tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-613133849454217863.post5395330160523224420..comments2023-08-10T03:50:38.416-07:00Comments on Meta Vie: Thich Nhat Hanh Dharma TalkMichelle Garrison Houghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16753710524857823855noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-613133849454217863.post-13117600071297286622009-10-13T15:07:13.475-07:002009-10-13T15:07:13.475-07:00Thanks so much for your summary, Elaine! I also ne...Thanks so much for your summary, Elaine! I also needed to hear the mesage about the Obama Nobel Peace Prize, because I too was very skeptical. Seeing it as "intention", confirmed to Obama himself and to the world, makes sense. It sounds as if you enjoyed an amazing Saturday with Thay! Looking forward to seeing you again and hopefully we can encourage one another in our development. <br /><br />Much Love,<br />MichelleMichelle Garrison Houghhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16753710524857823855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-613133849454217863.post-74364579824737498812009-10-12T14:53:32.536-07:002009-10-12T14:53:32.536-07:00Hi Michelle,
Thanks for sharing. Saturday was rea...Hi Michelle,<br /><br />Thanks for sharing. Saturday was really spectacular. Since it was from 9:30 - 3:30 I will just share 3 highlights:<br /><br />1. Thay spoke a lot about Martin Luter King's desire for peace. Thay knew MLK and saw him just days before he died. He shared his stories and how he was deeply saddened when MLK was assasinated. His real point to this story was to tell us that we needed to support Obama on his journey towards Peace. He brought up the Nobel Peace Prize, saying that this is the world's INTENTION. That we need to create a Beloved Community because Obama needs our support for peace. He said that Obama will face many obstacles and he needs our support so that peace is his deepest desire. <br /><br />I must admit that I needed to hear this message. I am an Obama supporter and worked hard to get him elected, and I thought his award of the Nobel Peace Prize was just silly. I can name many others who are alive and desrving. But when Thay said that the prize was his intention -- that he now knows that he must make peace his deepest desire, and that we must support that intention -- well his words changed my mind. Obama does need a Beloved Community. And I plan to be in it. <br /><br />2. Mindful Eating. So we had a mindful lunch, which sounded like a nearly impossible feat with 2,000 people. And yet it worked and was a truly wonderful experience. We bought $10 vegetarian lunches. Thay and the Monks and Nuns sat on stage with their lunch. And Thay then explained why Mindful eating is so important to the natural order of the earth and the environment. When we eat mindfully we are less likely to just CONSUME. We will eat less. We will have gratitude. And we are more likely to remember that 44,000 children die each day from hunger. And he took it one step further -- if we mindfully eat meat we will recognize the sacrafice of the animal. We will feel the sacrafice in our food. So he gave that talk, said a prayer for gratitude, and then we quietly ate lunch together. It was unbelievable, I tasted and savored every bite. <br /><br />But here's the scary part -- I had chicken on Sunday night. It was award winning from Barbuto. Truly finger-licking good. And I was mindful because it was a dining experience and just delicious. However, I felt a little odd eating meat, hearing Thay's words in my mind. I felt like I was eating an animal. But it went down just fine. Licked fingers and all. Then at 3:30 in the morning I woke up with the biggest stomach ache. I ended up calling in sick today because my stomach has hurt so much. Mindfulness works -- and it's not always pleasant. <br /><br />3. The last highlight of the day was a Deep Relaxation Meditation. If everyone in the world did this, it would be a different place. One of the Nuns led us in a 45 minute meditation and at the end she said, "Now focus on your body. What hurts? What aches from stress?" For me it was my neck and shoulders. They were throbbing. We had to breathe into the pain to reduce it. Which did help. Then the day was over. <br /><br />I promptly went home and fell asleep. And my neck and shoulders hurt no more. I was so relaxed that when I went to go watch the Dodgers game I had the energy of a child. And proceeded to stay out until 3:30 in the morning. <br /><br />Probably not what the Nun had in mind. <br /><br />It was a great day!<br />ElaineElainenoreply@blogger.com