Mindfulness Trainings

The Five Mindfulness Trainings of the Plum Village Tradition and the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings of the Order of Interbeing are guiding wisdom for how we can be mindful in our daily lives.

They were written by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) and modified over the years by Thay and the monks and nuns in Plum Village and their current renditions can be easily found on the Plum Village website.

Last Sunday night, I attended Marin Sangha and was thrilled to learn of Phillip Moffitt‘s rendition and Bhikkhu Amaro’s introduction from his book, Small Boat Great Mountain.

The nice thing to notice is that the spirit of the precepts as taught by Phillip from the Vipassana tradition correspond to the Plum Village tradition.

“The five precepts are offered not as rigid commandments but as guidelines for living. They are practical strategies to help us exist and function more harmoniously.”
– Amaro Bhikkhu in the book Small Boat Great Mountain

Phillip Moffitt’s The Five Precepts Stated Positively

1. To the best of my ability, I will protect and support life and encourage the fulfillment of potential for love and understanding in others.

2. To the best of my ability, I will take only what is freely given and vow to practice gratitude and generosity.

3. To the best of my ability, I will respect and support on-going relationships, honor my commitments, and practice discernment between the beauty of Eros as a feeling and the compulsiveness to act it out.

4. To the best of my ability, I will say what is true, useful, and timely and practice deep listening such that both my speaking and listening reflects loving-kindness and compassion.

5. To the best of my ability, I will maintain a clear and alert mind that is aware of its motivations, moment to moment, such that it can discern between what is the cause of suffering and what is not the cause of suffering.

Whichever tradition you practice in, they can be your guiding lights to achieving inner peace and happiness in ordinary life.

Have you made and effort to study, practice and observe the Five Mindfulness Trainings (or any other rendition)?