In the past two days in Shenyang, I happened to see the "masters" of Dizang Temple meditating.
Shenyang Dizang Temple
I suddenly thought that before the epidemic, I traveled to Changlu Temple in Nanjing and met the monks from the "Plum Village" meditation center in France. Many practitioners take a day of mindfulness meditation under the guidance of Venerable Plum Village.
Nanjing Changlu Temple
Founded in 1982 in the south of France by Vietnamese Zen Master Nhat Hanh, the "Plum Village" Meditation Ashram in France has also established a number of "mindfulness retreat centers" in Europe and North America over the past 40 years, providing a lot of help to Buddhists, ordinary people and many children.
Born in Vietnam in 1926, he was ordained in 1942 at Quy Yuan Monastery and ordained in 1949. The Zen master advocated joining the world Buddhism and dedicating his life to the peaceful movement and the promotion of Buddhism.
French "Plum Village" meditation ashram
Walking meditation is to enjoy walking while walking. Walking and not to get somewhere is the secret of walking meditation.
There is a Sanskrit word "apranihita", which means unwilling, which means not to put anything in front of yourself and then chase it. When we practice Xi walking meditation, we walk in this spirit: we enjoy walking, without any goal or destination. Walking is not a means to achieve a certain goal, just walking for the sake of walking.
Enjoy walking meditationMindfulness is the awareness and awakening of the present moment, and the practice Xi deeply touching life at every moment.
By maintaining mindfulness, we can truly live and be connected to the people around us. Xi doesn't need to be in a specific place;Xi mindfulness in your room or on the road. What we do is what we normally do—walking, sitting, working, eating, talking—except that we learn Xi be aware of everything we do.
Be mindfulIn the early 90s, the author went to Plum Village in France for the first time with the staff of the State Administration of Religious Affairs and the monks of the Great Monk Sheng Hui, and I still remember it vividly.
At that time, I had the impression that the land of France was full of picturesque natural scenery, glorious history, exquisite fashion, fine wine, and all the charm of a bustling city and modern society. What I didn't expect was that there were also Buddhist halls, Dharma and men, women and children who were passionate about the Dharma.
One day in late autumn departed from Beijing and lasted 14 days. The locations are mainly concentrated in the Paris and Bordeaux regions.
Bordeaux region
We started our European journey on Air France flight AF129 from Beijing to Paris at 9:40 a.m. Beijing time. The time difference between China and France is more than 6 hours, and it is more than 2 p.m. French time to arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle No. 1 Airport. This airport is much inferior to Beijing Airport, the buildings are old, the hygiene is not very good, debris can often be seen on the ground, and the men and women with high noses and blue eyes are still smoking everywhere and swallowing clouds. However, the service lady who handles the baggage check-in and boarding pass procedures has a hearty and friendly attitude and is clean and neat. They were curious about the presence of monks in such a group. When she was done, she asked our tour guide if there were any monks from Shaolin Temple among these people. In the following days, many people also asked us if we were Shaolin monks, and some children simply shouted "Shaolin", it seems that "Shaolin Temple" has become famous in Europe.
Paris Charles de Gaulle 1 Airport
We stayed at Charles de Gaulle 1 airport until 4 o'clock and then transferred to Bordeaux. Bordeaux is a city in southwestern France with a population of more than 700,000.
Located on the Atlantic coast, this small city is a strategic location that France used as a temporary location at the beginning of the two world wars. It is also famous for its wine and brandy, and has almost become synonymous with French wine.
This small city is located on the Atlantic coast
The tour was hosted by Master Nhat Hanh's Plum Village Meditation Center, located in a mountainous area of the Bordeaux region.
Master Nhat Hanh Zen is from Vietnam, the Dharma transmission of Zen Gate Rinzai sect, the Pope Han transmission of Mahayana Buddhism, published dozens of Buddhist monographs, and has been translated into many languages, very popular in the West, some have been translated into Chinese. He often gave public lectures on Buddhism in major Western cities to large audiences. This time, in Paris, France, and Munich, Germany, we had the pleasure of attending his lectures for two nights, and the auditoriums were full, with no less than 2,000 people in each audience, all Westerners.
Nhat Hanh Zen Master's Plum Village Meditation Center
He is known to have hundreds of missionary bases around the world, in more than 30 countries, and many outstanding and powerful people.
At the beginning of this century, Master Nhat Hanh also led 100 people from all over the world to China, and those monks and laymen with high noses and blue eyes insisted on vegetarianism during their visit to Fujian. When we went to Europe with the staff of the Religious Affairs Bureau, we were invited by Master Nhat Hanh. The purpose of the visit was to jointly hold a prayer for world peace puja and an international symposium on "Buddhism and World Peace". When I arrived at Bordeaux Airport, it was already more than 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and Master Nhat Hanh and his ** were waiting at Bordeaux Airport. As soon as we got out of customs, they greeted us warmly. At this time, it was already dark, and we were led by the master to transfer the bus to his meditation center.
The International Symposium on "Buddhism and World Peace" was held
Master Nhat Hanh's Plum Village Meditation Center consists of three major monasteries: Ciyan, Fayun and Ganlu.
That night, we arrived at Ciyan Temple, got out of the car, and the rain was cold, sweeping away the sleepiness of our journey. In front of the main hall, the four congregations of Ciyan Temple were neatly arranged to welcome the delegation. Surprisingly, they even prepared a very Chinese-style canopy for the great monk Shenghui. The great monk led the crowd into the main hall under the escort of the canopy, and the guests of honor chanted and bowed to each other.
After that, the host side of the Zen master gave a welcome speech, and the guest monk Shenghui and the leaders of our team made brief speeches respectively. Taking advantage of the gap between the end of the event, I took a look at the temple. The main hall is not as brilliant as I imagined, but a simple, simple and simple wood and stone structure room. Wood is a very natural log, almost unprocessed;The stones are of different sizes and shapes, and the walls are built very randomly, giving the impression that you have walked into the villages of China's ethnic minorities, or the simple ashrams of the Buddha.
The Great Monk of Shenghui
The only thing that feels a little modern is the carpet on the floor, but it's also light. The layout of the hall is even simpler, against the wall is a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha about 1 meter high, a couplet on the side, I don't know whether it is French or Vietnamese, above the Buddha statue, there are three words written in Chinese "Ciyan Temple", on the side wall, there are several words, English, one of them, all other temples, can be seen: "peace in oneself, peace 0n the world", which means that peace is in everyone's heart, peace in this world.
Once, at the Pucha ceremony, a fellow traveler asked the true meaning of Master Nhat Hanh's words. He said"Are you interested in this sentence?"Well, I'll write one for you, and the rest of the entourage joked, so we'll too." Later, Master Nhat Hanh really gave each person a painting, in English, but the content was more diverse, because he was not familiar with Chinese, the inscription at the beginning and end was for my staff. Judging from the attitude of Master Nhat Hanh towards this character, it is believed that the content of this character must reflect his opinions, ambitions and realms.
Local environmentIn Plum Village, we stayed at Jiyan Temple, which was usually a room for two people and a very small room.
Inside, there is a simple bookshelf and two small beds, which are already crowded, but they are clean and refreshing. When we were in China, we were Xi to lock our doors every time we went out. But according to the monks here, they never close the door. Indeed, the temple does not have a mountain gate, a wall, or the like, and all of them are open, and the temple is connected with the grass and the hillside. The food at Ciyan Temple is mainly porridge, bread, cream, green vegetables, etc., which is light and light. In a few meals, rice noodles and spring rolls appeared, which are believed to have been specially prepared for Chinese visitors. Sometimes it's curry and salad, and our group of monks and laymen are not Xi to eating it. At everyone's accommodation, the host also prepared a large bunch of cookies, fruits, drinks for us. Fruits such as apples, grapes, kiwifruit, etc., are tempting and sometimes you want to taste them even if you are not hungry.
Practitioner of Jiyan Temple
The practice of the monks and laymen at the Plum Village Meditation Center is quite interesting.
For example, when the temple bell rings, or when the bell rings, everyone must let go of everything, calm down for three or five minutes, and wait for the sound to disappear completely, before continuing to practice or work, which reminds us from time to time that in order to practice, we must let go of troubled and impetuous distractions. Another way of practicing is to lie on the lawn and look at the sky, the white clouds, or sit and look at the scenery in the distance, doing nothing, thinking about nothing, and getting rid of all the distractions in your mind. Nhat Hanh Zen Master's walking meditation is very popular among Buddhists in Europe, and he asks practitioners to let go of their worries and walk step by step, naturally, and slowly, which is very helpful in soothing the nervous nerves of urban people. During the four days in Plum Village, we practiced walking meditation with Zen masters many times, and experienced religious activities such as dervishes, observing rituals, and teaching the five precepts of laymen. The monks of our country also demonstrated the religious activities and rituals of Chinese Buddhism for the monks of Meicun, such as the morning hall and the Buddha.
The daily life of a Zen master
In Plum Village, we visited three monasteries, and we also participated in two tea seminars.
Monks and laymen from China, France and all over the world gathered together to chew desserts and drink fragrant tea and communicate with each other. Through the tea ceremony, monks and laymen from many different countries have deepened their understanding and friendship.
A few days later, in the main hall of Ciyan Temple, the monks and laymen of Meicun held a farewell ceremony with our personnel, Zen Master Yixing, Shenghui monk respectively delivered an enthusiastic speech, and gave gifts to each other, the Chinese Tibetan monks also presented Hada to the Zen master of Xingxing, and then, everyone took a group photo.
Later, we were invited to visit the Teochew Association in France and the Overseas Chinese Association in France, and held a solemn ceremony in each place, which was warmly welcomed by the overseas Chinese. In particular, at the Chaozhou Association, the honorary president and president of the association, the responsible persons of 10 other overseas Chinese associations, and hundreds of relevant overseas Chinese attended the luncheon held by the association for the Chinese personnel.
Publications of the Teochew Association in France
In the West, Nhat Hanh is known as the "Father of Mindfulness".
He has published more than 100 books on the art of mindful living, including the acclaimed The Miracle of Mindfulness and BeingPeace.
The Miracle of Mindfulness
Nhat Hanh is good at teaching people how to Xi practice mindfulness in everyday things like washing dishes, drinking tea, and eating oranges in plain language.
"To develop mindfulness is to continue doing your usual activities, whether it's walking, sitting, working, eating, or anything else, all with mindfulness," he says. ”
In his book "No Death, No Fear", the Zen master explained the way of life and death. He used the example of a piece of paper to illustrate that it existed before it was made into paper. "Under the deep view you will see a tree, without the tree there is no this paper, the tree wants the sunshine, the moisture of the clouds and rain, under the deep view, in this paper you can also see the sunshine and rain style, the paper is not in the form of sunshine and rainAnd when the paper is burned ("dead"), the ashes become nutrients for the trees. One day, the tree will become a piece of paper again. In this way, the ashes were reborn in the form of paper.
Nhat Hanh Zen Master's Dharma
Master Nhat Hanh said, "Life is not born or destroyed, and the Buddha told us this truth, which is the principle of immortality and immortality. ”
In the documentary "Walk with Me", a little girl asked Zen Master Nhat Hanh:
My beloved puppy died, I was so sad that I didn't know how to be less sad. ”
Master Nhat Hanh replied:
When you look up at the sky, you see a very beautiful cloud, and one day, this cloud is gone, and you feel like it's dead.
Walk with me
If you have time to think, you will find that your clouds are not dead, the clouds become rain, and when you drink tea, you can see that the rain is in your teacup and your clouds are also in your teacup. You will say, hello, my clouds, I know it's you, you're not dead, you're alive in a new form. It's the same with puppies. ”
"Enlightenment Poem" - the master of Anfen Nunnery
A few years of worrying about everything,
I can't open my eyes when I ask all sides.
The liver and gallbladder are ruptured at this time
A river waited for Lang to come.