By Juliana Di Leonardo
Peace can be difficult to find when living in a world full of chaos and commotion. Often individuals search for answers in times of desperation or hardship, and it is a relief to know that there are groups, such as The Long Island Buddhist Meditation Center in Riverhead, that are advocating for mindfulness while dedicating their livelihood to teaching mindful practices and supplying resources to individuals that are interested in being more in tune with themselves and the world around them. It is a blessing to know the Long Island Buddhist Meditation Center and their community that they have cultivated over the years because they are all devoted to better understanding the world, Buddha's teachings, and putting those teachings into action with intent to make positive change within their local area and beyond.
This weekend the Long Island Buddhist Meditation Center organized a weekend long retreat where people practiced sitting and walking meditations along with participating in dharma discussion—dharma being Buddha's teachings that emphasize virtues like kindness, patience, compassion, and generosity. These discussions encouraged questions and answers to allow for a deeper understanding and how an individual can apply these principles to one's own life. This retreat also included delicious vegan and vegetarian Sri Lankan food that perpetuated the Buddha's teachings by weaving in the importance of extending mindfulness to our plate.
During the sitting meditations, we were instructed to focus on the inhale and the exhale to keep the mind and body in the present moment. Props were supplied to make sitting postures more accessible to the variety of people attending the retreat. People were also allowed to sit in chairs if their bodies required an elevated surface. When it was time to take part in the walking meditations, the focus was emphasized on the lifting of each leg and the placement of each foot. This awareness was to again bring the practitioner into the present moment, and it also required the movement to be slow and controlled. These two types of meditations helped connect our minds to the “now” which aided in creating a peaceful atmosphere to improve the absorption of the knowledge presented by Bhante Nanda and his colleague who were leading the dharma discussions.
The final discussion was about attachment, the clinging to beliefs, objects, and opinions, and how we respond negatively to situations when the things we cling to become a part of our identity. It was explained that when something is born, exists and thrives in darkness that when light comes around, it vanishes. The meaning of this is that our ignorance lives in the dark and knowledge reveals the truth, but we need to allow for the light to shine knowing that our lack of knowledge is not a personal attack on us. For this week’s anuvrat, I encourage you to take part in the search for peace and clarity by mindfully sitting or walking for any amount of time available to you and know that if you are finding yourself clinging to something that is keeping you in the darkness know that you are not the one under attack. Allow yourself to let go and receive the information presented to you so you can move through life with ease.
