Parallax Press’s Comments (group member since Sep 26, 2014)

Parallax Press’s comments from the Reading Peace group.

Official Announcement

Re: Thay’s present health condition and how to support Thay’s recovery


Plum Village, November 12, 2014

To all Plum Village Practice Centers,
To all Practice Centers and Sanghas World Wide,
To our Dear Beloved Friends,

With a deep mindful breath we announce to the world the news that yesterday, the 11th of November 2014 Thay, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, experienced a severe brain hemorrhage. Thay is receiving 24 hour intensive care from specialist doctors, nurses and from his monastic disciples.

At present, Thay is still very responsive and shows every indication of being aware of the presence of those around him. He is able to move his feet, hands and eyes. There are signs that a full recovery may be possible.

For the last two months, Thay’s health had already been fragile due to his advanced age. He was hospitalized in Bordeaux on the 1st of November. He was gaining strength day by day until this sudden and unexpected change in his condition.

All the monasteries in the tradition of Plum Village are organizing practice sessions to generate the energy of mindfulness and to send Thay this healing and loving energy. We would like to ask the whole worldwide community of meditation practitioners to participate and support us in this critical moment. We know and trust that Thay will receive all your energy and that this will be a big support in his healing and recovery.

Our practice of stability and peace in this very moment is the best support we can offer to Thay. Let us all around the world take refuge in our practice, going together as a river to offer Thay our powerful collective energy. We are all cells of the great Sangha Body that Thay has manifested in his lifetime.

Future reports on Thay health and recovery will be posted officially at www.plumvillage.org, langmai.org, villagedespruniers.org, and www.facebook.com/thichnhathanh.

On behalf of the Monastic Dharma Teacher Council of Plum Village,


Bhikkhu Thich Chan Phap Dang
Bhikkhuni Thich Nu Chan Khong Nghiem


http://plumvillage.org/news/our-belov...

You can download a PDF of the complete guide to "The Mindfulness Survival Kit" at the URL below. It includes all of the weekly guides in one handy file with a beautiful design. It also includes contributions from your fellow Reading Peace members!

http://www.parallax.org/blog/mindfuln...

It's November, which means we've begun to read Healing by Sister Dang Nghiem or "Sister D" as she is affectionately called.

Remember that our Reading Peace book club members get 25% off on our monthly picks for the duration of the month, so order your copy of Healing with the code PEACE2 through the end of November through http://www.parallax.org.

Sister D's memoir is a very personal, and at times, intense read. Please take care of yourself while reading this book as it may be triggering or create strong feelings within you. 

Throughout the book, Sister Dang Nghiem reveals the painful memories of her many traumas. She does so not to make us feel bad or angry, but rather to reflect on how to heal ourselves and others from the many injustices of the world.

Here's the Reader's Guide for this week's reading: the Introduction, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2.

You can also always find it on our website at: http://www.parallax.org/blog/healing-...

 Reflections


1) Sister Dang Nghiem grew up in a time of war, the Vietnam War. Clearly, it was a traumatic period for her, her mother, and the country.

Yet in such misery and violence, even as a child Sister Dang Nghiem found strength within herself to carry on.


Note every instance where she discovered or acted with wisdom and courage and ask: How can we be wise and courageous through the violence and traumas of today?


2) Sister Dang Nghiem clearly had a very difficult relationship with her mother and other close family members, including her violent and abusive uncle.


Yet she is also careful in pointing out how people like her mother and uncle were also suffering immensely themselves.

Think about your own relationship to your family and loved ones. Try to see yourself in them, even when they harm you or make you angry.


This is the teaching of interbeing and equanimity.


3) When Sister Dang Nghiem ends Chapter Two, she describes her classmate who works at a brothel and yet was always generous. Furthermore, she was the object of both scorn and envy.

Think about a time you've judged somebody because of rumors you've heard, their outward appearance, their background and social status, or their vocation.


Food for Thought

"In that emptiness, there was lightness too. I wanted nothing but peace. I desired nothing but to let go. The choices were obvious: to commit suicide or to change my life completely." p. 9

"No war promotes honest living. Thay said to me, 'What happened to your mother also happened to the whole country.'" p. 12

"'Purity does not mean that you have not been exposed to anything. Purity is a process of purification.'" p. 15

"Near my house, there was a brothel. The youngest daughter of the mistress of that house was my classmate. She was only fifteen years old, but her body was very developed... Most of the students looked at her with scorn and envy. They whispered, 'Her mother sold her at a young age and that's why she has a womanly body like that. She has a lot of money!' I didn't feel any hatred or disgust toward her. I didn't tease her, but I also didn't dare to be too close to her... She was always willing to lend money to other students... and she never asked for her money back." p. 23

"[My Grandmother] reminded me of the only three requests she always asked of me: to raise my brother to be a good person, to obtain a good education for myself, and then to become a nun, for my own liberation and for others." p. 26

Eileen wrote: "I keep this sangha in my meditation prayers every day, and will think of you as the wee Buddha smile appears."

This makes me smile every time I read it. A wee Buddha smile for you, Eileen :)

Elaine wrote: "I'm enjoying the readers' guides!"

Thank you Elaine! I put a lot of effort into making them :D

Welcome to the final week of our book club’s reading of The Mindfulness Survival Kit!

Remember that our Reading Peace book club members get 25% off on our monthly picks for the duration of the month, so you still have until the end of today to get your club discount for The Mindfulness Survival Kit.

You can also order your copy of Healing early with the 25% off code provided on this site!

Here’s the Reader’s Guide for last section of the book, Part 2: A Comparison of Ethical Traditions.

This section of the book is noticeably more advanced than the first part, so please don’t get too hung up on the details or get discouraged.

http://www.parallax.org/blog/mindfuln...

Reflections

1) We’ve reached the end of the Mindfulness Survival Kit, but not the end of our practice. The last section on ethics, as difficult it may be to understand at first, signifies this truth.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings represent five cornerstones of an applied ethics for our time. They are not commands, nor are they laws to obey in perfection.

Like a compass, they orient us towards living a happy, ethical life.

2) In reading this book throughout October, what stands out as your favorite passage? Share it with us below!

3) Your practice is like a single candle which burns brightly by itself, but it can also be used to light other candles without diminishing your own flame and with no extra effort.

Thank you for reading along and practicing with us. You are not only helping yourself, but all beings around you.


Food for Thought

“Our ethic needs to be an ethic without dogmas, without views. No one imposes the trainings on us, no one is asking us to practice. We ourselves can see based on our own insight and experience that it is our path of joy, compassion, and love.” p. 127-8

“We can begin practicing at any time. Yesterday, we may have produced an unkind thought. Today, we can produce another thought that can modify and transform the thought produced yesterday.” p.130

“According to the practice of investigating the name, we have to let go of the name in order to come to the nature. We let go of the word ‘robe’ in order to discover the nature of a robe.” p. 138

“It’s easy to see that a dream isn’t something real. But it’s not so easy to see that when we’re awake things aren’t real in the way we think they are because we’re influenced by wrong perceptions and delusion. We think that we’re awake but in fact we continue to dream. For example, although we know intellectually that things are impermanent, we live as though our body is permanent.” p.148

“The Buddha was very pragmatic. He said: ‘You do not need to ask questions about what happens after death, how the universe began, when it will end and so on. Bring your mind back to the real situation in which you’re living. You have to recognize the suffering that is, discover its cause, and then find a way out of it.’” p. 188

“If we study the mindfulness trainings properly and deeply, the more we study the more interesting and deep they become.” p. 191

Elaine wrote: "I just placee my order yesterday and didn't know about the 25% off code. If it can still be applied that would be lovely; if not it's fine.

Smiles -
Elaine"

Hi Elaine! I can definitely try to refund you the difference. I'll ask our distributor to apply the discount retroactively. Can you private message or email me your email address?

Jason
jason [at] parallax [dot] org

Hilary wrote: "Look forward to reading it. How does this work."

Hi Hilary! Glad you can join us.

It's simple. If you need a copy, go to:

http://www.parallax.org/healing-a-wom...

and enter the code PEACE2 in the blank near the bottom at checkout to get the book at 25% off for being a club member.

Every week in November, we'll post guiding questions and reflections to discuss, very much like how we're already doing for "Mindfulness Survival Kit"

I hope that helps!

The results of the poll for our November pick are in!

We will be reading a moving, compelling memoir by Sister Dang Nghiem who overcame tragedy and went from being a doctor to a nun at Plum Village.

The 25% off code for the book at Parallax.org is PEACE2 through November for our book club friends.

http://www.parallax.org/healing-a-wom...

You are also welcome to borrow from a friend, or buy it used! The e-book is also available from all the usual outlets.

If you are overseas, it may be better to order from elsewhere due to the cost of international shipping.

Thanks and see you on the other side in November!

Proposed Reading Schedule

We'll be reading at a comfortable pace each week at roughly 30 pages a week. You are welcome to read more or less depending on what suits you the best.

Week 1: Intro, Ch. 1 & 2.
Week 2: Ch. 3-5.
Week 3: Ch. 6-8.
Week 4: Ch. 9-12.

If you are new to Reading Peace

Every week, we will post a reader's guide to help jumpstart discussion on the themes covered. You can reflect on these questions yourself, or participate in discussions online and offline.

Reader's guides can always be found here and at: http://parallax.org/blog

Rebecca wrote: "I see voting is closed, and the majority vote was for Healing; so we should order our copies now to ensure on time delivery?"

Hi Rebecca! Yes, please do order ahead of time!

The 25% off code for the book at Parallax.org is PEACE2 through November.

You are also welcome to borrow from a friend, or buy it used! The e-book is also available from all the usual outlets.

If you are overseas, it may be better to order from elsewhere due to the cost of international shipping.

Wonderful book club friends!

Our third reader's guide for our October pick is up!

As always, it is available on the web and below for your use, discussion, and sharing with friends.

http://www.parallax.org/blog/mindfuln...

We only have one more week of reading to go! Congratulations! If you’re a little behind, there is still one week to go until November and of course these reader’s guides will continue to stay up for your reference.

Reflections

1) Let’s try practicing true love, the Third Mindfulness Training. Whenever you are walking outside on a city sidewalk or at the park, practice true love by wishing all beings you encounter loving-kindness along the way (maitri in Sanskrit, metta in Pali).

Random passersby? Silently wish them well. A little squirrel running in fear from you? Wish it well. A little flower growing between the cracks of the sidewalk? Wish it well.

Notice how good it feels to practice loving-kindness!

2) Next time someone provokes you in some negative way or you have negative thoughts about someone, immediately think of at least one way you’ve benefited from that person.

3) Notice your tendency to want to interrupt when a person is speaking to you —oftentimes we look at our phones, or try to interject. Let your interlocutor finish speaking, then respond.

4) Take one moment each day to eat something in complete mindfulness, practicing the Fifth Mindfulness Training.

It can be an entire meal, or even a single thing, such as a cookie.

Savor each bite and think about what went into the food you are eating: the soil from which it came from, the laborer that harvested the ingredients, the sun and the rain —the entire universe makes your life possible. What a miracle life is!


Food for Thought

“We may feel incomplete without a partner or feel lost without a romantic relationship. We think that we need someone to protect us and take care of us, and that it’s the role of the other person to do this. Perhaps being around the other person makes us feel relaxed and safe, as we did when we were taken care of as infants.

The Third Mindfulness Training is a reminder that we can love people from a place of understanding and compassion, not just out of need.” p.64

“Everyone has sexual energy. Sexual energy in itself is not unwholesome. When sexual energy leads to activity that causes suffering, it is unwholesome.” p. 66

“You don’t need another person in order to practice love. You practice love on yourself first. And when you succeed, loving another person becomes something very natural. It’s like a lamp that shines and makes many people happy. Your presence in the world becomes very important, because your presence is the presence of love.” p.73

“It’s helpful if, before speaking, you’ve practiced being able to listen well. You can begin to practice this on your own by listening to yourself in your meditation.” p. 80-1.

“When you practice compassionate listening, it’s important to remember that you listen with only one purpose, and that is to help the other person to suffer less. You give the other person a chance to say what is in his heart. Even if the other person says something harsh, provocative, or incorrect, you still continue to listen with compassion.” p.82

“We have to tell the truth in such a way that it benefits others, the world, and ourselves. When we tell the truth, we do so with compassion; we speak in such a way that the hearer can accept what we’re saying.” p.85

“Our consciousness consumes our thoughts and feelings and the environments in which we spend time. We need to be aware of what we’re feeding our consciousness. Consciousness can consume the good things it contains, or it can consume the things that aren’t so good.” p. 110

“Happiness is not something that we have to look for and find somewhere else. Returning to the present moment, we are in touch with the wonders of life inside and around us.” p. 113

Hello friends!

Please vote by clicking on the link in the original post!

Or click below:

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Lynne wrote: "I seem not to be able to tie in my steps with my breathing. They are most definitely not in sync! I guess my concentration means I am in the present moment though so I'll keep trying. Thanks Tim..."

Although it may be helpful for some to time their steps and breaths like the book suggests, Thay has recommended elsewhere that such a "formal" or structured practice isn't necessary, especially if you are too self-conscious or getting too distracted by matching steps and breaths during the meditation!

The key, I think, is to really feel each step and "kiss the earth with your feet" as Thay says, and use the steps as the focal point of the meditation, much like you would focus on your breath while doing sitting meditation.

The breaths will follow once you make the sensation of stepping on and off the earth your focus!

The poll to decide November's Reading Peace book club pick is up! It is a little difficult to see on the group page, so here it is again for the discussion board.

You can write your own candidates as well.

I picked 4 books that touch on different topics that are of interest to our club members:

Health and sickness, memoir -- (Healing)
Animals, memoir -- (Zooburbia)
Animals, Nature, Green Living -- (Love Letter to the Earth)
Peace in our violent society -- (Keeping Peace)

Our guide for Ch. 3 & 4 is up!

Sorry for the delay and we hope you enjoy it. The discussion generated by the guide for chapters 1 and 2 was excellent and very inspirational.

You can find the guide on our website or below.

Thank you.

Reflections

1. Map out a path, whether short or long, to walk in complete mindfulness. This path can be from your front door to the bus stop, your office door to the restroom, or from the parking lot to the store. On this path, kiss the earth with your feet and feel the negativity seep down into the earth with each step.

Describe what your path is. Isn’t it lovely to walk together?

2. When strong negative emotions overtake you, think about the different things you are thankful for, and write them down.You can keep this list to yourself, or you may share them with friends and loved ones.

3. We live in a consumer society. Brainstorm ideas on how we can practice the First and Second Mindfulness Trainings (Reverence for Life & True Happiness) in this context.

Food for Thought

“You’re working toward less suffering. It’s not that there’s no suffering. But you choose the way to minimize the suffering. We can reduce the suffering a little bit every time we act, every time we eat, every day.” p. 36.

“Can each of us act in such a way that we can lessen the huge amount of fear, anger, and suspicion that exists?” p.39

“Prayer or good intention is not enough to change an angry or violent situation. The First Mindfulness Training is a reminder that you have to practice, to train yourself to lessen violence through understanding.” p.40

We can go back to the Earth as we walk. The Earth is our mother and a solid place of refuge. When we feel overwhelmed by hatred or anger and we want to do harm to ourselves or to others we should walk on Mother Earth and ask her to receive and embrace all our negative energy… She is willing to receive everything —beautiful and sweet-smelling things but also whatever is foul-smelling and impure.” p.44.

“If you haven’t been able to be happy, maybe it’s because you’re holding firmly to your idea of happiness.” p.54

“What makes us truly happy can’t be found in the marketplace.” p. 59

Thank you for your excellent responses!

Our 2nd reader's guide (for chapters 3 & 4) will be up tomorrow. Normally they are posted Wednesdays, but we at Parallax are so busy with the release of "Parenting in the Present Moment" that I haven't had much time to work on the guide.

I hope you enjoy it!

Pixiepjp wrote: "My book arrives today. I have some catching up to do but I'm really looking forward to getting started."

Great! There's plenty of time to catch up since the reading pace is quite generous and the chapters are pretty short!

Oh wonderful! I visited Higashi Honganji when I was in Kyoto 2 or 3 years ago (I also of course visited Todaiji, and was completely awestruck by the size of the temple and the Daibutsu there)!

Wow Jt, this is a phenomenal offering — it must have taken you quite some time to write and compare the precepts/trainings!

I'll definitely add this to the Reader's Guide!

Wonderful! Thank you all!

Just in case you haven't seen it, we are producing reader's guides every week on Wednesdays which you can use to guide your reading or to get the discussion started online and offline.

http://www.parallax.org/blog/mindfuln...