Deep listening and mindfulness

I used the Sunday in Bangkok well. I went to the Lumpini Park Hall and joined a few thousand people to listen to the Vietnamese Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh. He talked about how to rebuild happy families and a happy society. He stressed the importance of 'compassionate speech' and 'deep listening' as the keys to communications.

He said that in modern society, humans have lost the capacity to listen. "In Buddhism, peace means the absence of tension and pain in your heart and body. If you have peace, it will be easier for you to help others release the tension from their heart and body. Buddha's teachings from 2,600 years ago are still relevant - they are about how to cultivate peace."

He emphasised the need to cultivate mindfulness as a key in peace-building. "It is not necessary to go to the temple to do this", he said. "You can practise mindfulness when cooking, washing dishes or walking."

I think 'mindfulness' is a word I should have used in my last postings (Simply live simple & Simply design simple). Practicing mindfulness in terms of the footprint you leave behind when you do the dishes, design your project or do your job.