Napping on the grass

Dear Friends,

I am just back from a restful and transformative week at Plum Village in France where I enjoyed a 4:45AM wake-up each morning (!), outdoor stick exercises, sitting meditation, listening to dharma talks, walking meditation in the plum orchard, chopping vegetables, carrying compost, and a daily nap on the grass.

In that supportive environment, I was able to maintain the thread of my breath for longer periods of time, creating more concentration and therefore more ease. I experienced what Thich Nhat Hanh (and the Buddha) call aimlessness (also known as wishlessness).

Aimlessness is not the same as doing nothing. When we are aimless we do act, only we act without attachment to the outcome of our actions. 

When practicing aimlessness I maintain my attention on each step as I take it, not focused on the place I think I am going. I focus on the one carrot I am chopping, not on the enormous box of carrots remaining to be chopped.

Aimlessness can offer us the gift of knowing the immensity, beauty, and happiness waiting for us right here in the present moment. We don’t have to wait until we finish anything to enjoy it!

“Aimlessness does not mean doing nothing. It means not putting something in front of you to chase after. When we remove the objects of our craving and desires, we discover that happiness and freedom are available to us right here in the present moment.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now

During this retreat, I was also in touch with memories of my first retreats and how much joy and ease they brought me. I realized that one of the differences between then and now was that back then I didn’t carry a cell phone. So I decided to leave my phone in my car and only check it at the end of the day. This had a very big positive impact on my ability to stay in the present moment.

In fact, I was surprised by how often I thought about my phone during the day. Had my phone been there and had I reached for it, it would have broken up the periods of continuous attention – the very concentration we need to realize the joy of the present moment. 

So this is something to consider: What habits interrupt your moment-to-moment awareness and prevent you from living fully in the stream of the present moment? 

Let me know your thoughts.