Here is Saint Dominic instructing a young friar (who has his mantle thrown over his shoulder) and then the fellow setting out with Dominic either waving good-bye or imparting a blessing. Walking as prayer! Christians are more than just believers in dogmas, Church laws and moral teachings - we're practitioners.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a now elderly Vietnamese Buddhist monk who is perhaps the best known Zen teacher in the world. He has written a small book titled: How To Walk ( 2015 Parallax Press). The book is indeed about walking and the attendant aspects of life: body, mind, memories, inner healing, the earth. Each page presents only one paragraph.
I'd suggest Christians need a little book like this because we're caught up in the joyless race like everyone else. And while our believing might make us different from others, the way we go through life is often as frenzied, scattered, distracted, angry and exhausted as everyone else. Christian believing ought to enlighten and transform my lifestyle ~ the way I walk or my mind-way as I share life on this planet. Here's a sample from the book:
Now someone might say, "This isn't Christian." I'd disagree. I'd suggest the most common and lovely way in which Jesus demonstrates continual mindfulness is found a number of times in St. Mark's Gospel where the evangelist makes a point of telling us that Jesus took someone by the hand: the little girl who has just died at home (Mk 5: 41,42), Peter's mother-in-law healed of her fever (Mk 1:29-31), the healing of the leper (Mk 1: 40,41). And in St. Luke's gospel, (7:11ff) Jesus touches the coffin of the boy being carried to the cemetery. In his touching, everything stops for that precise moment. That moment is all that exists.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a now elderly Vietnamese Buddhist monk who is perhaps the best known Zen teacher in the world. He has written a small book titled: How To Walk ( 2015 Parallax Press). The book is indeed about walking and the attendant aspects of life: body, mind, memories, inner healing, the earth. Each page presents only one paragraph.
I'd suggest Christians need a little book like this because we're caught up in the joyless race like everyone else. And while our believing might make us different from others, the way we go through life is often as frenzied, scattered, distracted, angry and exhausted as everyone else. Christian believing ought to enlighten and transform my lifestyle ~ the way I walk or my mind-way as I share life on this planet. Here's a sample from the book:
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 don't 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 we're going through a door. Our minds are with our actions.
Now someone might say, "This isn't Christian." I'd disagree. I'd suggest the most common and lovely way in which Jesus demonstrates continual mindfulness is found a number of times in St. Mark's Gospel where the evangelist makes a point of telling us that Jesus took someone by the hand: the little girl who has just died at home (Mk 5: 41,42), Peter's mother-in-law healed of her fever (Mk 1:29-31), the healing of the leper (Mk 1: 40,41). And in St. Luke's gospel, (7:11ff) Jesus touches the coffin of the boy being carried to the cemetery. In his touching, everything stops for that precise moment. That moment is all that exists.
