Sharing Silence

For the next week, we will be having silent meals during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This coincides with a mindfulness retreat being held here at Omega with visiting monks and nuns of Plum Village. These monks and nuns leading this retreat have lived in Plum Village with Thich Nhat Hanh for many years, and among them are those who have received from him the Lamp Transmission authorization to teach Buddhist meditation in his lineage. Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk whose mindfulness teachings have inspired hundreds of thousands of people around the world, and made him a well-loved spiritual teacher in the West. His message is simple and coincides perfectly with that of Jivamukti: bringing peace into our own lives brings peace into the world.
 

 

 

In solidarity with these holy beings, we will be participating in their practice of mindful eating during the meals. Here are the instructions for the practice from our Jivamukti Teacher Training manual: 

 

"Eating in silence allows us to see the preciousness of the food and our close relationship with the Earth and all species. Every vegetable, every drop of water, every piece of bread contains the life of our whole planet and the sun. With each bite of food, we can taste the meaning and value of our life. We can meditate on the plants and animals, on the work of the farmer, and on the many thousands of adults, children, and other animals who die each day for lack of food."

 

Before eating, a bell will be rung three times and we will ponder the five contemplations:

 

1. This food is a gift of the whole universe,the earth, the sky and much mindful work.
2. May we eat in mindfulness so as to be worthy of it.
3. May we transform our unskillful states of mind and learn to eat in moderation.
4. May we take only foods that nourish us and prevent illness.
5. May we accept this food to realize the path of understanding and love.

 

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis
on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without
rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment.
Only this moment is life."  -Thich Nhat Hanh