Recapitulation  2009  Living Happy Workshop

2009 Living Happy Workshop (I)
By: Gayle Hall

The "Living Happy Workshop" is an active and useful workshop to remind all of us of the simple practices that bring peace and contentment to us and those around us in our daily lives. There are several topics ranging from our own inner peace to the extension of that to others in our communications and in our awareness of the spiritual environment.

On September 26th, 15 participants of various ages and cultural backgrounds, and several dedicated volunteers, gathered at the Dharma Drum Mountain Vancouver Center to learn and experience the possibility of “Living Happy”. After early greetings, registration and refreshments, we gathered in the Chan Hall. We were each assigned one of three groups and took our seats on cushions, and briefly introduced ourselves to one another.

Venerable Guo Shu, the Abbess of the Centre, opened the Workshop with warm welcoming remarks by encouraging us to actively participate in the activities and enjoy every minute. Venerable Cheng Geng Fashi also gave her embracing, happy welcome to participants. Thereafter, our host of the Workshop, Jen-ni Kuo, explained the day’s Workshop was composed of a series of hands-on exercises to help participants gain benefits and incorporate the varied experiences into their daily activities.

We began with defining tension and practiced gathering and releasing tension from our muscles. The “relief” experienced when we relaxed was a reminder of how we hold tension in our bodies in much of our daily activity. Concentrating on relaxation and release of this tension, makes the body, then the mind, much more content. It frees the mind to become more aware of the present moment. Practicing relaxation was an excellent beginning to the activities of the day!

To illustrate concentration and awareness, we were taken through an exercise of walking, maintaining total awareness of our steps and our feet touching the floor. Concentrating only on the action of walking and keeping the mind and body relaxed, we were then given a straw and a ping pong ball. The ball was to be balanced on the straw as we continued walking! After several minutes of experiencing our minds, our bodies and the effect on the ping pong ball, we formed back into groups to discuss what we observed. There were many thoughts expressed about working very hard to maintain the balance of the ball on the straw, about wanting to show off with one’s skill, about embarrassment when the ball dropped, about holding a relaxed body and being aware of the ping pong ball but not distracted by it, about the feeling of distraction when someone else dropped their ball, and many more. It was a very stimulating activity! We took from it the lesson of practicing awareness and minimizing distraction. How we are much more effective in our actions when we stay relaxed and aware.

Volunteers provided a delicious and varied lunch. Venerable Guo Shu Fashi taught us the Ch’an style of eating: how to sit, hold our bowl and how to move the food to the mouth. Then, chewing and moving the food within the mouth and experiencing the activity fully; pausing with each mouthful; then to notice the action of swallowing. Some participants commented on how valuable this lesson was and how it could be carried into daily life.

We gathered back in the Chan Hall after lunch and practiced the Eight-Form Moving Meditation through a set of exercises. Again, the focus was on relaxation and awareness. The exercise was not strenuous but gave the body a renewed energy.

Then we returned to our cushions, assumed a relaxed pose and practiced staying calm and aware through a variety of sounds that distract most of us in our daily lives. As we later discussed in our groups, these noises often create thoughts and tension in our bodies and it was important to practice remaining calm. We also discussed activities in our daily lives that would allow us to practice relaxation and clearing of the mind – brushing our teeth, lineups, riding transit, lunch breaks, walking and so on.

With the sunshine and cool wind, we all enjoyed participation in a game in the back garden. We moved a marble from one table, across the lawn to another table, carrying it with chopsticks! It was a wonderful sharing of laughter, skill and encouragement! We all worked hard to contribute to our team and most were surprised at the skill they demonstrated, by staying calm, aware and focussed. There were many laughs and much applause!

We returned to the Chan Hall to watch a DVD show on “Protecting the Spiritual Environment and Settling Our Lives.” This was a good reminder of our existence with nature and the world around us. In her closing remarks, Venerable Guo Shu encouraged us to continue what we learned from the Workshop in our daily lives, to improve the quality of our lives. She further urged us to open ourselves up to help others, and to uplift the characters of humanity and build a pure land on earth. She also welcomed us back to visit, participate in activities, and for volunteering. She concluded by sending participants her blessing “A mind at peace, a life at peace”. The organizers of the workshop were highly acknowledged for the excellence of the presentations, the well-organized day, the variety of presentation styles and the careful attention to everyone’s comfort. Experiencing new methods requires good energy and a feeling of assurance. This was offered and embraced throughout the day!

With a whole day of activity focussed on relieving stress and expanding awareness, the next step – taking the practice into one’s daily life – is a natural progression.

I highly recommend this workshop to everyone – there is no pre-requisite knowledge – just a requirement to want to live happily!

2009 Living Happy Workshop (II)
By: Martin Lin

I didn’t expect to learn so much from this workshop. At first, I thought it was going to be a meditation workshop. But as soon as I saw the schedule, and how much it emphasizes relaxation, I thought we were just going to learn about how to ‘feel good’. So, at the beginning of the workshop, when I was given instructions on how to relax my body, I didn’t pay too much attention to that. Neither did I feel there was any use for having a group discussion on our states of relaxation. However, the next activity quickly convinced me how ignorant I was. In this activity, each participant was given a straw and a ping-pong ball. We were asked to place the ping-pong ball on top of the straw and walked around in a circle. Our task was to carry the ping-pong ball without letting it fall off. It wasn’t an easy task. Even though the straw was a thick bubble-tea straw, a slight wobble would drop the ball. This was indeed training for concentration and mindfulness. However, the most challenge part of the activity was that all the participants were asked to relax.

I could not relax. I thought gazing and focusing on the ball would make it easier to stay on, but since that was what we were told, I decided I would give it a try. Strange things happened. When I was relaxed, my mind could still maintain the awareness that I was holding a straw with a ping-pong ball, but it became effortless to keep the ball on. I walked slowly, only focusing on the movement of my body and feet. I felt how the centre of gravity of my body shifted when I lifted my foot, and I could also feel the sensation of how my feet were touching the floor. The ping-pong ball didn’t fall off. However, as soon as I broke that mindfulness and started wondering why the ball hadn’t fall off, it fell off. How interesting!! In the group discussion, many people echoed my discovery.

Lunch at DDM Vancouver Centre was a blessing. Not only were we served a free delicious vegetarian buffet, we were given a live demonstration by Venerable Guo Shu, the Abbess of the Centre, on how to eat mindfully. The idea was to only do one thing at a time. We should only pick up food when we were not chewing; when we were chewing, our hands were at rest. With my eyes closed, I could observe the delicate workings of my teeth and tongue and enjoy the taste of the food. I was taught to eat like this when I was at grade two, but I couldn’t recall if I’d ever eaten like this. Of course, relaxation was emphasized during the whole lunch period, and the more relaxed I was, the food was more tasty.

Activities in the afternoon were fun and meaningful. The first activity in the afternoon was on communication. One person in each of the three groups was given a piece of paper with an odd sentence on it. This person whispered the sentence to another group member, who would do the same until every group member had heard the sentence. The last group member who heard the sentence would whisper the sentence back to the first person, who would show all the group members how different or similar the sentence ended up. For example, the first sentence was ‘the man in the grey suite walks across the street’. Our group produced exactly the same thing, but one group ended up giving ‘my mom baked a hot cross bun’. This activity showed we often don’t hear what others are saying. And relaxation is the key to mindful listening.

The following activity summarized what we’ve done all day. At the beginning of the activity, we were asked to relax. When everyone was quiet, somebody’s phone rang. I was quite annoyed at first until I realized it was just a tape recording. I was able to let go of a couple more annoying sounds, including the sound of a crying baby, breaking glass, and a noisy market place. The purpose of this activity, this workshop and even meditation, as the activity leader, Jen-ni, explained, was to develop our awareness of our surroundings and attend to things accordingly, but in a relaxed and mindful way.

Too often when we hear a crying baby or a ringing phone, we attend to them with a lot of anger and anxiety, thinking only to get rid of the disturbance that cause us pain. Under such mind set, we cannot focus nor concentrate. We may misunderstand other people or the situation and end up hurting others and ourselves. These pain remains and accumulates inside ourselves. Eventually, we can take no more. Our bodies grow ill and die young, and our minds suffer from guilt, frustration and depression. However, all these can be avoided by simply being relaxed and being aware of staying relaxed. When we are relaxed, mindfulness, concentration and eventually compassion and wisdom follow.

The day went by quickly. At about five in the afternoon, workshop was finished. We took a group photo and we were also given some materials on cultivating a fruitful and peaceful life. I am sincerely grateful to all the volunteers and the Abbess at DDM Vancouver Centre, and I wish everyone who took part in this workshop has a fruitful and peaceful life.

2009 Living Happy Workshop (III)
Reaching the sky through daily life
By: Dr. Sattiraju Prabhakar

This message is about the experiences and insights I have gained while attending classes at the Dharma Drum Mountain Vancouver Center and the workshop organized by the center. A renowned philosopher and a spiritual teacher, Jiddu Krishnamurti, once said that a good question is half the answer. Every day we encounter problems. We accept them as part of the landscape we call life. We hear about yoga schools and meditation classes. They also become part of the landscape of life, and we go about our daily lives unaffected. For several of us, a “good” question about our own problems eludes us. Some of us dismiss raising such questions as too difficult, too philosophical, or even as useless exercises, a step closer to the unreality far away from the reality of our day to day lives.

It would help us if the “good” question and its answer gently arise in us as we go about our daily life. It would also be nice if our observations of simple things in life lead to the problems sorting themselves out. Then our life looks brighter and happier. We begin to see more possibilities than we ever thought possible. Life becomes enjoyable. Is it possible for these wishes to come true without us becoming philosophers or monks residing in Himalayas or Mount Jiuhua or Mount Tateyama?

This is exactly the problem the workshop at Dharma Drum Mountain Vancouver Center tried to address. The workshop did not attempt to give a philosophy or theory. Instead it gently encouraged participants to experience simple things. I was greatly benefitted by it. Let me tell you what effect it had on me. On the morning of September 26, I was supposed to attend the workshop, I was wrapped up in my work. The “big” picture of my life was constantly on my mind. But I tore myself away from my work and arrived at the workshop. During the workshop, we were asked to observe small things. By evening, I was thinking clearly. A realization grew in me that the “big” things of life can overwhelm us and even blind us, whereas small things in life strengthen us and help us develop a feeling of well-being. How was such a transformation possible? The key was peaceful mind.

Let me explain how this transformation took place in me, by focusing on a specific event in the workshop. We were sitting in silence and suddenly different sounds hit us as if we were going through a busy market place. Our reaction to the first sounds was that of a Sunday market shopper. When the second sound hit us, we began to question the relevance of the sound in the meditation hall. Since the sound did not fit with the environment, we thought it was produced by the workshop organizers deliberately trying to provoke a reaction in us. In reaction to it, we began to control our thinking – we began to tell ourselves “ignore this sound!”. We could ignore some sounds, by not reacting to them to some extent. But sometimes we failed to control our reactions. This failure was the beginning point of transformation for me. I began to formulate the question: how can I make this sound not affect me emotionally but at the same time act compassionately? Then the answer to the question began to appear. I began to realize that our reactions cannot be controlled by manipulating my thinking. Then I remembered what the workshop organizers were saying about relaxation. At that point I understood the true significance of relaxation. It is not just about relaxing the muscles on my body. It extends to relaxing several processes in me – the perceptual, conceptual and inferential processes. If I can relax all of these processes, then the sound waves will have no effect on me. That is, I will not react emotionally. I do not have to do anything (except relax)! This single insight made me realize how significant it can be to relax when unexpected things happen in our lives. This is an awakening step for me.

Earlier I made a comment about increasing possibilities – “we begin to see more possibilities than we ever thought possible”. Let me illustrate this through another event in the workshop. We were asked to balance a ball on a narrow plastic tube. If you practice enough you can balance the ball quite effectively. But the important point is that this task was given to us as a surprise task. Thus our skills were not under question. Life comes to you with problems for which often you have no skills. Without training, how can you do it? This was the question I could formulate well for that event at workshop. Then the answer began to appear. Normally, you will drop the ball several times. But as we began to relax, the ball stopped falling down! This amazing observation led to the expansion of my understanding that when we are relaxed we can do things which were normally not possible.

If you are rationally inclined you may wonder why this is true. Let me share with you my limited understanding based on ancient wisdom. In ancient India, a spiritual tradition called Advaita Vedanta originated. Without going into definitions, it says that as your awareness increases your creativity increases too! In fact, it equates awareness with Brahman, the creator of all things in life. Essentially, awareness leads to creativity! When you are creative you create things – a new way of life, a new basis for relationships, improved academic and job performance, so on. How do we make this awareness manifest in our lives? It is very simple – just relax! It is that simple!

Please note that relaxing is not sleeping, relaxing is an active process. To guide us in this activity, the workshop has shown us a variety of ways to relax. Let us call them forms of relaxing. One form of relaxing is yoga. We did yoga at workshop that allowed us to let go of the physical tensions at various parts of the body. We also did communication form of relaxing and walking form of relaxing. While each of these forms of relaxing was practiced, it became possible to formulate clear questions about our problems and then find answers. As we find the answers relaxation deepens and the benefits improve. This whole process of relaxing, formulating questions and answers, further deepening of relaxation, and enjoying the fruits of relaxation, is so easy and intertwined with daily activities that you do not even notice it. It is like a process of bootstrapping your life but without feeling the pain!

At Dharma Drum Mountain Vancouver center, we were guided through different forms of relaxation, as if to suggest that the real skill in life we require is in developing relaxation in our various activities. Finally, at the Center, we were also guided in the gem of all relaxation methods –– the sitting meditation, the formless relaxation.

To complete the discussion, I would like to address one final question: does relaxation (and hence the awareness) help us deal with “big” problems of life? I like to call this the mountain climbing problem! You do not climb the mountain by putting your first step on the peak, while starting from the ground. As you know, it is physically impossible. But in real life often that is what we try to do. If we climb the mountain by taking small steps, the Mountain challenges us at every step of climbing, and rewards us with a wider view of the world. When we reach the top of the mountain we have the best view. In a similar way, our daily life can train us and prepare us for the “big” problems of life. We learn to relax in several daily situations. When “big” problems hit us, our training helps us to relax in those situations. Then our awareness shines through us making us and our friends happy. In this regard, the Chan training provided at the Dharma Drum Mountain Vancouver Center is invaluable.

2009 Living Happy Workshop (IV)
By: Jane Zahradnik

An invitation for a day of Ch'an practise in English was very exciting for me to look forward to. The day turned out to be educational, enjoyable and memorable in many ways, and I hold it in my heart.

Relaxation meditation began the workshop and set the tone for the day. Several exercises challenged us to be mindful in distracting environments. We used the relaxation practise and followed the leaders' voices, and came through with calmness and peace intact.

For many of us, the Ch'an Centre's lunch was a favourite mindfulness moment. I have never eaten food that was as flavourful and tender as during that exercise!

With the weather cooperating, we had some refreshing moments outdoors, then a very tranquil DVD showing Ch'an practitioners doing a wide variety of activities with mindfulness and grace.

In all, the Living Happy Workshop was a wonderful way to begin the fall season, and for us to participate in the joyful celebration of the Centre's third anniversary. It was most enjoyable and meaningful for each of us.

2009 Living Happy Workshop (V)
By: Cathy Yamamato

I was one of the organizers of subject workshop, the very first English workshop held by the DDMBA Vancouver Center. Being one of the organizers, I also hosted and led one of the activities during the workshop, Communication. The objective of this activity was to better our communication and listening skills by applying the relaxation and breathing techniques, so as to help us communicate and listen in a clear and mindful manner.  It, in turn, helps us show our loving kindness in everyday conversations and interactions with others.

The workshop also included the topic of Concentration/Mindfulness where each participant held a straw with a ping-pong ball on the top of it while walking in the Ch'an Hall. My body was tensed up and my eyes became strenuous from continuous staring at the ping-pong ball. I then remembered to relax and only be mindful on my walking ignoring and without staring at the ping-pong ball at all. And, it worked! A similar activity was held outdoor later that afternoon by using a pair of stainless steel chopsticks to pick up a marble and then walk it across the grass field. I, however, had to admit that the latter required more technique than method (relaxation and mindfulness).

Also, at lunch Venerable Guoshu demonstrated and guided us to incorporate and use Ch’an method while eating.  She taught us how to eat mindfully; slowing down, doing one thing at a time, chewing food thoroughly, and truly savoring each bite of food before swallowing it. I found this was great as I really slowed down and tasted what I was eating.  I totally enjoyed my lunch that day! Throughout the day, whatever we do, including exercising and watching DVD, we were continuously reminded to integrate Ch’an method into all activities.

I sincerely hope that our guests were inspired through various activities and would surely incorporate these methods into their daily activities. And I hope that they will soon join us in the more traditional side of the Ch’an practice such as the Beginner’s Meditation Class, Group Practice and Ch’an Retreat!