Five Mindfulness Trainings
The
First Mindfulness Training
Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life.
The
Second Mindfulness Training
Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to cultivate loving kindness and learn ways to work for the well-being of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am committed to practice generosity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others. I will respect the property of others, but I will prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.
The
Third Mindfulness Training
Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivate responsibility and learn ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society. I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without love and a long-term commitment. To preserve the happiness of myself and others, I am determined to respect my commitments and the commitments of others. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct.
The
Fourth Mindfulness Training
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to learn to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy, and hope. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord, or that can cause the family or the community to break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.
The
Fifth Mindfulness Training
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I am committed to ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being, and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as certain TV programs, magazines, books, films, and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body or my consciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society, and future generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger, and confusion in myself and in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation and for the transformation of society.
Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings of the Order of Interbeing
The First Mindfulness Training of the Order of Interbeing
Aware of
the suffering created by fanaticism and intolerance, we are determined not to be
idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist
ones. Buddhist teachings are guiding
means to help us learn to look deeply and to develop our understanding and
compassion. They are not doctrines to fight, kill, or die for.
The Second
Mindfulness Training of the Order of Interbeing
The Third
Mindfulness Training of the Order of Interbeing
Aware of the suffering brought about when we impose
our views on others, we are committed not to force others, even our children, by
any means whatsoever—such as authority, threat, money, propaganda, or
indoctrination—to adopt our views.
We will respect the right of others to be different and to choose what to
believe and how to decide. We will, however, help others renounce fanaticism and
narrowness through compassionate dialogue.
The
Fourth Mindfulness Training of the Order of Interbeing
Aware that looking deeply at the nature of suffering
can help us develop compassion and find ways out of suffering, we are determined
not to avoid or close our eyes before suffering. We are committed to finding ways, including personal
contact, images, and sounds, to be with those who suffer, so we can understand
their situation deeply and help them transform their suffering into compassion,
peace, and joy.
The Fifth
Mindfulness Training of the Order of Interbeing
Aware that true happiness is rooted in peace, solidity, freedom, and compassion, and not in wealth or fame, we are determined not to take as the aim of our life fame, profit, wealth, or sensual pleasure, nor to accumulate wealth while millions are hungry and dying. We are committed to living simply and sharing our time, energy, and material resources with those in need. We will practice mindful consuming, not using alcohol, drugs, or any other products that bring toxins into our own and the collective body and consciousness.
The Sixth Mindfulness
Training of the Order of Interbeing
Aware that anger blocks communication and creates
suffering, we are determined to take care of the energy of anger when it arises
and to recognize and transform the seeds of anger that lie deep in our
consciousness. When anger comes up,
we are determined not to do or say anything, but to practice mindful breathing
or mindful walking and acknowledge, embrace, and look deeply into our anger. We
will learn to look with the eyes of compassion at those we think are the cause
of our anger.
The Seventh
Mindfulness Training of the Order of Interbeing
Aware that life is available only in the present
moment and that it is possible to live happily in the here and now, we are
committed to training ourselves to live deeply each moment of daily
life. We will try not to lose
ourselves in dispersion or be carried away by regrets about the past, worries
about the future, or craving, anger, or jealousy in the present. We will
practice mindful breathing to come back to what is happening in the present
moment. We are determined to learn the art of mindful living by touching the
wondrous, refreshing, and healing elements that are inside and around us, and by
nourishing seeds of joy, peace, love, and understanding in ourselves, thus
facilitating the work of transformation and healing in our consciousness.
The Eighth Mindfulness
Training of the Order of Interbeing
Aware that the lack of communication always brings
separation and suffering, we are committed to training ourselves in the practice
of compassionate listening and loving speech. We will learn to listen deeply without judging or
reacting and refrain from uttering words that can create discord or cause the
community to break. We will make every effort to keep communications open and to
reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.
The Ninth
Mindfulness Training of the Order of Interbeing
Aware that words can create suffering or happiness, we are committed to learning to speak truthfully and constructively, using only words that inspire hope and confidence. We are determined not to say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people, nor to utter words that might cause division or hatred. We will not spread news that we do not know to be certain nor criticize or condemn things of which we are not sure. We will do our best to speak out about situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten our safety.
The Tenth Mindfulness
Training of the Order of Interbeing
Aware that the essence and aim of a Sangha is the
practice of understanding and compassion, we are determined not to use the
Buddhist community for personal gain or profit or transform our community into a
political instrument. A spiritual
community should, however, take a clear stand against oppression and injustice
and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan
conflicts.
The Eleventh
Mindfulness Training of the Order of Interbeing
Aware that
great violence and injustice have been done to our environment and society, we
are committed not to live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and
nature. We will do our best to
select a livelihood that helps realize our ideal of understanding and
compassion. Aware of global economic, political and social realities, we will
behave responsibly as consumers and as citizens, not investing in companies that
deprive others of their chance to live.
The Twelfth
Mindfulness Training of the Order of Interbeing
Aware that much suffering is caused by war and
conflict, we are determined to cultivate nonviolence, understanding, and
compassion in our daily lives, to promote peace education, mindful mediation,
and reconciliation within families, communities, nations, and in the
world. We are determined not to kill
and not to let others kill. We will diligently practice deep looking with our
Sangha to discover better ways to protect life and prevent war.
The Thirteenth
Mindfulness Training of the Order of Interbeing
Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social
injustice, stealing, and oppression, we are committed to cultivating loving
kindness and learning ways to work for the well-being of people, animals,
plants, and minerals. We will
practice generosity by sharing our time, energy, and material resources with
those who are in need. We are determined not to steal and not to possess
anything that should belong to others. We will respect the property of others,
but will try to prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the
suffering of other beings.
The Fourteenth
Mindfulness Training of the Order of Interbeing
(For lay members): Aware that
sexual relations motivated by craving cannot dissipate the feeling of loneliness
but will create more suffering, frustration, and isolation, we are determined
not to engage in sexual relations without mutual understanding, love, and a
long-term commitment. In sexual
relations, we must be aware of future suffering that may be caused. We know that
to preserve the happiness of ourselves and others, we must respect the rights
and commitments of ourselves and others. We will do everything in our power to
protect children from sexual abuse and to protect couples and families from
being broken by sexual misconduct. We will treat our bodies with respect and
preserve our vital energies (sexual, breath, spirit) for the realization of our
bodhisattva ideal. We will be fully aware of the responsibility of bringing new
lives into the world, and will meditate on the world into which we are bringing
new beings.
(For monastic members): Aware that
the aspiration of a monk or a nun can only be realized when he or she wholly
leaves behind the bonds of worldly love, we are committed to practicing chastity
and to helping others protect themselves. We are aware that loneliness and suffering cannot be
alleviated by the coming together of two bodies in a sexual relationship, but by
the practice of true understanding and compassion. We know that a sexual
relationship will destroy our life as a monk or a nun, will prevent us from
realizing our ideal of serving living beings, and will harm others. We are
determined not to suppress or mistreat our body or to look upon our body as only
an instrument, but to learn to handle our body with respect. We are determined
to preserve vital energies (sexual, breath, spirit) for the realization of our
bodhisattva ideal.