BECOMING TRULY ALIVE

Make this moment the most wonderful experience of your life.

(Cover page)

Thich Nhat Hanh

 Becoming Truly Alive

Thich Nhat Hanh

Copyright © 2010 by Thich Nhat Hanh

All Rights Reserved.
June 2010
5000 copies printed for distribution within Malaysia
in conjunction with Thich Nhat Hanh South East Asia Trip 2010
Contents

Part One
Becoming Truly Alive

Part Two
1. Discourses on Living Happily in the Present Moment:
 The Elder Sutra
 The Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Live Alone

2. Discourse on the Teaching to be Given to the Sick

Part Three
1. Guided meditation for Touching the Earth ~ Introduction

2. Intimate conversation with the Buddha

 Part One
Becoming Truly Alive

“We live a kind of artificial life, lost in plans, worries, and anger.
Our practice is to wake up and live each moment fully, allowing this
moment to be the most wonderful experience of our life”
What would you do if your doctor
told you that you only had three
months to live? Would you waste this
time bemoaning your fate? Would
you give yourself over to pain and
despair? Or would you resolve to live
each moment of those three months in
a deep way? If you do that, three
months of life is a lot.
Some twenty years ago, a young man
came to me and told me exactly this –
that he had only three months to live.
I asked him to sit down with me and
have a cup of tea. “My friend,” I said
to him, “you must drink this tea in
such a way that life is possible. We
must live this moment we have
together in a deep way.”
One day is a lot. A picnic lasts only
half a day, but you can live it fully,
with a lot of happiness. So why not
three months? Your life is a kind of
picnic, and you should arrange it
intelligently.
Someone I knew once said to his
Buddhist teacher, “Master, I would
like to go on a picnic with you.” The
teacher was very busy, so he replied,
“Sure, sure, we’ll go on a picnic one
of these days.” Five years later they
still hadn’t had the picnic.
One day the master and the disciple
were on some business together, and
they found themselves caught in a
traffic jam. There were so many
people in the street that the master
asked the disciple, “What are all these
people doing?” The disciple saw that
is was a funeral procession. He turned
to the master and said, “They’re
having a picnic.”
Don’t wait to start living. Live now!
Your life should be real in this very
moment. If you live like that, three
months is a lot! You can live every
moment of every day deeply, in touch
with the wonders of life. Then you
learn to live, and, at the same time,
learn to die. A person who does not
know how to die does not know how
to live, and vice versa. You should
learn to die – to die immediately. This
is a practice.
Are you ready to die now? Are you
ready to arrange your schedule in
such a way that you could die in
peace tonight? That maybe is a
challenge, but that’s the practice. If
you don’t do this, you will always be
tormented by regret. If you don’t want
to suffer, if you don’t want to be
tormented by regret, the only solution
is to live every minute you are given
in a deep way. That’s all there is to it.
The only way to deal with insecurity,
fear, and suffering is to live the
present moment in a profound way. If
you do that, you will have no regrets.
That’s what the young man who was
told he had three months to live chose
to do. He decided to live every
moment of his life in a very deep way.
When he started doing that, he felt the
sources of his despair leaving him,
and he got himself back on his feet. It
was a miracle. Though his doctor had
pronounced a kind of death sentence
on him, he lived another fifteen years.
I gave him the Dharma name Chan
Sinh, which means “true life.” Before
he was told he was going to die, he
didn’t know what real life was. But
after that happened, he learned what
real life was, because he was there for
every moment of every day.
Albert Camus, in his novel The
Stranger, used the term “the moment
of awareness.” When the protagonist
of the novel, Meursault, learns he is
going to be executed for the murder
he has committed, anxiety, fear, and
anger are born in him. In despair, he
is lying on his prison bed looking at
the ceiling when, for the first time, he
sees the square of blue sky through
the skylight. The sky is so blue – it’s
the first time in his life that he has
gotten deeply in touch with the blue
sky. He has already lived for decades
without ever really seeing the blue
sky. Perhaps he has looked at the sky
from time to time, but he has not seen
it in a deep way. Now, three days
before his death, he is able to touch
the blue sky in a very deep way. The
moment of awareness has manifested.
Meursault decides to live every
minute he has left fully and deeply.
Here is a prisoner who is practicing
deep meditation. He lives his last
three days in his cell within that
square of blue sky. That is his
freedom. On the afternoon of the last
day, a Catholic priest comes to
Meursault’s prison cell to give him
the last rites, but Meursault refuses.
He doesn’t want to waste the few
hours he has left talking to the priest,
and he doesn’t let him come in. He
says, “The priest is living like a dead
man. He is not living like me, I am
truly alive.”
May be we too are living like dead
people. We move about life in our
own corpse because we are not
touching life in depth. We live a kind
of artificial life, with lots of plans, lots
of worries, and anger. Never are we
able to establish ourselves in the here
and now and lives deeply. We have to
wake up! We have to make it possible
for the moment of awareness to
manifest. This is the practice that will
save us – this is the revolution.
Has the most wonderful moment of
your life already happened? Ask
yourself that question. Most of us will
answer that it hasn’t happened yet, but
that it could happen at any time. No
matter how old we are, we tend to feel
that the most wonderful moment of
our life has not happened yet. We fear
may be it’s too late, but we are still
hoping. But the truth is, if we
continue to live in forgetfulness – that
is, without the presence of
mindfulness – that moment is never
going to happen.
The teaching of the Buddha tells you
clearly and plainly to make this the
most magnificent and wonderful
moment of your life. This present
moment must become the most
wonderful moment in your life. All
you need to transform this present
moment into a wonderful one is
freedom. All you need to do is free
yourself from your worries and
preoccupation about the past, the
future, and so on.
The deep insight of impermanence is
what helps us do this. It is very useful
to keep our concentration on
impermanence alive. You think the
other person in your life is going to be
there forever, but that is not true. That
person is impermanent, just like you.
So if you can do something to make
that person happy, you should do it
right away. Anything you can do or
say make them happy – say it or do it
now. It’s now or never.
In the practice of Buddhism, dying is
very important. It’s as important as
living. Death is as important as being
born. Without birth, there could be no
death. Without death, there is no birth.
Birth and death are very close friends,
and collaboration between the two of
them is necessary for life to be
possible.
So do not be afraid of death. Death is
just continuation, and so is birth. At
every moment, death is happening in
your body – some cells are dying so
other cells come to life. Death is
indispensable to life. If there is no
death, there is no birth, just as there
can be no left if there is no right.
Don’t hold out hope that life will be
possible without death. You must
accept both of them – birth and death.
If you practice well, you can gain
deep insight into the ultimate
dimension while remaining in touch
with the historical, or relative,
dimension. And when you are deeply
in touch with the historical dimension,
you also touch the ultimate dimension,
and you see that your true nature is
no-birth and no-death.
Living is a joy. Dying in order to
begin again is also a joy. Starting over
is a wonderful thing, and we are
starting over constantly. Beginning
anew is one of our main practices at
Plum Village, and we must die every
day in order to renew ourselves, in
order to make a fresh start. Learning
to die is a very profound practice.
SHARIPUTRA’S GUIDANCE
Sudatta was a very wealthy
businessman in the ancient Indian city
of Shravasti and a famous lay disciple
of the Buddha’s. He had used a great
part of his wealth to help the poor,
helpless, and orphaned, and so the
people of Shravasti gave him the
name Anathapindika, meaning
“supporter of orphans and the
helpless,” and that is the name we
know him by today.
Anathapindika was devoted to the
Buddha. He spent a lot of money
buying a park in Shravasti called the
Jeta Grove in order to turn it into a
monastery for the Buddha and a
headquarters for the work of the
Dharma. In his life he got a great deal
of pleasure from supporting the
Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
It was always his joy to support the
Three Jewels.
When Anathapindika was nearing
death, the Buddha paid him a visit. It
has been about thirty years since their
first meeting. During that time, the
Buddha had assigned his great
disciple Shariputra to take care of
Anathapindika and travel with him, so
Anathapindika and Shariputra had
become very close friends. Now, the
Buddha assigned Shariputra to help
Anathapindika die in a happy and
peaceful way.
Learning that Anathapindika was very
closed to death, Shariputra asked his
young brother in the Dharma, Ananda,
a cousin of the Buddha, to accompany
him on his alms round, and they
stopped at Anathapindika’s house.
Seeing the two venerable monks,
Anathapindika tried to get out of bed,
but he was unable to do so. Shariputra
said to him, “My friend, lie down. We
will get some chairs and come sit with
you.” After they sat down, Shariputra
asked, “My friend Anathapindika,
how do you feel in your body? Are
your physical pains decreasing or
increasing?”
When you are about to die, you have
pain in your body, and perhaps in
your mind as well – feelings of
anxiety, isolation, and confusion. At
this moment, which is a very
important one in your life, you need
help. You need someone with you at
this difficult time.
Anathapindika answered Shariputra,
“Venerable one, the pains in my body
do not seem to be subsiding. They
keep increasing. I am suffering more
and more.”
Shariputra told him the time had come
for him to meditate on the Three
Jewels. He asked Ananda and
Anathapindika to breathe deeply and
concentrate on the Buddha, the
Dharma, and the Sangha. Then
Shariputra conducted a guided
meditation.
“The Buddha has attained reality, just
as it is,” Shariputra said. “The Buddha
is completely and truly awakened. He
has brought understanding and action
to the level of perfection. He has
attained genuine happiness. He
understands the nature of the world
and of men. He is unequaled in
wisdom. He is a great man. He is the
teacher of both men and gods.”
Shariputra said these words to help
Anathapindika see clearly who the
Buddha really was – a person with a
lot of tenderness, compassion, and
happiness, someone who was an
enormous help to other beings.
Shariputra was one of the Buddha’s
most intelligent disciples, and he
knew precisely what state
Anathapindika was in. Shariputra
recognized the seeds of happiness in
Anathapindika’s consciousness, and
he knew that Anathapindika took
great pleasure in serving the Three
Jewels. So to help restore
Anathapindika’s equanimity, he
watered the positive seeds of
happiness by inviting him to
concentrate on the Buddha, the
Dharma, and the Sangha. The practice
was very effective. In a few minutes,
Anathapindika’s pain was
considerably reduced and he was able
to smile again.
We move about life in
our own corpse
because we are not
touching life in depth.
We have to make it
possible for the
moment of awareness
to manifest. This is
the practice that will
save us. This is the
revolution.
This is a wonderful practice, and we
can all learn to do it. A person who is
about to die has seeds of suffering in
her, but she also has seeds of
happiness. You who love this person
should recognize the seeds of
happiness and suffering in her, and
speak to her about the things that
evoke happiness in her. It is very
important to do this. Even if the
person is in a coma, you should speak
to her like this. Communication is
possible. She will hear you.
I remember going with Sister Chan
Khong to visit my friend Alfred
Hessler, who was dying in a Catholic
hospital in New York State. Alfred
was a peace activist who had been a
tremendous help to us during the
Vietnam War in our efforts to stop the
bombing. We worked shoulder to
shoulder with him, and we became
very close friends.
That day, Sister Chan Khong and I
were on our way to a retreat in upstate
New York at which six hundred
people were expected, and by chance
the clinic was on our way. When we
entered his room, his daughter, Laura,
tried to get Alfred to come out of the
coma. “Alfred! Alfred!” she cried out,
“Thay is here, Thay is here! Sister
Chan Khong is here! Come back!”
But Alfred remained in the coma.
Sister Chan Khong then began to sing
a verse that is drawn directly from a
sutra written by the Buddha. The
words go like this:
This body is not me, I am not caught
in this body.
I am life without boundaries. I have
never been born, and I shall never
die.
Look at the ocean and the sky filled
with stars, manifestation of my
wondrous true mind.
Since before time, I have been free.
Birth and death are only doors
through which we pass, sacred
thresholds on our journey.
Birth and death are just a game of
hide and seek.
So laugh with me,
Hold my hand,
Let us say goodbye,
Say goodbye, to meet again soon.
We meet today.
We will meet again tomorrow.
We will meet at the source at every
moment.
We meet each other in all forms of
life.
The third time Sister Chan Khong
repeated this chant, Alfred came to
and opened his eyes. We were very
happy. Laura asked him, “Do you
know that Thay and Sister Chan
Khong are here?” Alfred was unable
to speak, but he answered with his
eyes that he knew his friends were
there.
Then Sister Chan Khong began the
practice of watering the seeds of
happiness in him. She spoke about our
work for peace in Vietnam and, like
Anathapindika, how much Alfred had
found happiness in this work. “Do
you remember the time we were in
Rome?” she asked him. “There were
three hundred Catholic priests, and
each of them carried the name of a
Buddhist monk who was imprisoned
in Vietnam because he had refused to
join the army.
“Alfred, do you remember the time
you were in Saigon with the
Venerable Tri Quang, the head of the
pacifist movement in Vietnam? The
night before, the United States had
decided to bomb the country.
Venerable Tri Quang was furious and
 Has the most wonderful moment of your life
already happened? Most of us will answer
that it hasn’t happened yet. But the truth is,
without the presence of mindfulness, the
moment is never going to happen.

refuse to see anybody who was
American. But you sat down at his
door and said that you were a friend
and not an enemy. You said, ‘I am
here to help you, and I am going to
stay on a hunger strike until you open
your door.’ The venerable monk
invited you in. Do you remember
that?”
Sister Chan Khong practiced watering
the positive seeds in him because she
knew that Alfred had a great deal of
suffering in him. Suddenly, he opened
his mouth and said, “Wonderful,
wonderful.” He repeated it twice.
What was wonderful, too, was that at
that moment he had friends to help
and support him. When it was time
for us to go, I said to his family,
“Continue the practice. You should
talk to him about these things that
have brought him happiness.”
Another time, Sister Chan Khong’s
older sister was in a coma and nearing
death. She had suffered a great deal.
She lay in bed writhing and moaning
and crying out in pain. The doctors
did all they could to alleviate her pain,
including giving her painkillers, but
they were unable to help. Sister Chan
Khong arrived with a tape player
containing a Vietnamese chant to the
Bodhisattva of Great Compassion,
chanted by the monks and nuns in
Plum Village. She put the headphones
over her sister’s ears and turned up
the volume so that sound could reach
through the coma. Within two
minutes her sister stopped writhing
and crying out. She became
completely peaceful. Why? Because
she had in her the seeds of that chant.
When she was a little girl, she had
gone to the monastery and heard the
monks chanting. The seeds of peace,
faith, and compassion were in her
already. During her life of hard work,
she never had taken the time to water
these seeds. But as she was dying,
Sister Chan Khong was able to help
her water them. She because very
calm and remained peaceful until her
death. The doctors there – who
included her own daughter – were
astonished. None of the drugs had
worked. Only that tape was able to
 Death is indispensable to life. If there is no
death, there is no birth. Don’t hold out hope
that life will be possible without death. You
must accept both of them – birth and death.

break through and allow the seeds of
spirituality in this person to be
touched. We all have these seeds in us;
and it’s never too late to touch them.
YOU ARE MORE THAN THIS BODY
AND MIND
After Shariputra watered the seeds of
happiness in Anathapindika by talking
about the Three Jewels, he did a
guided meditation for him on the six
senses.
“Listen, my friend,” Shariputra said,
“let us practice together. Breathing in,
I know that my body is not me.
Breathing out, I know I am not caught
in his body. These eyes are not me. I
am not caught in these eyes. These
ears are not me. I am not caught in
these ears. This nose is not me. I am
not caught in this nose. This tongue is
not me. I am not caught in this tongue.
This body is not me. I am not caught
in this body. This mind is not me. I
am not caught in this mind.”
We are in the habit of identifying
ourselves with our bodies. The idea
that we are this body is deeply
entrenched in us. But we are not just
this body; we are much more than that.
The idea that “this body is me and I
am this body” is an idea we must get
rid of. If we do not, we will suffer a
great deal. We are life, and life is far
vaster than this body, this concept,
this mind.
“These mental formations are me” –
this is another idea we have to get rid
off. Therefore, when someone is
dying, above all we have to help them
stop identifying with their body and
mind. We are not prisoners of our
senses. We are not prisoners of our
bodies or our minds. We must become
free of our body and free of our mind.
We must be free of the idea that “I am
this body, I am this mind.” When we
get rid of these ideas, we become
greater, deeper, and freer than our
mind.
This disintegration of the body is not
the end. It is only the cessation of a
manifestation. When conditions are
no longer sufficient, the manifestation
ceases. To light a fire, you need fuel,
and as soon as there is no more fuel,
the fire goes out. The same is true of
the body and mind. Conditions must
be sufficient for the manifestation to
continue. If not, it will cease and then
manifest again sometime in the future.
“These forms are not me, and I am not
caught in these forms,” Shariputra
continued. “These forms are merely
objects of sight – when light strikes
the eyes, sight manifests as the
consciousness of perceiving shapes
and colors. I am not those forms.
“When the tongue comes in contact
with things that have taste, the
consciousness of taste manifests and
we perceive flavors. Tastes are not me.
I am not caught in tastes. Smells are
not me. I am not caught in smells.
Tangible objects are not me. I am not
caught in these. Thoughts and ideas
are not me. I am not caught in
thoughts and ideas.”
This practice is indispensable for
liberation. We must not identify with
the sense organs or the sense objects.
We must not identify with the six
sense consciousnesses – sight, sound,
smell, taste, touch, and mind
consciousness. These consciousness
manifests when the necessary
conditions come together, and they
cease to manifest when the necessary
conditions cease to be present. This is
something that can be tested and
confirmed. It is altogether scientific.
Here is a meditation on the six
elements: “Breathing in, I am aware
of the element of earth in me.
Breathing out, I recognize it outside
and around me. I smile at the earth
element in and around me,
everywhere. I recognize the element
of fire in my body, and I recognize the
element of fire in the world around
me. I recognize the elements of water,
air, space, and consciousness.”
Each element contains the five other
elements. One thing contains all
things. Look deeply into the water
element, the earth element, heat, air,
space, and consciousness and you will
find that each one contains the five
others. That is the inter-being nature
of the elements.
Shariputra said to Anathapindika,
“My friend, things appear and
disappear according to causes and
conditions. The true nature of things
is not being born, and not dying. Birth
and death are nothing more than
concepts. Our true nature is the nature
of no-birth and no-death, and we must
touch our true nature in order to be
free.”
Shariputra continued, “When the body
or the mind manifests, we say that it
exists, but that is not correct. When a
thing has not yet manifested, we say
that it does not exist, but that is not
correct either. The ideas of being and
non-being have to be rejected. These
notions do not apply to reality. When
the conditions come together, your
body or your mind manifests.
“Let us look deeply into the five
skandhas: forms, feelings, perceptions,
mental formations, and consciousness.
There is nothing there that could be
called a self. As a result of ignorance,
we are caught up in ideas and
concepts. But in truth we are free
from these ideas and concepts. The
true nature of reality is inter-being.
The reality of inter-being has the
nature of emptiness and of non-self.
We are free in the past, and we are
free in the present.”
At this point in the meditation,
Anathapindika began to cry. It was
the first time he had touched the
profound teachings on emptiness,
non-self, inter-being, and so on. He
needed this teaching on the nature of
no-birth and no-death in order not to
suffer, but he had never had the
opportunity to practice or study it.
Surprised by Anathapindika’s tears,
Venerable Ananda asked him, “My
friend, why are you crying? Is there
something that you regret?”
Anathanpindika smiled and replied,
“No, Venerable Ananda, I have no
regrets. I am crying because I have
served the Buddha and the Sangha for
so many years, and I have never heard
a teaching as profound as the one I
have heard today. It is wonderful. I
am free.”
Venerable Ananda said, “My friend,
you don’t know it, but this kind of
teaching is given every day to the
monks and nuns.”
“Venerable one,” Anathapindika
replied, “please tell the Buddha that it
is true many laypeople are too busy to
learn this teaching and practice. But
tell him there are other laypeople who
are capable of receiving this teaching
and applying it in their lives. I beg
you, go back to the Buddha and
convey to him my request to teach
this insight to laypeople.”
The Venerable Ananda agreed, and
the two venerable monks withdrew.
The layman Anathapindika died
shortly thereafter in a very peaceful
manner. This story is told in a
discourse entitled “Teachings To Be
Given to the Sick.” You should study
such texts if you wish to attend dying
people.
To help dying people, you must be
very solid. You must have
fearlessness within you. You must be
able to touch no-birth and no-death
yourself in order to support a person
whose manifestation is about to cease.
If you want to attend the dying, you
must practice. Through practice you
can develop the solidity, the
fearlessness, and the techniques that
make it possible for you to help
people to die in peace. We should
never forget that dying is as important
as living.
 Part Two
1. Discourses on Living Happily in the Present
Moment:

 The Elder Sutra

 The Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Live
Alone

2. Discourse on the Teaching to be Given to the Sick

 Quote on life:

“Our appointment with life is in the present moment. The

place of our appointment is right here, in this very place”.

Quote on death:

“Our biggest fear is that we will become nothing when we

die. If we think that we cease to exist when we die, we
have not looked very deeply at ourselves”.
The Elder Sutra
Theranamo Sutta
Translated from the Chinese

I heard these words of the Buddha one time when the Lord was staying
at the monastery in the Jeta Grove, in the town of Shravasti. At that time
there was a monk named Thera (Elder), who always preferred to be
alone. Whenever he could, he praised the practice of living alone. He
sought alms alone and sat in meditation alone.
One time a group of bhikkhus came to the Lord, paid their respect
by prostrating at his feet, stepped to one side, sat down at a distance, and
said, “Blessed One, there is an elder by the name of Thera who only
wants to be alone. He always praises the practice of living alone. He
goes into the village alone to seek alms, returns home from the village
alone, and sits in meditation alone.”
The Lord Buddha told one of the bhikkhus, “Please go to the place
where the monk Thera lives and tell him I wish to see him.”
The bhikkhu obeyed. When the monk Thera heard the Buddha’s
wish, he came without delay, prostrated at the feet of the Buddha,
stepped to one side, and sat down at a distance. Then the Blessed One
asked the monk Thera, “Is it true that you prefer to be alone, praise the
life of solitude, go for alms alone, come back from the village alone, and
sit in meditation alone?”
The monk Thera replied, “It is true, Blessed One.” Buddha asked
the monk Thera, “How do you live alone?”
The monk Thera replied, “I live alone, no one else lives with me. I
praise the practice of being alone. I go for alms alone, and I come back
from the village alone. I sit in meditation alone. That is all.”
The Buddha taught the monk as follows, “It is obvious that you
like the practice of living alone. I do not want to deny that, but I want to
tell you that there is a wonderful way to be alone. It is the way of deep
observation to see that the past no longer exists and the future has not
yet come, and to dwell at ease in the present moment, free from desire.
When a person lives in this way, he has no hesitation in his heart. He
gives up all anxieties and regrets, lets go of all binding desires, and cuts
the fetters which prevent him from being free. This is called ‘the better
way to live alone.’ There is no more wonderful way of being alone than
this.”
Then the Blessed One recited this gatha:

In observing life deeply,

it is possible to see clearly all that is.
Not enslaved by anything,
it is possible to put aside all craving.
The result is a life of peace and joy.
This is truly to live alone.

Hearing the Lord’s words, the monk Thera was delighted. He prostrated
respectfully to the Buddha and departed.

From the Agamas (Samyukta 1071). The equivalent in the Pali Canon is
the Theranamo Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya, chapter 21, Suttra no. 10, vol. II,
p. 282f).
The Sutra on Knowing
the Better Way to Live Alone
Bhaddekaratta Sutta
Translated from the Pali

I heard these words of the Buddha one time when the Lord was staying
at the monastery in the Jeta Grove, in the town of Shravasti. He called
all the monks to him and instructed them, “Bhikkhus!”
And the bhikkhus replied, “We are here.”
The Blessed One taught, “I will teach you what is meant by
‘knowing the better way to live alone.’ I will begin with an outline of the
teaching, and then I will give a detailed explanation. Bhikkhus, please
listen carefully.”
“Blessed One, we are listening.”
The Buddha taught:

Do not pursue the past.

Do not lose yourself in the future.
The past no longer is.
The future has not yet come.
Looking deeply at life as it is
In the very here and now,
The practitioner dwells
in stability and freedom.
We must be diligent today.
To wait until tomorrow is too late.
Death comes unexpectedly.
How can we bargain with it?
The sage calls a person who knows
how to dwell in mindfulness
night and day
“one who knows
the better way to live alone.”
“Bhikkhus, what do we mean by ‘pursuing the past’? When someone
thinks about the way his body was in the past, the way his feelings were
in the past, the way his perceptions were in the past, the way his mental
factors were in the past, the way his consciousness was in the past; when
he thinks about these things and his mind is burdened by and attached to
these things which belong to the past, then that person is pursuing the
past.
“Bhikkhus, what is meant by ‘not pursuing the past’? When
someone thinks about the way his body was in the past, the way his
feelings were in the past, the way his perceptions were in the past, the
way his mental factors were in the past, the way his consciousness was
in the past; when he thinks about these things but his mind is neither
enslaved by nor attached to these things which belong to the past, then
that person is not pursuing the past.
“Bhikkhus, what is meant by ‘losing yourself in the future’? When
someone thinks about the way his body will be in the future, the way his
feelings will be in the future, the way his perceptions will be in the
future, the way his mental factors will be in the future, the way his
consciousness will be in the future; when he thinks about these things
and his mind is burdened by and daydreaming about these things which
belong to the future, then that person is losing himself in the future.
“Bhikkhus, what is meant by ‘not losing yourself in the future’?
When someone thinks about the way his body will be in the future, the
way his feelings will be in the future, the way his perceptions will be in
the future, the way his mental factors will be in the future, the way his
consciousness will be in the future; when he thinks about these things
but his mind is not burdened by or daydreaming about these things
which belong to the future, then he is not losing himself in the future.
“Bhikkhus, what is meant by ‘being swept away by the present’?
When someone does not study or learn anything about the Awakened
One, or the teachings of love and understanding, or the community that
lives in harmony and awareness; when that person knows nothing about
the noble teachers and their teachings, and does not practice these
teachings, and thinks, ‘This body is myself; I am this body. These
feelings are myself; I am these feelings. This perception is myself; I am
this perception. This mental factor is myself; I am this mental factor.
This consciousness is myself; I am this consciousness,’ then that person
is being swept away by the present.
“Bhikkhus, what is meant by ‘not being swept away by the
present’? When someone studies and learns about the Awakened One,
the teachings of love and understanding, and the community that lives in
harmony and awareness; when that person knows about noble teachers
and their teachings, practices these teachings, and does not think. ‘This
body is myself; I am this body. These feelings are myself; I am these
feelings. This perception is myself; I am this perception. This mental
factor is myself; I am this mental factor. This consciousness is myself; I
am this consciousness’, then that person is not being swept away by the
present.
“Bhikkhus, I have presented the outline and the detailed
explanation of knowing the better way to live alone.”
Thus the Buddha taught, and the bhikkhus were delighted to put
his teachings into practice.

Bhaddekaratta Suttra (Majjhima Nikaya, Sutta no. 131)

Discourse on the Teachings to be Given to the Sick
I heard these words of the Buddha one time when the Lord was staying
in the monastery in the Jeta Grove in Anathapindika’s park, near
Shravasti. At that time the householder Anathapindika was seriously ill.
When the Venerable Shariputra was told this, he immediately went to
Ananda and said, “Brother Ananda, let us go and visit the layman
Anathapindika.” The Venerable Ananda replied, “Yes, let us go now.”
The Venerable Ananda put on his robe, took his bowl, and went
into the town of Shravasti with the Venerable Shariputra to make the
alms round. Ananda walked behind Shariputra, stopping at every house
until they came to the house of the layman Anathapindika, and they went
in to visit him. After he had sat down, the Venerable Shariputra asked
the layman Anathapindika, “How is your illness? Is it getting better or
worse? Is the physical pain easing at all or is it getting greater?” The
house-holder Anathapindika replied, “Venerable monks, it does not
seem to be getting better. The pain is not easing. It is getting greater all
the time.” Shariputra said, “Friend Anathapindika, now is the time to
practice the meditation on the Three Jewels, the Buddha, the Dharma,
and the Sangha.
“The Buddha has gone to Suchness, is fully and truly awakened,
has perfected understanding and action, has arrived at true happiness,
understands the nature of the world, is unequalled in understanding, has
conquered the afflictions of human beings, is a teacher of gods and
humans, and is the Awakened One, the one who liberates the world.
“The Dharma is the teaching of love and understanding that the
Tathagata has expounded. It is deep and lovely, worthy of the highest
respect, and very precious. It is a teaching that cannot be compared to
ordinary teachings. It is a path of practice for the Noble Ones.
“The Sangha is the community of practice, guided by the teachings
of the Awakened One. The community is in harmony, and within it all
aspects of the practice can be realized. The community is respected and
precious. It practices the precepts and realizes concentration, insight, and
liberation. Offerings made to the Sangha are very beneficial.
 “Friend Anathapindika, if you meditate in this way on the Buddha,
the Dharma, and the Sangha, the beneficial effects are beyond measure.
Meditating in this way, you can destroy the obstacles of wrong deeds
and the afflictions. You can harvest a fruit that is as fresh and sweet as
the balm of compassion. A women or a man practicing an upright way
of life who knows how to meditate on the Three Jewels will have no
chance of falling into the three lower realms but will be reborn as a
human or a god.
“Friend Anathapindika, now is the time to practice the meditation
on the Six Sense Bases:

“These eyes are not me. I am not caught in these eyes.

“These ears are not me. I am not caught in these ears.
“This nose is not me. I am not caught in this nose.
“This tongue is not me. I am not caught in this tongue.
“This body is not me. I am not caught in this body.
“This mind is not me. I am not caught in this mind.

“Now continue your meditation with the Six Sense Objects:

“These forms are not me. I am not caught in these forms.

“These sounds are not me. I am not caught in these sounds.
“These smells are not me. I am not caught in these smells.
“These tastes are not me. I am not caught in these tastes.
“These contacts with the body are not me. I am not caught in these
contacts with the body.
“These thoughts are not me. I am not caught in these thoughts.

“Now continue your meditation on the Six Sense Consciousness:

“Sight is not me. I am not caught in sight.

“Hearing is not me. I am not caught in hearing.
“Consciousness based on the nose is not me. I am not caught in the
consciousness based on the nose.
“Consciousness based on the tongue is not me. I am not caught in
consciousness based on the tongue.
“Consciousness based on the body is not me. I am not caught in
consciousness based on the body.
“Consciousness based on the mind is not me. I am not caught in
consciousness based on the mind.

“Now continue your meditation on the Six Elements:

“The earth element is not me. I am not caught in the earth element.
“The water element is not me. I am not caught in the water element.
“The fire element is not me. I am not caught in the fire element.
“The air element is not me. I am not caught in the air element.
“The space element is not me. I am not caught in the space element.
“The consciousness element is not me. I am not caught in the
consciousness element.

“Now continue your meditation on the Five Aggregates:

“Form is not me. I am not limited by the form aggregate.

“Feelings are not me. I am not limited by the feeling aggregate.
“Perceptions are not me. I am not limited by the perception
aggregate.
“Mental formations are not me. I am not limited by the mental
formation aggregate.
“Consciousness is not me. I am not limited by the consciousness
aggregate.

“Now continue your meditation on the Three Times:

“The past is not me. I am not limited by the past.

“The present is not me. I am not limited by the present.
“The future is not me. I am not limited by the future.
 “Friend Anathapindika, everything that arises is due to causes and
conditions. Everything that is has the nature not to be born and not to die,
not to arrive and not to depart. When eyes arise, they arise, but they do
not come from anywhere. When eyes cease to be, they cease to be, but
they do not go anywhere. Eyes are neither nonexistent before they arise,
nor are they existent after arise. Everything that is comes to be because
of a combination of causes and conditions. When the causes and
conditions are sufficient, eyes are present. When the causes and
conditions are not sufficient, eyes are absent. The same is true of ears,
nose, tongue, body and mind; form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and
thought, sight, hearing, and the consciousnesses based on the nose,
tongue, body, and mind; the Six Elements, the Five Aggregates, and the
Three Times.
“In the Five Aggregates, there is nothing that we can call ‘I’, a
‘person’, or a ‘soul’. Ignorance is the inability to see this truth. Because
there is ignorance, there are mistaken impulses. Because there are
mistaken impulses, there is mistaken consciousness. Because there is
mistaken consciousness, there is the distinction between the perceiver
and the perceived. Because there is the distinction between the perceiver
and the perceived, there is the distinction between the six organs and the
six objects of sense. Because there is the distinction between the six
organs and the six objects of sense, there is contact. Because there is
contact, there is feeling. Because there is feeling, there is thirst. Because
there is thirst, there is grasping. Because there is grasping, there is
becoming. Because there is becoming, there are birth, death, and the
subsequent pain and grief.
“Friend Anathapindika, you have meditated that everything that
arises is due to causes and conditions and does not have a separate self.
That is called ‘the meditation on emptiness’. It is the highest and the
most profound meditation.”
When he had practiced to this point, the layman Anathapindika
began to cry. Venerable Ananda asked him, “Friend, why are you crying?
Has your meditation not been successful? Do you have some regret?”
The layman Anathapindika replied, “Venerable Ananda, I do not regret
anything. The meditation has been most successful. I am so deeply
moved. I have been fortunate to have been able to serve the Buddha and
his community for many years, yet I have never heard a teaching so
wonderful and precious as the teaching transmitted by the Venerable
Shariputra today.”
Then the Venerable Ananda said to the layman Anathapindika, “Do
you not know, friend, that the Buddha often gives this teaching to
bhikshus and bhikshunis?” The layman Anathapindika replied,
“Venerable Ananda, please tell the Buddha that there are also laypeople
with the capacity to listen, understand, and put into practice these deep
and wonderful teachings.”
After hearing Shariputra’s instructions and meditating accordingly,
Anathapindika felt free and at ease. The Venerables Shariputra and
Ananda bade him farewell and went back to the monastery, and
Anathapindika passed away and was born in the thirty-third heaven.

Ekottara Agama L1, 8

(In consultation and Majjhima Nikaya I43
and Madhyama Agama 26.)
 Part Three
Guided Meditation for Touching the Earth:
Introduction

Intimate Conversation with the Buddha

1. True Happiness
2. Living in the Present
3. Living Deeply
4. Mindfulness in Daily Life
5. Everything is Manifestation
6. The River of Life
7. Limitless Life
8. Riding the Waves of Birth and Death
Guided meditation on Touching the Earth:
Introduction
Each of the meditations is a small conversation with the Buddha.
Everyone can benefit from them and find a part that speaks to his or her
own experience.

We can practice Touching the Earth by ourselves or with others. The

meditations are to be read as you stand or sit comfortably with palms
joined. When we practice with others, we can appoint someone with an
expressive voice and a strong energy of mindfulness and concentration
to read the liturgy and everyone else will listen. After each guided
meditation has been read, everyone will Touch the Earth by lying down
in the prostrate position or in the Child’s pose (kneeling and bending
forward so that your forehead and forearms touch the ground). People
unable to prostrate fully can simply join their palms and bow forward a
little. Touch the Earth in silence and stay in that position for three in-
and-out breaths, or longer if you like. When practicing as a group, you
may want to say “we” and “ourselves” instead of “I” and “myself”
whenever it occurs in the meditation.
 1. True Happiness

LORD BUDDHA, you and your Sangha are my teachers who have
given me birth in the spiritual life and continue to nourish me every day.
I am your disciple, your younger brother or sister, your son or daughter.
I aspire to be your worthy continuation. You did not look for happiness
in fame, wealth, sex, power, and luxurious food and possession. Your
great freedom, love, and understanding brought you happiness.

Thanks to your great understanding, you were not obstructed by your

own mind or your surroundings and you were not caught in wrong
thinking. You did not think, speak, or do things which would bring about
suffering for yourself or others. Lord Buddha, thanks to this great
understanding, you had limitless love for all species. This love
comforted, liberated, and brought peace and joy to countless beings.
Your great understanding and compassion gave you great freedom and
happiness. My deepest desire is to follow in your footsteps. I vow that I
shall not seek happiness in the five sense pleasures. I shall not think that
wealth, fame, sex, power, and luxurious food and material objects can
bring me true happiness. I know that if I run after these objects of
craving, I shall incur great suffering and make myself a slave to these
things. I vow not to run after a position, a diploma, power, money, or sex.
I vow that every day I shall practice to give rise to understanding, love,
and freedom. These elements have the capacity to bring true happiness
for me and for the Sangha body now and in the future.

Touching the Earth

With body, speech, and mind in oneness, I touch the Earth three times to
experience and to solidify my deep aspiration. (Bell)
 2. Living in the Present

LORD BUDDHA, I recognize my deep habit energy of forgetfulness. I

often allow my mind to think about the past, so that I drown in sorrow
and regret. This has caused me to lose so many opportunities to be in
touch with the wonderful things of life present only in this moment. I
know there are many of us whose past has become our prison. Our time
is spent complaining or regretting what we have lost. This robs us of the
opportunity to be in touch with the refreshing, beautiful, and wonderful
things that could nourish and transform us in the present moment. We
are not to be in touch with the blue sky, the white clouds, the green
willow, the yellow flowers, the sound of the wind in the pine trees, the
sound of the running brook, the sound of the singing birds, and the
sound of the laughing children in the early morning sunlight. We are
also not able to be in touch with the wonderful things in our own selves.

We are unable to see that our two eyes are two precious jewels. When
we open our eyes we can be in touch with the world of ten thousand
different colors and forms. We do not recognize that our two ears are
wonderful sense organs. If we were to listen attentively with these two
ears, we would hear the soft rustling of the wind in the branches of the
pine, the twittering of the golden oriole or the sound of the rising tide as
it plays its compelling music on the seashore in the early morning. Our
hearts, lungs, brains, as well as our capacity to feel, to think and observe
are also wonders of life. The glass of clear water or golden orange juice
in our hands is also a wonder of life. In spite of this I am often unable to
be in touch with the way life is manifesting in the present moment,
because I do not practice mindful breathing and mindful walking to
return to the present moment.

Lord Buddha, please be my witness. I promise I shall practice to realize

the teachings you have given us. I know that the Pure Land is not an
illusory promise for the future. The Pure Land is available to me now,
wonderful in all aspects. The path of red earth with its border of green
grass is the Pure Land. The small golden and violet flowers are also the
Pure Land. The babbling brook with small, shiny rocks lying in its bed is
also the Pure Land. Our Pure Land is not only the fragrant lotuses and
bunches of chrysanthemums, but is also the mud which nourishes the
roots of the lotus and the manure which nourish the chrysanthemums.

The Pure Land has the outer appearance of birth and death, but looking
deeply I see that birth and death are interdependent. One is not possible
without the other. If I look even more deeply, I will see that there is no
birth and no death; there is only manifestation. I do not have to wait for
this body to disintegrate in order to step into the Pure Land of the
Buddha. By the way I look, walk, and breathe I can produce the energies
of mindfulness and concentration, allowing me to enter the Pure Land
and to experience all the miracles of life found right in the here and now.

Touching the Earth

Lord Buddha, I touch the Earth twice to be deeply in touch with you and
with the Pure Land of the present moment. (Bell)
 3. Living Deeply

LORD BUDDHA, by nourishing the awakened understanding of

impermanence in me, I have understood clearly the Five Remembrances
that you have taught us to meditate on every day.

1. I am of the nature to grow old, there is no way I can escape

growing old.
2. I am of the nature to have ill health, there is no way I can
escape having ill health.
3. I am of the nature to die, there is no way I can escape death.
4. Everything that I cherish and value today I shall in the future
have to be separated from.
5. My only true inheritance is the consequences of my actions of
body, speech, and mind. My actions are the ground on which I
stand.

Thanks to nourishing the awareness of impermanence, I am able to

cherish each day. World Honored One, you knew how to use your time,
health, and youth to lead a career of liberation and awakening. I am
determined to follow your example, not running after power, position,
fame, and profit. I no longer want to waste my time. I vow to use my
time and energy to practice transforming my afflictions, giving rise to
understanding and love. Lord Buddha, as your descendant and your
continuation, I vow to practice so that your career of understanding and
love can continue to live in all future generations of practitioners.

By nourishing the awareness of impermanence, I see the precious

presence of the people I love: my parents, teachers, friends, and fellow
practitioners. I know that my loved ones are as impermanent as I am.
There are times when I am forgetful, and I imagine that my loved ones
will be alongside me forever, or for as long as my life lasts. I think that
they will never grow old, they will never be sick, and they will never be
absent from me. I do not value their presence. I do not find joy and
happiness in being with them. Instead I speak and behave unkindly. At
times, I even have a secret wish that my loved one would go far away
from me when I feel irritated with them. I have made them suffer, I have
made them sad and angry, because I have not known how to value them.
I am aware that at times I may have treated my father, mother, brother,
sister, teacher, Dharma brothers and sisters, or partner in these
thoughtless, cold, and ungrateful ways.

Lord Buddha, with all my heart I express regret for these faults. I shall
learn how to say things like: “Father, you are still alive with me and it
makes me so happy.” “Brother or sister, you are a solid presence
alongside me. To have you in my life gives me much joy.” “Mother, I
am a very lucky person to have you in my life.” “Sister or brother, you
refresh me and make my life more beautiful.” I vow to practice using
loving speech, first of all towards those I love closely and after that
towards everyone.

Touching the Earth

Lord Buddha, the teacher of gods and humans, please be my witness.

(Bell)

Respected teacher of filial piety, Mahamaudgalyayana, please be my

witness. (Bell)

Respected teacher who humbly hid his deep understanding, Rahula,

please be my witness. (Bell)
 4. Mindfulness in Daily Life

LORD BUDDHA, at the time when you manifested on this Earth as

Shakyamuni Buddha, you devoted your life to liberating beings from
their suffering. At the time there were no airplanes, steamships, trains, or
buses. In spite of this, you traveled on foot to visit the various small
kingdoms in the plain of the Ganges. You walked wherever you wanted
to go, taking step in mindfulness. For the forty-five years during which
you taught and practiced mindfulness, wherever you went you brought
the energy of solidity and freedom. You liberated kings, ministers,
generals, spiritual leaders, businessmen, intellectuals, rich and poor, as
well as thieves, prostitutes, and butchers from their suffering. Your
career of understanding and love has had a deep and lasting influence on
so many generations of people throughout the world. I, your disciple,
vow to practice sincerely with joy and peace so I can participate in the
career of understanding and love which you have transmitted to me. I
shall practice dwelling peacefully and happily in the present while I am
sitting, walking, speaking, listening, eating, and working. I vow to
practice mindfulness when I go to work, when I cook, do the laundry,
sweep the courtyard, plant vegetables, drive the car, and do the shopping.
I know that practicing mindfulness in all my daily activities brings
lightness, joy, peace, and freedom into myself and everyone around me.

Lord Buddha, there are those of us who have to drive or take the train
for one hour to get to work. At the end of the day it takes us another
hour to get home. When we arrive, we are already tired. Then we still
have to cook, eat, and cleanup. Day after day we live like this; we are
always busy. We also have to worry about paying the bills, the mortgage,
the electricity, the water, the telephone, and taxes. There are also other
problems like sickness, medicine, unemployment, and car accidents,
which put a great deal of pressure on us in our daily lives, and cause us
much anxiety and fear. Many of us are always in a hurry. We hurry to
finish one thing to do something else, and one task always follows
another. If we have nothing to do we cannot bear it so we fill out time
with countless projects and errands. One hundred years flashes past like
a dream. I do not want to live like that. I want to live at ease and deeply
every moment of my daily life. I want to practice living happily in the
present moment. I want to do less work, and work in such a way so that
every moment of my work brings me joy.

When I am driving I shall not allow myself to think about the past or the
future, or allow my plans or anxieties to pull me away from reality. I
shall follow my breathing and be aware that all my ancestors are in the
car with me. For instance, I can imagine that my grandfather is driving
with me, although in the past perhaps my grandfather did not know how
to drive. I see my grandfather in me and I look at what is happening
around me with the eyes of my grandfather. Lord Buddha, I also see that
you are driving the car for me, and you drive very mindfully. Whenever
I stop at a red light, I shall return to my breathing, relax, and smile. The
red light is a bell of mindfulness, reminding me to return to the present
moment. I feel gratitude to the red light as one of my practice friends
reminding me to return to mindfulness. When there is a traffic jam I
know how to breathe and smile, practicing: “I have arrived, I am home.”
Life is present in this moment. Every breath brings me back to the
present moment to be in touch with life. I know that driving mindfully I
shall not be tense, I shall have joy and the opportunity to look deeply.
When other people are driving me I shall also practice like this. I shall
follow my breathing, and I shall have an opportunity to be in touch with
the wheat fields, the rolling hills, the rivers or the oceans which we are
passing. I shall find skillful ways to remind the driver and other people
who are in the car to practice with me so that throughout the journey we
shall have the opportunity to produce mindfulness, concentration, and
joy.

Touching the Earth

I touch the Earth before Buddha Shikhin, Buddha Vishvabhu and

Buddha Krakkucchandha. (Bell)
 5. Everything Is Manifestation

LORD BUDDHA, you have taught that people in the world are
generally caught in ideas of being and nonbeing, permanence and
annihilation. I know that the idea of an undying self is a wrong view,
and I am practicing to look deeply to see that annihilation is also a
wrong view. Permanence and annihilation are both extremes. You have
taught me that if I am caught in either of these two extremes, I suffer. As
part of my daily practice, I shall make an effort to see clearly that my
own five skandhas and everything around me are impermanent, but at
the same time not subject to annihilation. With the clear understanding
of impermanence, I see that nothing can be said to be a separate self-
entity. Everything is a wonderful manifestation which does not have its
own separate reality or its own separate nature. This manifests because
that manifests, and that manifests because this manifests. This is present
in that and that is present in this.

Lord Buddha, I shall listen to your advice and look deeply into
impermanence, interdependence, emptiness, and interbeing, in order to
arrive at the realization that all that exists has the nature of no birth and
no death, no coming and no going, no being and no nonbeing, no
permanence and no annihilation. Lord Buddha, you have opened the
door of no birth for us. I only need to follow you and enter that door. I
know that the highest aim of a practitioner is to realize the nature of no
birth and no death and thus to go beyond the cycle of samsara and attain
the greatest freedom. You have been so compassionate to teach us this.
Yet, I have wasted much precious time following a worldly career,
looking for words of praise, profit, and position. I know I can do better.
 Touching the Earth

Lord Buddha, with body, speech, and mind in perfect oneness, I touch
the Earth before you, the one who is truly and fully awakened, to express
my regret for my unskillful and mistaken habits of thought. (Bell)
 6. The River of Life

LORD BUDDHA, I am aware that in me there is a river of life that

contains my ancestors and my descendants. All generations of my
spiritual and blood ancestors are present in me. I am their continuation. I
do not have a separate self. I am practicing to let go of everything that I
think is myself or belongs to me, so that I can become one with this river
of life. This river of life is flowing in me. My spiritual ancestors are the
Buddha, the bodhisttvas, the holy community of practice and ancestral
teachers throughout all generations. That river includes my spiritual
teachers of this lifetime, whether they are still on this Earth or whether
they have passed away. They have transmitted to me seeds of peace,
understanding, love and happiness. Thanks to them, I have a resource of
peace, joy, insight, and compassion within me, even if it is still small. In
the river of my spiritual ancestors, there are those whose practice of the
precepts, understanding, and compassion is fully realized. There are also
those whose practice of precepts, understanding, and compassion has
had shortcomings. I bow my head and accept all my spiritual ancestors,
realized and not realized, because in myself there are weaknesses and
shortcomings as far as the practice of precepts, understanding, and
compassion is concerned. I open my heart and accept all my spiritual
descendants, those whose practice of precepts and understanding is
worthy of praise as well as those who are difficult for me and have ups
and downs on their path of practice.

I accept all my ancestors on my mother’s and my father’s sides of the

family with all their virtues, meritorious actions, and shortcomings. I
also open my heart and accept all my blood descendants with their
virtues, their talents, and their shortcomings. My spiritual and blood
descendants and my spiritual and blood ancestors are all present in me. I
am they and they are me. I do not have a separate self. We are all present
in a wonderful stream of life which is constantly flowing and changing
in a marvelous way.
 Touching the Earth

Lord Buddha, I touch the Earth three times to let go of the idea that I am
a self separate from my ancestors and my descendants, and to release all
the irritation and anger that I still hold towards them. (Bell)
 7. Limitless Life

LORD BUDDHA, I see that this body made of the four elements is not
really me and I am not limited by this body. I am the whole of the river
of life of blood and spiritual ancestors that has been continuously
flowing for thousands of years and flows on for thousands of years into
the future. I am one with my ancestors and my descendants. I am life
which is manifest in countless different forms. I am one with all species
whether they are peaceful and joyful or suffering and afraid. I am
present everywhere in this world. I have been present in the past and will
be there in the future. The disintegration of this body does not touch me,
just as when the petals of the plum blossom fall it does not mean the end
of the plum tree. I see that I am like a wave on the surface of the ocean. I
see myself in all the other waves, and all the other waves in myself. The
manifestation or the disappearance of the wave does not lessen the
presence of the ocean. My Dharma body and spiritual life are unborn
and undying. I am able to see the presence of myself before this body
manifested and after this body has disintegrated. I am able to see the
presence of myself outside of this body, even in the present moment.
Eighty or ninety years is not my lifetime. My lifetime, like that of a leaf
or of a Buddha, is immeasurable. I am able to go beyond the idea that I
am a body separate from all other manifestations of life, in time and in
space.

Touching the Earth

Lord Buddha, I touch the Earth three times to see the no birth, no death
nature of myself and let go of the idea that I am a body separate from all
other manifestations of life. (Bell)
 8. Riding the Waves of Birth and Death

LORD BUDDHA, as I talk to you I think of you manifesting as

Shakyamuni Buddha 2,600 years ago. I know that you are still there in
hundreds of thousands of different transformation bodies. I also know
that you are present in me and I am your continuation. I am one of the
countless transformation bodies of the Buddha. Thanks to you opening
my eyes, I know that you are not limited by time and space and your life
span is limitless. The changing appearances of birth and death do not
touch the Tathagata because the Tathagata has realized the unborn. I
know that if I continue to be in touch with my own nature of no birth
and no death I shall also see that my life span is immeasurable. I also
can ride freely on the waves of birth and death like the great
bodhisattvas. When I have realized the unborn and the undying, then the
changing appearances of birth and death will no longer be able to touch
me. I promise you that I shall practice diligently. I shall not get caught
up in worldly matters and plans that take away my time and opportunity
to practice. I ask you to be my witness and support me. I touch the Earth
to express my deep gratitude to the Buddha for listening to me and
supporting me during my practice.

Touching the Earth

I touch the Earth three times to recognize the limitless life span of the
Tathagata, the one who has come from suchness, and to recognize that
my own life span is also limitless. (Bell)
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