Xi at this time, with this self-reminder, many times can make the monkey-like heart stop, carefully aware of every walk, place, sitting, lying down, and silent movement. Because they know that all the actions of Xi practitioners are aimed at increasing awareness and ultimately relieving their afflictions, which is also the six disciplines mentioned in the scriptures.
And all kinds of daily work is just to do what needs to be done according to the situation, and in the process of staying aware is the key, and awareness is the home of the mindful.
The picture below is taken from "Practicing with Heavy Work").
But does this mean that awareness must be slow and inefficient?
Being at home in the moment is not the opposite of a black-and-white dualism with being in a hurry but not panicking, and being fast but not chaotic.
It's just that if our hearts are clinging to the past, calculating the future, or indulging in the present, then our attention is like a CPU that is 100% occupied, and there is no extra computing power to face sudden changes, and downtime is a common thing. So when you are in a hurry, you will panic, and when you are in a hurry, you will be chaotic.
However, when we focus on awareness, our actions are just following the flow of circumstances, fast when we should be fast, slow when we should be slow.
The picture below is taken from "Practicing with Heavy Work").
Even in the more focused mindfulness Xi practice, there is not only the tradition of slow practice, but also fast-paced awareness Xi such as running incense.
Therefore, the moment is home, just to remind everyone to mention awareness, not to make everyone slow like a snail at all times. In the beginning, it's okay to deliberately slow down. When you are proficient, the key is to observe whether your mind is dyed with past feelings and does not want to come out, whether you are thinking about realizing future feelings and want to rush to the past, or whether you are unconsciously indulging in the present and are unable to perceive other feelings.
The present moment of mindful awareness is not tainted by any pleasures, sufferings, or sufferings of the past, present, or future, but it follows the flow of conditions, is aware of the changes that arise, and is truthfully aware of the causes and conditions of the four noble truths.
When the effort is loose, we should find a set of methods that suit us to tighten up, and we should hurry up. Kung fu is tight, and we should also find out the skill that suits us in the long-term practice of Xi, and slow down when we should be slow.