My Lunar New Year Celebration at Plum Village
I just returned to work today and reflected on my Chinese New year celebration with the Monastics at Plum Village, Hong Kong. We in Hong Kong had an extended long holiday for CNY, and I was looking for a Yoga / Meditation retreat program. During my search, I came across the Chinese New year Celebration at Plum Village, and I got curious looking at the 3-day retreat program, and it had all that I was looking for, and I signed up…..
On 21st Jan, I traveled to Ngong Ping, and my first encounter was with Big Buddha. After worshipping Big Buddha, I walked towards Plum Village Foundation Hong Kong, the Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism, Lotus Pond Temple.
Lotus Pond temple is not easily visible to tourists; its located in this discrete private location surrounded by lush greenery. As soon as I entered, I encountered a Nun who gave me this big smile and was up to some task. Trust me, that smile was everything I wanted. No offense, but people in Hong Kong are too busy to look at each other and exchange a smile. So, it is a very unusual and surreal experience to receive that big bright smile. I entered the monastery; the hall was beautifully decorated and has 2 messages from Thich. There was something so divine about this place, everyone was smiling at each other; it was peaceful and a place that felt so welcoming and warm.
Spending my 48 hrs at Plum Village with the monastics was the best way to celebrate the Chinese New Year and welcome the Year of the Rabbit. For me it was more profound, it was finding my home, celebrating life, and learning to love myself. It is deeper than these words can express, I don’t want to forget all that these 48hrs taught me hence here I am blogging my experience, hoping that someday whenever life feels unfair or meaningless, I can visit this blog post and find my way to a meaningfully / purpose full living.
Mindful eating:
We started our retreat with mindful eating, and a Buddhist dinner was served — all vegetarian and clean food. We got our meal and sat down on the floor with the Sanga (Community). We followed these steps for mindful eating:
- Held the bowl, looked at the food carefully
- Closed our eyes and said a gratitude prayer
- Smelled the food for a min.
- Took small bites (Chew food 33 times if possible)
- No talking or engaging with the phone
The goal is to bring awareness to the food on our plates and in our mouths: paying full attention to the sensations of eating in the present moment. It can transform our relationship with food, helps digestion, and tends to taste much better than regular eating.
Walking Meditation:
After our Dinner, we gathered together and started our walking meditation. We all walk together, but in our own phase, we don’t talk or look at smartphones. It’s a walk with freedom and solidity to be more present in every step. As we walk and take each step, we breathe in and out and try to match our steps with our heartbeats.
These 30 mins of walking meditation were the most conscious walking I have ever done in my life. I was aware of the contact of my feet with the ground, and the flow of my breathing, listening to my steps and feeling the earth rotating as I took my steps. It’s when we set our thoughts free from our thoughts — our regrets about the past, our fears, and anxieties about the future, or our preoccupations in the present. We become 100% present with every step. My ears and eyes were open to the sounds around us, stars shining upon us; aware of our five senses, we know we have arrived in the present moment. Every step can be nourishing, and every step can be healing.
Live life like a free person:
After the walk, we regrouped and started singing Plum Village songs together. One of the songs that touched me was titled ‘The Purpose of Our Life’. I was really struck by it and asked myself, what is my life’s purpose? Do I want money, power, to have someone always beside me and love me? I read and listened to more of Thay’s teachings, and sharing’s from many monastics at the Plum Village who were away from their family celebrating the Lunar New year with strangers whom they called Sanga. I am not entirely sure about my life’s purpose; all I knew at that time was that I wanted to live life as a free person. Only a free person can be happy; if I am so glad, I can help myself and help others. I could see my life’s purpose while chanting the song — Retire at 45, work in refugee camps and orphanages, and love and help people less fortunate than most on this planet.
Coming back home:
Being around these enlightened souls made me feel so fortunate to have found a spiritual way to live. We got back to the hall for a sharing session. Where Monastics and guests started sharing their life stories and sharing their talents, some sang songs that held a lot of meaning in their life, and some shared their life stories — painful, happy, and joyful stories. When it was my turn to share, I told them that I had lost the meaning of home and was searching for it. To that, I learned that home is within us. In that hall on 21st Jan at 11 pm, we all had no blood relations with anyone — but were united by love, faith, and kindness. Being strangers to each other, we could still be compassionate and feel and share our pain, suffering, and joy. It was a strong sense of belonging, even though I knew nothing about Buddhism. You are home when you can connect with yourself and find yourself in this messy world. Home is within us; it’s a place that understands you, accepts you, loves you, and protects you.
Love yourself:
We were 30 mins away from the Lunar New year, and the year of Rabbit was ready for us. I sat behind the monastics as they were in these fantastic outfits bowing to the Buddha and getting into deeper meditation. I tried to meditate but honestly was so distracted by everything. The thought that crossed my mind was about happiness… what is happiness? The usual ways to happiness turned out to cause a lot of suffering, and it was the same wherever I traveled in the world. Meditation is the art of learning to master your mind. Slow down and bit by bit learn to love and live in harmony with life. My primary aspiration is to touch life deeply, to realize the path, and understand myself and my mind. When I reflect on the teachings, see things in myself, and have insights about myself, it gives me great energy to continue and connect with life. When you connect with yourself, you can love yourself deeply. If you can’t love yourself, how can you love someone else?
Cultivating True Love:
We returned to the Buddha temple on the first day of the Rabbit year to meditate. Before I came to Plum Village, I looked for my place in the world. By chance, I discovered Plum Village, and when I saw the brothers & sisters living here, I felt I belonged more to these people than anywhere else. I can be more honest in dealing with my fears, shame, and inner struggles, allowing them to come up and flow within my body. I am learning to touch the vulnerable inner child looking for attention, appreciation, and acceptance, and to offer that to these vulnerable parts within me. This is a deep process that is helping me to be compassionate toward myself and behaviors that do not fully respect the beauty and holiness of the human body. It is a very precious and transformative journey.
What I see in others is who I am:
We started our prayers by bowing to Buddha and giving our gratitude to our parents, teachers, friends, and our dear planet. How we see the world is how we are and how we feel within us. I was talking to a monk and complimenting him for his help and kindness, and he told me… you can see my beauty because you have that beauty within you. Be generous in passing out genuine, heartfelt compliments to people, it will make our planet more beautiful.
Peace Begins Within:
I had a few more hrs left, and the monks invited a few of my other friends and me to visit them in their Plum Village homes. Plum Village is a Buddhist monastery in the 21st Century, so I am here to understand and walk the path taught by the Buddha. To play a small part in keeping the Dharma alive and sharing it with people is a source of great joy. They served us tea, and we asked them some questions:
“Do you ever get angry?”
Brother: “Yes, we are all human as you all are. The difference is we practice compassion and patience. We know showing anger will not serve any good to anyone. When we are angry, we take a break, breath, and think. We try to look at things from others’ perspectives and deal with the issue with love. An angry face is always ugly; the most difficult is to smile when things are painful. But we smile and tackle it. Meditation, Sanga, and Buddhism teachings are our tools, and we use them in difficult situations.”
“Why did you decide to be a monk, and is life easy being a monk?”
Brother: “At the center of my monastic life is to realize the path leading to the greatest happiness. It sounds very religious, but it’s very concrete. There are clear instructions and practices to support me, and I wish to keep an open mind to see what contributes to happiness and letting go of attachment and identification.”
What is the purpose of my life and where do I belong?
As I left Plum Village to return to my everyday life, I realized that a part of me would never be the same. Something in me, a part of me, was transformed spending my last 48 hrs with these enlightened people. I plan to practice these 3 gathas embarked into me through this retreat:
1. Freedom in every smile: We all look so beautiful when we smile. Have you seen how your eyes light up when someone smiles at you? Smiling is free, and it is contagious. Smile when you are having a good day, but most importantly, smile when things are getting complicated; smile when you have tears in your eyes, smile in pain, and then you will know and realize the freedom in every smile. A smile needs no intention; a smile is freedom.
2. Peace in every step: Being in the field of PR, I can’t escape the news that bothers me deeply, but if I could breathe and feel my presence on this planet with mindful walking, I could achieve peace in every step. Peace of mind and heart is a reflection of God within us.
3. Mindful eating: I am a proud vegetarian, but I am aware I come from a country where every 3rd person starves with hunger. I will practice mindful eating and, once a month will practice fasting for 20 hrs.
I wish we can all live a more conscious life with purpose at its core, and may we all continue practicing together, creating peace and freedom in every step and with every smile.
