The Mindful Way — BBC

[thedublab]

An old BBC documentary from 1979 about the Thai Forest Tradition in Theravada Buddhism and activities at Wat Bah Pong. This documentary was very influential in helping establish Ajahn Chah's approach to the Dhamma in the west, leading to the first crop of branch monasteries such as  Amaravati and Chithurst in the UK.

I'm humbled every time I watch this. Enjoy!

The Mindful Way

[Matthew]

Duplicate content removed

[greenhorn]

It's the same video as one posted by the dublab..Did you just want to bring it to our awareness again? Anyhow, you did well. It is a very nice video. (I loved the British accent and the speaker's voice.) It's an inspiration to watch these monks. Just to live and breathe..

Thank you, dublab, thank you matthew!

[Matthew]

Monica,

No, I was trying to work out why the website was not rendering the title of the video underneath properly and it was related to the URL for the video. I've edited thedublab's post and corrected it - duplicate content gone.

And yes, it's a great video. Having lived in Dhamma centres for nearly three years I can honestly say it is a very profound way to deepen your practice - spending extended periods of time in such practice oriented environments.

Matthew

[upekkha]

thanks for the video Matthew,

I think I've watched this before but it was nice to watch it again, certainly inspiring,

[greenhorn]

I just came back today from a weekend retreat at Deer Park Monastery (Escondido, US) 'led' from the distance (Plum Village-France) by Thich Nath Hahn. It was amazing. I learned so much in just 2 days and a half. I would have never thought I could actually like walking meditation, but in that beautiful landscape with other 165 people doing the same thing, it seemed natural. I don't know how I'll be able to do this at home, I mean on the street coz I might get weird looks.. I also remembered how nicely it feels   to eat mindfully taking one spoon at a time.   It's amazing how much it helps to leave the empty spoon in the plate after taking the mouthful. Not to mention their wisdom when they speak!!Besides the mindfulness lessons the monks give, their self-sustainable way of life is also amazing. They grow their own veggies, make their own electrical power, drive 'vegetarian cars' ) fueled with used cooking oil..They live on 2 $ 50 per capitum a day. Isn't that amazing? Eating mindfully and avoiding waste definitely helps it.

If you're looking for a retreat and have a chance to go to one of TNH's monasteries, don't hesitate to do so. It's really worth it.
For those living in the US, TNH is coming to the US in September. I'm definitely thinking of going if work permits.

[Matthew]

Walking meditation is a very important meditation. If all your meditation is done sitting on the cushion your progress will slow.

In the Dhamma,

Matthew