Dear friend of "Awakening Heart,"

Mindfulness is not a quick-fix. Mindfulness practice is a lifestyle. It is a new habit that you need to commit to every day. It is like eating three meals a day and getting about 8 hours of sleep each night. It isn't anything extraordinary. And yet, for so long, we have been living as spiritually malnourished beings; it's as if we've only been eating one meal every few days and sleeping only a couple of hours a week. Then, when we encounter mindfulness practice, especially at a retreat, it feels extraordinary. But you can't just go to one retreat or a couple of group meditations and then stop there. You must continually commit yourself to daily practice, weekly practice, monthly practice, quarterly practice (and annual practice, if it is in your means). It's just like committing yourself to eating three nutritious meals a day and sleeping about 8 hours each night. You don't just eat one meal and sleep one night and then wait several days before eating and sleeping again. That is not healthy at all. And yet, that is exactly what we have been doing spiritually most of our lives.

We don't even realize that we are spiritually malnourished because most of us have never really known any other state of existence. Since our parents were probably spiritually malnourished, and all of our peers were most likely spiritually malnourished, and even our religious leaders may have been spiritually malnourished, our own state of spiritual malnourishment just seemed normal. But now, we have the opportunity to change all of that. We have the amazing opportunity now to break this ancestral cycle of spiritual malnourishment and begin a new generation of spiritual nourishment, transformation and enlightenment.

I encourage you to make a commitment to your own happiness, a commitment to transforming your suffering, a commitment to realizing enlightenment in this very lifetime, for the sake of all beings. I encourage you to wake up from the delusions of the self-centered self, to wake up from our collective addiction to distraction, to wake up from the extremes of both materialistic workaholism and of metaphysical laziness.

Do it today, do it this week, or do it next week, but just do it.

The next few years are critical years. What we do during this time period will determine the future direction of our world. We will either have a "Global Awakening" or the mass breakdown of modern civilization as we know it. But either way, our Dharma practice today will be greatly needed and necessary either to aid the "Global Awakening" or to be a calm and stable light for all the people around us who will be running around in fear, confusion, despair and chaos as our ecological and economic systems start to fall apart.

The days of "Lone Ranger" spirituality are over. The only valid and viable path for any of us now is the "Bodhisattva Path" — the path of awakening in service to others, the path of community and interbeing, the path of Sangha. And this is universal, not restricted to Buddhism. There are Buddhist bodhisattvas, and Christian bodhisattvas, and Jewish bodhisattvas, and Hindu and Muslim bodhisattvas. The point is, unless we all collectively awaken together, the future is not going to be very bright. It is up to us to make the difference, to make the shift. We are not alone. None of us is "an island unto himself."

And so, my sisters and brothers, let me encourage you to make this commitment, to practice the "Sangha Lifestyle" starting today:

• Daily: Personal meditation (at least 20 minutes or more) at home and mindful living throughout the day.
• Weekly: Group meditation with others (Sangha).
• Monthly: A formal or informal "Day of Mindfulness" retreat by yourself or with others.
• Quarterly: A formal or informal weekend mindfulness retreat by yourself or with others.
• Yearly: [If you can afford it,] a formal weeklong or longer mindfulness retreat with others under the direction of a Dharma Teacher.

I guarantee you, if you practice this "Sangha Lifestyle" faithfully, consistently and regularly over the course of this next year, you will experience a major and pivotal breakthrough in your life and spirituality that will be of benefit to all beings. You will set yourself upon the Path of Enlightenment "with no regression." You will have begun your training as a Bodhisattva. And you will find yourself supported by all the wisdom, love, joy, peace and strength of the Universe on your journey.

So just take 3 slow, deep breaths and simply "begin anew." In every moment, you can start afresh and anew, right here, right now.

Every morning, you can recite this chant:

And every evening, you can recite this chant:

Or, perhaps this chant, morning or evening:

And throughout the day, whenever you remember to come back to your breath in full awareness of the present moment, you can silently and continuously recite within your heart the sacred mantra of:

This particular mantra of the "Buddha of Infinite Light" puts us in touch with the many millions of practitioners in the East and in the past who have used this to open their hearts in gratitude to the "Infinite Light of Awakening" in ourselves and all beings. Through it, we flow into harmony with the energy of love, compassion, joy and equanimity inherent in our True Nature. And we affirm and express the Truth that, yes, who we really are is "Infinite Light," and what we are here to do is to simply express that Enlightenment and manifest the "Pure Land of Great Happiness" right here on Earth, right here in our own lives and relationships and daily activities.

And finally, Namo AMITABHA Buddhaya, whenever a day has been skipped in meditation or a week at Sangha has been missed, just let it go and simply "begin anew" once again, right here and right now. Our practice is really only "Yes" and "Thank You." That's it! And that is a deeper meaning of "Namo Amitabha Buddhaya." There's no need for stress or struggle in the practice. "Let go and let God" or, as I like to put it: "Let be and let Buddha!"

Namo AMITABHA Buddhaya,

Brother ChiSing
"True Wonderful Happiness"

www.AwakeningHeart.org