Right Speech

It has been five years since I spent a week in Colorado practicing the teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. It seems impossible that five years have passed as the experience is still vividly etched in my consciousness. It was the first time that I have immersed myself so completely into the practice and I can’t argue with the effectiveness of the experience.

Zen, like any discipline, is a practice. The benefits of the practice are directly proportional to the effort put into the practice. I have been a practitioner for most of my adult life but that week in 2009 was the first time I have been completely immersed for so long. My daughter noticed a difference in me when I returned from my retreat — I moved slower and I talked slower. I remember how calm my mind was and how simple life was. It was no more than a couple of days of being reintegrated into the rat race before my state of mind began to slip back into a different, hectic rhythm. I could feel the unwanted change happening but resistance seemed futile. My mind was adopting the rhythm of my environment.

My practice continues to evolve everyday. As I simplify my life, I get closer to the ideal I experienced in 2009. I have been focusing on reducing my possessions and creating  space in my environment. I have been working hard to repair poor relationships and improve the good ones. Decluttering my mind in these ways allow me to slow down and stay in the moment.

This week I have narrowed my focus on practicing right speech. Words are the most powerful tools I have to create happiness in my life. A word takes but a moment to utter but its effect can resonate for a lifetime. I know my words reflect my mood but I also know that my mood is affected by my words. Staying mindful of what I say, and how I say it, creates  peace in my life.

“Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivation loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and month other people, ethnic and religous groups, and nations.” - Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)