Mindful Living: A Buddhist Model for Uncertain Pandemic Time

By Thay Thich Minh Thien
Wisdom Garden Buddhist Center
San Jose, California, USA

Introduction

• The Pandemic has created “a perfect storm” with 3 crises – Health, Economic, and Spiritual
• Mindful living - the best solution for the conflicts of survival and sustainability

QUESTIONS

• How can we utilize mindful living as both a solution to help us ease in our lifestyle during this pandemic time, and also help to sustain our well-being ?
• How does this relate to our Lord Buddha’s teachings?
• And why now?

Mindfulness

• A training of mental awareness in a mindful application to living subjects
• Involving both the physical and the mental based on the Buddha’s teaching of the four foundations of mindfulness (Bhikkhu Bodhi, 2000)
• Relevant to basic daily activities, like eating, consuming, doing simple household chores, breathing, etc…

Mindfulness in eating

• Benefits the body and the mind
• More in tune with the body and better in managing the feeling
• Reducing poor eating, or overeating habits due to the shelter-in-place on pandemic time

The model of Mindfulness in eating

• To practice in mindful eating, contemplating the following:
• The availability of food is a gift for living beings through hard work
• We should eat mindfully with gratitude
• Practice eating with moderation, and without greed
• Maintaining our compassion while eating mindfully to reduce the suffering, preserve our planet, and reverse the process of global warming
• We accept this food to nourish our ideal of serving living beings

(Thich Nhat Hanh, 2000)

Mindfulness in consuming

• Economic stability resulted in relentless consumption

(Lebow, 1955)

• power of consumption in relation to vital connections among material objects, and the concepts of status, power, and value
• Wants vs. needs
• Greed is one of the three defilements (greed, aversion, and delusion)

The model on mindfulness in consuming

• Be more mindful on our greed, desires, or cravings
• Practice consuming mindfully to the needs and minimize the wants
• Mindfulness to recognise our worries, fears, and not wants.
• Gain greater peace, joy, contentment, and wisdom

Mindfulness in simple household tasks or daily chores

• Helps to discipline the unruly minds
• Important to improve our way of living
• Helps cope with psychological issues

The model on mindfulness in household tasks or daily chores

• All chores are considered the subjects of mindfulness
• Helps let go of worries, stresses, or psychological concerns
• The silent chanting of “Gathas” practiced by monks and nuns

Mindfulness in breathing

• Has a certain impact on higher-order behaviour and thinking
• One of the most effective way to treat mental disturbances
• Optimizes our attention level and reciprocally
• Becomes more synchronized and balanced

The model on mindfulness in breathing

• Four types of mindful breathing techniques:

1). counting the breath

2). following the breath

3). placing the breath

4). observing and contemplating the breath

• Can be used interchangeably, respectively, or in combination

Values and compassion

• Mindfulness may help to “rediscover and choose values that may be truer for us.” (Shapiro et al., 2006; Carlson, 2013)
• Compassion to be a predictor of psychological health and well-being, while also promoting altruistic behaviour and generosity (Jazaieri et al. 2013)
• Compassion can be taught and learned (Kemeny et al. 2012; Jazaieri et al. 2013; Weng et al. 2013)

Conclusion

• Mindfulness - the last resorts in helping change people’s view from materialistic values to well-being
• If well-being is achieved through the practice of a mindful way of living and less dependent on consumption, and materialistic way of living, we will be less distressed and able to survive this pandemic
• Many studies suggest that mindful way of living will lead to better well-being through practices that promote positive thoughts and behaviours

Connected Discourses Part III Book of Aggregates Chapter 22 Lesson 94

 FLOWERS (Lotus) translated from the Pali by Bodhi Bhikkhu

At Savatthi. “Bhikkhus, I do not dispute with the world; rather, it is the world that disputes with me. A proponent of the Dhamma does not dispute with anyone in the world. Of that which the wise in the world agree upon as not existing, I too say that it does not exist. And of that which the wise in the world agree upon as existing, I too say that it exists.

“And what is it, bhikkhus, that the wise in the world agree upon as not existing, of which I too say that it does not exist? Form that is permanent, stable, eternal, not subject to change: this the wise in the world agree upon as not existing, and I too say that it does not exist. Feeling … Perception … Volitional formations … Consciousness that is permanent, stable, eternal, not subject to change: this the wise in the world agree upon as not existing, and I too say that it does not exist.

“That, bhikkhus, is what the wise in the world agree upon as not existing, of which I too say that it does not exist.

“And what is it, bhikkhus, that the wise in the world agree upon as existing, of which I too say that it exists? Form that is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change: this the wise in the world agree upon as existing, and I too say that it exists. Feeling … Perception … Volitional formations … Consciousness that is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change: this the wise in the world agree upon as existing, and I too say that it exists.

“That, bhikkhus, is what the wise in the world agree upon as existing, of which I too say that it exists.

“There is, bhikkhus, a world-phenomenon in the world to which the Tathagata has awakened and broken through. Having done so, he explains it, teaches it, proclaims it, establishes it, discloses it, analyses it, elucidates it.

“And what is that world-phenomenon in the world to which the Tathagata has awakened and broken through? Form, bhikkhus, is a world-phenomenon in the world to which the Tathagata has awakened and broken through. Having done so, he explains it, teaches it, proclaims it, establishes it, discloses it, analyses it, elucidates it. When it is being thus explained … … and elucidated by the Tathagata, if anyone does not know and see, how can I do anything with that foolish worldling, blind and sightless, who does not know and does not see?

“Feeling … Perception … Volitional formations … Consciousness is a world-phenomenon in the world to which the Tathagata has awakened and broken through. Having done so, he explains it, teaches it, proclaims it, establishes it, discloses it, analyses it, elucidates it. When it is being thus explained … and elucidated by the Tathagata, if anyone does not know and see, how can I do anything with that foolish worldling, blind and sightless, who does not know and does not see?

“Bhikkhus, just as a blue, red, or white lotus is born in the water and grows up in the water, but having risen up above the water, it stands unsullied by the water, so too the Tathagata was born in the world and grew up in the world, but having overcome the world, he dwells unsullied by the world.”

Explanation and Discussion:

The Buddha doesn’t dispute with the world; the world disputes with him. He has understood the five aggregates and explains them. Like a lotus, he was born in the swamp, but rises above it.

What is the Meaning of the Lotus in Buddhism?

The lotus is one of Buddhism’s most recognizable symbols of enlightenment and is important in many Buddhist traditions.

According to legend, everywhere the baby Buddha stepped, a lotus flower bloomed. The famed Lotus Sutra is one of the most important texts of Mahayana Buddhism and is the foundation of the Pure Land schools.

Because the lotus grows in muddy water, it symbolizes the purity of enlightened mind arising amidst the suffering of samsara. It also represents nonattachment, as it is rooted in mud (attachment and desire) but its flowers blossom on long stalks unsullied by the mud below.

The famous Tibetan mantra OM MANI PADME HUM, meaning “OM the Jewel in the Lotus HUM,” invokes Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), the bodhisattva of compassion. In this case, the lotus represents wisdom and the jewel symbolizes skillful means.

Different-colored lotuses have different meanings. The white lotus represents mental purity and spiritual perfection. The red lotus is the symbol of love and compassion. The blue lotus represents wisdom and intelligence and is always pictured partially opened. A gold lotus represents the achievement of complete enlightenment.

In some Buddhist schools, the flower’s stage of growth represents different stages on the path to enlightenment. A closed bud symbolizes the time before enlightenment, while a fully bloomed lotus represents full enlightenment. Sometimes a flower is partly open, with its center hidden, indicating that enlightenment is beyond ordinary sight.

The historical Buddha used the lotus symbolism in his sermons. For example, in the Dona Sutta (Pali Tipitika, Anguttara Nikaya 4.36), the Buddha was asked if he was a god. He replied,

"Just like a red, blue, or white lotus—born in the water, grown in the water, rising up above the water—stands unsmeared by the water, in the same way I—born in the world, grown in the world, having overcome the world—live unsmeared by the world. Remember me, brahman, as 'awakened.'" [Thanissaro Bhikkhu translation]

In another section of the Tipitaka, the Theragatha ("verses of the elder monks"), there is a poem attributed to the disciple Udayin:

As the flower of a lotus,

Arisen in water, blossoms,

Pure-scented and pleasing the mind,

Yet is not drenched by the water,

In the same way, born in the world,

The Buddha abides in the world;

And like the lotus by water,

He does not get drenched by the world. [Andrew Olendzki translation]

The mud nourishing the roots represents our messy human lives. It is in the midst of our human experiences and our suffering that we seek to break free and bloom. But while the flower rises above the mud, the roots and stem remain in the mud, where we live our lives. A Zen verse says, "May we exist in muddy water with purity, like a lotus."

Rising above the mud to bloom requires great faith in oneself, in the practice, and in the Buddha's teaching. So, along with purity and enlightenment, a lotus also represents faith.