This video is part 1 of 11 videos from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh retreat for Palestinians.
The retreat was held in Plum Village, France in 2003.
In this part, Thay talks about holding the retreat like a picnic and he relates this to lazy days in Plum Village.
Lazy days occur every week. There are no scheduled activities for the monks and nuns and visitors on those days.
Activities unfold naturally. The Plum Village website says,
A Lazy Day is a day for us to be truly with the day without any schedule activities. We just let the day unfold naturally, timelessly. It is a day in which we can practice as we like. We may do walking meditation on our own or with a friend or do sitting meditation in the forest. We might like to read lightly or write home to our family or to a friend.
It can be a day for us to look deeper at our practice and at our relations with others. We may learn a lot about how we have been practicing. We may recognize what to do or not to do in order to bring more harmony into our practice. Sometimes, we may force ourselves too much in the practice, creating disharmony within and around us. On this day, we have a chance to balance ourselves. We may recognize that we may simply need to rest or that we should practice more diligently. A Lazy Day is a gift for us and the Sangha to enjoy, in our own time and space. It is a very quiet day for everyone.
When I was in Plum Village in 2006, I arrived on a lazy day. Everyone was relaxed and very friendly. The only difficulty I had was trying to find my friend!
Do you think having a lazy day is a good idea? Please share.
