Thích Nhất Hạnh - How to Walk

CONTENTS

The first thing to do is to lift your foot. Breathe in. Put your foot down in front of you, first your heel and then your toes. Breathe out. Feel your feet solid on the Earth. You have already arrived.

We frequently walk with the sole purpose of getting from one place to another. But where are we in between? With every step, we can feel the miracle of walking on solid ground. We can arrive in the present moment with every step.

When we first learned to walk, we walked just to enjoy walking. We walked and discovered each moment as we encountered it. We can learn to walk that way again.

YOU HAVE ARRIVED

When you walk, arrive with every step. That is walking meditation. Theres nothing else to it.

WHY WALK?

People ask me, Why do you do walking meditation? The best answer I can give is, Because I like it. Every step makes me happy. Theres no use in doing walking meditation if youre not going to enjoy every step you make; it would be a waste of time. The same thing is true with sitting meditation. If someone asked, Whats the use of sitting for hours and hours? The best answer is, Because I like sitting. Sitting and walking can bring peace and joy. We have to learn how to sit and walk so that we can produce peace and joy during the time of sitting or the time of walking. We have to learn to walk so that we can enjoy every step. Mindfulness and concentration can bring a higher quality to our breath, to our sitting, and to our steps.

ARRIVING

One of the most profound teachings is also the shortest: I have arrived. When we return to our breathing, we return to the present moment, our true home. Theres no need for us to struggle to arrive somewhere else. We know our final destination is the cemetery. Why are we in a hurry to get there? Why not step in the direction of life, which is in the present moment? If we practice walking meditation for even a few days, we will undergo a deep transformation and learn how to enjoy peace in each moment. We smile, and countless beings throughout the cosmos smile back at usour peace is so deep. Everything we think, feel, and do has an effect on our ancestors and future generations and reverberates throughout the cosmos.

PRACTICING JOY

We may think of joy as something that happens spontaneously. Few people realize that it needs to be cultivated and practiced in order to grow. Mindfulness is the continuous practice of deeply touching every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly present with your body and your mind, to bring harmony to your intentions and actions, and to be in harmony with those around you. We dont need to make a separate time for this outside of our daily activities. We can practice mindfulness in every moment of the day as we walk from one place to another. When we walk through a door, we know that were going through a door. Our minds are with our actions.

WALKING ON PLANET EARTH

Walking on this planet is a very wonderful thing to do. When astronauts return to Earth, one of the things that theyre most happy to do is to take a walk. Coming back to their home, they can enjoy the grasses, the plants, the flowers, the animals, and the birds with each step. How long do you think they enjoy walking on the Earth after theyve returned from space? Id guess that the first ten days are wonderful. But eventually they get used to it, and maybe a year later they dont feel as happy as they did in the first few months after coming home. Every time we take a step on this Earth, we can appreciate the solid ground underneath us.

I WALK FOR YOU

Many of my ancestors and many of my friends from my generation have already passed away. A good friend of mine is in a wheelchair and cant walk. Another friend has such pain in his knees that he cant walk up and down stairs. So I walk for them. When I breathe in, I say to myself, Its wonderful that I am still able to walk like this. With that awareness, I can enjoy every step. I say, I am alive! Mindfulness reminds me to notice and enjoy that my body is alive and strong enough for me to walk.

SLEEPWALKING

Were in such a rush, looking for happiness in one place and then another. We walk like sleepwalkers, without any enjoyment of what we are actually doing. We are walking, but in our minds we are already doing something else: planning, organizing, worrying. There is no more need to run. Every time we return our attention to our breath and our steps, its as if we wake up. Every step brings us back to the here and the now. We can touch the Earth and see the sky and notice all the wonders in between. In each step there is the possibility of mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

ENLIGHTENMENT

To enjoy walking meditation isnt difficult at all. You dont need ten years of practicing mindful walking to be enlightened. You need only a few seconds. You just need to become aware that youre walking. Awareness is already enlightenment. Each of us is capable of being mindful of our in-breath and our out-breath. When you breathe in, be aware that youre breathing in. Be aware that you have a body, that youre breathing in and nourishing that body. Be aware that your feet are strong enough for you to enjoy walking. That is also enlightenment. When you breathe out, be aware of the air leaving your body. Be aware that you are alive. This awareness can bring you so much happiness.

WALKING IN THE AIRPORT

When I go to the airport, I like to arrive early so that I can do walking meditation before the flight. About thirty years ago I was walking in the Honolulu airport. Someone came up to me and asked, Who are you; what is your spiritual tradition? I said, Why do you ask? And he said, Because I see that the way you walk is so different than the way others walk. Its so peaceful and relaxed. He had approached me simply because of the way I walked. I hadnt given a speech or a conference. With every step you make, you can create peace within yourself and give joy to other people.

CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN

I once traveled with a delegation to China and climbed Wutai Shan, a famous mountain there. The path to the top is very steep, and usually people arrive exhausted. There are 1,080 steps to climb. Before setting out, I suggested our delegation breathe, make a step, relax; breathe, make another step, and relax. Our intention was to climb the mountain in a way that we could enjoy each moment of the climbing. Every ten steps or so we would sit down, look around, breathe, and smile. We didnt need to arrive; we arrived in every step, with peace, stillness, solidity, and freedom. When we got to the top, everybody was so happy and full of energy. Every step, even uphill, can bring mindfulness, concentration, joy, and insight.