Every time you sit, whether it’s at work, at the foot of a tree, or on your meditation cushion at home, enjoy your sitting. Then you won’t consider sitting to be hard practice. It’s very pleasant. Set aside a room or a corner or a cushion that you use just for sitting. When you arrive there, you will immediately begin to feel some of the joy and relaxation that comes from sitting. Whether sitting alone or with a few friends, you can produce your full presence, your true presence. — Thich Nhat Hanh (from How to Live #BK558)
“But now the prince just let his fears and worries come and go, and kept on breathing mindfully, in and out, deep and slow.”
Under the Bodhi Tree brings the ageless tale of the Buddha to life for young audiences. Tracing the life of the boy who was born Prince Siddhartha, the author weaves a lyrical biography of a child just like those reading the book – one who wonders at his place in the world, feels compassion for suffering, and wants to help in any way he can. This book will help children of all ages to connect to the natural world and to their own breath.
One of the most widely recognized symbols of our Buddha nature is the lotus flower. It grows up from the mud to produce exquisite flowers. This image from photographer Laura McGlone shows traditional rowboats that are employed by Burmese villagers to harvest wild lotus flowers to be sold as offerings to the Buddha.
Even if you are at home, you can bring in elements that connect you to that feeling of being out in nature, under the bodhi tree, or surrounded by lotus blossoms. DharmaCrafts lotus fabrics are block-printed by hand in a pattern designed to invoke the joy and relaxation of sitting that Thich Nhat Hanh spoke of in the teaching above.