..续本文上一页he non-practice. Don”t do anything—just allow your body to rest. With mindfulness and this rest, you can transform the state of your physical body. The Buddha has spoken at length about this practice. You should really love your body. You should really take care of your body. Mindful breathing, with rest, can do miracles. While taking medicine, you can still help the healing with the practice of mindfulness of breathing and rest.

　　(Bell)

　　With the wellbeing and harmony that you have recovered, you will discover transformation in the realm of feelings and perceptions. We should always start with the body. Of course, there are wounds in our soul, in our consciousness. We should take care of that, but before anything, start to take care of your body.

　　I remember one time a journalist, a lady, came here to the New Hamlet to talk to our nuns. She wanted to write an article about Plum Village, and the sisters in Plum Village said, "If you want to write an article, you have to practice. If you would like to stay here for a week with us, then we will speak to you. If not, we won”t." And she agreed--she stayed one week. This is what I do when I go to the United States: I always tell the journalists from the New York Times and the Washington Post, "You have to stay with us during the whole retreat in order to write something." And some of them agree. That”s wonderful. This lady came here and stayed with the sisters and practiced for a week, and spoke with them. One day I came here, and she wanted to speak with me for fifteen minutes. She asked, "Thay, can you suggest some exercises for us

　　" and I offered this one. This journalist was from the magazine Elle, a women”s magazine. The ladies are starting to be interested in Buddhism, and that”s why Elle wanted to write something about meditation and Buddhism. So I started with, "If you are together with your husband in the living room, you can start practicing by turning to your husband, and saying, “Darling, can I turn off the TV

　　 I have something to tell you.” Of course, he will accept, unless it”s the World Cup.

　　Did you read The Little Prince that St. Exupéry wrote

　　 I think that Antoine de St. Exupéry wrote that to love is not to look at each other, but to look in the same direction. And in this case, the couple is looking at TV in the same direction, because it”s no longer a pleasure to look at each other. In the beginning it was a pleasure, but now it”s no longer a pleasure, it”s kind of difficult to look at each other. I don”t joy, I don”t see freshness, happiness in you, that is why I don”t have pleasure looking at you, and that”s why I look in another direction, and you feel the same way. So you don”t look at me, and you look at the TV with me. But of course it”s not what Antoine de St. Exupéry wanted to say. I think that when we love each other we should look at each other, in order to be aware of whether the man or the woman we love is still alive. I told the children that to love is to recognize the presence of the one that you love. But in order to recognize this presence, you should be here, body and mind united. You should breathe mindfully, in order to bring back the mind to the body, in order to be really present in the here and the now. And if you are really here, you can recognize the other. To look at the other with mindfulness is to embrace that person in mindfulness. "Darling I know you are here, and I am very happy." Even if you don”t say this, your look is enough. It proves that you are here for her or for him, and his or her presence gives you a lot of happiness. "Darling, I know you are here, and I am very happy."

　　When both of them are looking at the TV, that is because they don”t feel happiness in looking at each other. So we have to start the practice, and the …

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