The Ugly Truth About Indian Ecommerce

Traditionally, companies are set up with the intent to earn income. They provide a service or a product in return for money. They strive to keep their cost price lower than their selling price. They invest in plant and machinery, employees, expansion etc. Some of them come out with IPOs allowing small investors to participate in their growth.

The valuation of a company does not necessarily depend on the income it earns, it depends more on what it can earn in the future. People are willing to shell out more for shares in companies which operate in segments like  Ecommerce, Internet of Things and electric vehicles, which are likely to grow at a fast pace.

Companies like Flipkart command valuations based on their growth. They don't make profits. Flipkart and its subsidiary, Myntra, report their performance in terms of Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV). If they sell 10 units of a product with an MRP of $100, the GMV is $1000. GMV does not take into account the cancellations, returns, discounts etc.

GMV can be easily inflated and companies can show rapid growth even when there is little or no growth. By showing rapid growth they can attract investment at higher valuations. Investors play along as they hope to exit at higher valuations through or post an IPO, dumping their shares on small investors at astronomical valuations. 

Companies which represent performance in terms of GMV will not see their GMV reduce if your order is cancelled, undelivered or returned. In fact, they may be able to increase their GMV by selling the product again. If a company delivers a $100 product in great condition to a customer, it will have a happy customer and $100 in terms of GMV. If a company sells a $100 defective product to customer at 80% discount, it is returned and sold again, it gets $200 in terms of GMV! Surprisingly, the second company commands higher valuations! In many cases, the MRP is inflated to inflate GMV. Be careful with those private labels!

 Some ways in which Ecommerce companies inflate the GMV are:

1. Cancelling orders - Customers often find their orders being cancelled. The company may not really have those products. They may just let people place those orders attracting them with huge discounts and in the process inflate their GMV. They may be more than happy to issue a "goodwill coupon".

2. High RTO - RTO stands for "returned to origin". These are undelivered orders. Managers set high targets for their delivery staff and ask them to "deliver or RTO or don't come to work again". Unable to deliver all orders, delivery agents end up marking some orders as "RTO". These products are sold again! All that adds up to the GMV numbers. A company representing performance in terms of GMV may show growth even if all their Logistics staff go on a strike!

3. Tender Liquidation - Certain Ecommerce firms allow customers to place "cash on delivery" orders, pay using a credit card at the time of delivery and then return the product and obtain a refund into their bank account. A lot of people just place orders to convert the credit limit on their cards to cash.

4. Shipping damaged and wrong products - Companies deliberately ship defective merchandise to customers. If they are returned, they are sold again. Higher GMV!

5. Inflating the MRP - ACSI recently pulled up Flipkart for displaying a higher MRP on the website than what was printed on the MRP sticker. In order to prevent getting caught companies may be shipping many products without the manufacturer's MRP tag. They may just be printing the price on the barcode sticker. Watch out! Those prices may be inflated.

Mindful customer care staff may stop a lot of such activities, like high RTOs and returns. They may highlight issues to delivery centers and want improvements, so the companies insist that communication with DCs take place only through an established hierarchy. To prevent customer service staff from following up and taking ownership, companies set high targets and allow the system to be gamed. Those who can game the system, are rewarded will higher performance ratings, more money and are promoted.

The people who come up through such a system which is rigged, may be excellent at the following skills:
1. Disconnecting calls while making it look like a technical issue.
2. Exploiting loopholes in the CRM software to increase their email count.
3. Avoiding difficult or time consuming work (a.k.a skipping).
4. Providing meaningless responses like asking you for "more images" or requesting you to confirm if "product is unused" even if you might have already selected that option while initiating the return.
5. Networking with TLs, Managers, QAs etc.

Those who are good at these skills will be able to show higher productivity and quality scores and are awarded supervisory roles and perform functions like reviewing return requests and employee performance. Don't be surprised if a perfectly sensible and straightforward return request is rejected.

Companies induce their employees into acting in this manner by applying pressure, initiating disciplinary action, offering rewards and recognition and watering seeds of greed. Companies offer high salaries to supervisors to attract staff into chasing supervisory roles. At one Ecommerce firm, the customer service staff are paid as low as Rs. 200000 a year while team leads are paid Rs.700000 a year. Flipkart paid Mekin Maheshwari Rs.18+ crores in FY 2014-15. That's 100 times the salary of India's Prime Minister and over 1000 times the salary of a delivery agent.

The problems of operating in this manner are:
1. Customers are losers. They lose money and peace of mind.
2. Honest workers are punished. Good delivery agents and customer service staff are replaced.
3. Employees are pushed into a habit of acting unethically.
4. A hierarchy functioning unethically makes all decisions.
5. Lack of transparency (to protect the hierarchy).
6. High income inequalities.
7. Poor work culture spreads across workplaces.
8. Government loses out on taxes.

This is not how things should be. We must always strive to maintain high ethical standards. If we reward the wrongdoers then there will be more wrongdoers. We are fast becoming a nation of cheats, corrupt and greedy. Economic inequality is at an all-time high.

If we want change, we will need to create awareness about this and demand action. Each one of us can do our bit. All states and the center must take appropriate action to protect our values. We need powerful agencies and laws to protect the consumers and non-supervisory employees. At a personal level, we must learn to treat everyone equally and not seek more than others.

(The author, Saurabh Singh, is a student of  Thich Nhat Hanh.)

No one is free when others are oppressed

The Wife's Cooking

Once upon a time a young North Indian man who was seeking enlightenment came to the South. Here, he met a South Indian woman who was also seeking enlightenment. They fell in love and married.

After marriage, they began practicing the five mindfulness trainings and meditation.  They now studied the sutras together. It was wonderful! They would hold each others' hands and practice walking meditation in the morning and evening. They would study the sutras during the day. The young man would tend to the plants while his wife cooked delicious vegan food. At night they would practice sitting and hugging meditation before falling asleep.

There was just one problem. The young man ate very fast. The young woman diligently practiced cooking meditation and put all her love and culinary skills at work but it made no difference. It did not matter what she cooked, the young man would just gobble everything up in no time. She used to put in a lot of effort while cooking and desired to see her husband eat in a relaxed manner enjoying the food but this was not to be.

One day she confronted the young man.

"Why do you eat so fast?", she asked.

"What a strange question! ", he answered, "This is how my father ate, my grandfather ate and my great grandfather ate. They must have had a good reason!"

The young woman explained to her husband, "Dear one, do you remember the Kalama Sutra? Do you think we should do something just because our father, grandfather and great grandfather did so? Do you think this habit of eating so fast makes sense? How would it be if we walked very fast while practicing walking meditation? How would it be if we got up immediately after sitting while practicing sitting meditation? If we just hugged for the sake of hugging? An action performed in a hurry has no meaning. Eating mindfully also means to contemplate the food that we are eating and to enjoy it. Food is a gift of the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the rain, the farmer etc. There's my love in it too. I wish that you practice mindful eating from now on."

Upon hearing these wise words from his wife, the young man immediately understood the Kalama Sutra - the charter of free enquiry. He also understood the importance of eating mindfully.

Later that night while practicing sitting meditation the young man realised that we are what we eat. He realised that food obtained through cruel methods brought about suffering and food obtained from plants helped heal and nourish the body and mind.

He opened his eyes and looked at his wife. She looked so serene and beautiful practicing sitting meditation. He immediately understood that it was her love in the food that she cooked for him that brought him to such important realisations. He realised that it was her practice of the third mindfulness training, True Love, that was taking him closer to enlightenment. How wonderful it was that she was in his life!

(The author, Saurabh Singh, is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh.)

When A Cloud Met A Flower

Once upon a time, there lived a handsome young man - Megh (Cloud). One day, Megh left his village for the capital in search of a job. On his way to the capital, Megh stopped at many places to do small time jobs. By the time he reached the capital, Megh had earned five gold coins.

When Megh reached the capital, he heard that the Buddha Dipānkara was going to make an appearance. Everyone was so excited! Megh too wanted a glimpse of Buddha Dipānkara. He had heard so much about him. Here was a chance to see a Buddha in person! Megh did not want to meet the Buddha empty handed. But what do you gift a Buddha?

Suddenly she appeared, right in front of him, carrying five lotus flowers in her hands. It was as if the Goddess of Beauty, Rati had appeared in human form. She looked at Megh. He looked at her. The poet Kalidas has said that love begins with exchange of glances.

Her name is not mentioned in the scriptures so let's call her Pushpa (Flower). If you look closely, you can see the cloud in the flower and the flower in the cloud. So we will call her Pushpa.

"Those are beautiful lotus flowers! Where did you find them?", asked Megh.

Pushpa replied, "I bought three from the local florist and plucked the other two from the lake near my house."

"I was looking to buy a gift for the Buddha Dipānkara. Will you sell them to me?"

"Why should I? I intend to offer them to the Buddha myself."

"I will give you five gold coins."

"I don't care much for money."

"Ok. Keep the three that you bought from the florist and sell the other two to me."

"What's your name?"

"Megh."

"Listen Megh, flowers are a symbol of love and love is not for sale."

Megh didn't know what to say. Suddenly it was announced that the Buddha Dipānkara was going to appear on the stone platform. Pushpa slipped two lotus flowers into Megh's hands. He smiled. She smiled back. Second stage of love.

The Buddha began speaking. "Dear friends, look at this mango. But can you also see the mango tree? A mango tree comes from a mango seed, earth, water, air and sunshine. These elements are already present here but you are unable to see the mango tree. A mango tree is a sign. We are caught in signs. Where there are signs there is deception. The mango tree is right here but you don't see it because you are looking for certain signs. When those signs are not present we think the object is not present. We experience separation. We experience suffering. But I have some good news for you. Separateness is an illusion. We can awaken from this illusion. To be awake is to be mindful. The Five Mindfulness trainings are the practice of Right Mindfulness. They are an expression of true love. Learn to love. If you truly love, you can be together forever. You can be free from birth and death."

The crowd applauded. Megh and Pushpa were delighted. Megh threw a lotus in the Buddha's direction. It fell right into Buddha Dipānkara's hands. Pushpa too threw a lotus in Buddha Dipānkara's direction. That too fell right into his hands. Everyone cheered! Buddha Dipānkara smiled. He called Megh and Pushpa on to the stage. He could see true love blossoming in their hearts. He advised them to practice the Five Mindfulness trainings together.

A few days later, Megh and Pushpa married. They were happy.

At the age of 50, Pushpa died. Megh suffered. Separation causes suffering. Megh began to understand this. We suffer when we are separated from a person, an object or a condition that we desire. He truly loved Pushpa and did not want to live without her. What is the use of meeting if we must part? Everything ends in separation in samsara. There is no happily ever after in samsara.

Such experiences lead to one of the two things - despair or a quest. Pushpa's love and their practice of the Five Mindfulness trainings inspired Megh to find his way back to her.

Many years later, Megh was born as Prince Siddhartha in Kapilvastu (Kausambi). Pushpa was born as the Koliyan Princess Yashodhara. They never parted again. But that's a story for another day.

#ThichNhatHanh #5Mindfulness #Vijñaptimatra #TrueLove

A Song For Thich Nhat Hanh (from The Huffington Post)

FOR MY beloved teacher, Thích Nhất Hạnh, who is battling from a massive brain hemorrhage, I bow deeply in gratitude and profound love. Please recover and lead us again to the heart of compassion and light.

Thay was the first few spiritual teacher who came to us after 9/11 during our time of great despair and sorrow and he told me that like two palms of a single person, one should not strike the other hand out of anger even as that hand had hurt us. And then he lead us in a meditation of songs, breathing in and breathing out... Now, my beloved teacher, it is our term to come to you in your time of danger, fighting for your life. Please breathe and let the light of love enter your heart, your brain and dispelling all shadows from your body. You who has carried so much sadness and burden of humanity's atrocity, please take care yourself and come back. We still sorely need you. And I know what you would have done, using even this to teach us about non-attachment. But even the Buddha's half-brother, Ananda had beseech the Buddha to stay in the earth for a few more years. So, I apologize for my un-enlighten clingingness, for unlike you, my teacher, I am a mere mortal, a turtle in the mud.

Breathe
For my beloved teacher, Thay,

In an old bamboo grotto, I come upon an old friend standing still
and I pose him a question
and he whispers
Wait
Fish are sleeping in the dark spring
so I waited

it is a question about the moon
about my breath
my mouth my heart
my love the earth with its four seasons
my feet where I stand and the soft moss beneath
where my life will flow
It drains through my fingers
as though it were amber honey
into the stream
it runs under the trees
it surges against coral reefs far away
and is gone without me
then where I stand night falls
in the heaven a splash of brazen stars appears
I've forgotten what were the questions
then as he turns toward me
His eyes luminous reflecting the moon and he smiles
And whispers breathe
I understand that I am to stay and have a cup of tea

-- by Sat Hon

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sat-hon/a-song-and-prayer-for-my-_b_6154380.html

Dark and Dairy (from The Hindu)

"The dairy system inflicts suffering at every stage, starting with the calving process, for milk comes from a cow or a buffalo that has calved recently. For dairy farming to be financially viable, animals are made to calve at least once a year (for cows) and once in 15 months (for buffaloes). Calves, male and female, are separated or significantly restricted from accessing their mothers three to four days after birth. This separation is traumatic for both mother and calf, but leads to a 15-30 per cent increase in milk availability for humans. Following separation, calves are mainly fed on milk substitutes and are allowed only limited suckling. The mother’s milk is instead diverted for human consumption.

Most male calves are either sent for slaughter or let loose to starve. A limited number are used for breeding. Some are used as draught animals where they are subject to castration without anaesthesia, nose-roping, whipping and hard labour until they are old and weak. At that point, they are sent for slaughter or abandoned. The economic undesirability of male cattle is evident in the gender imbalance — 64.42 per cent female and 35.57 per cent male in cattle, and 85.18 per cent female and 14.8 per cent male in buffalo. The slaughter of male calves — whether intentional or incidental — is integral to milk production.

Healthy females are kept alive for use in the dairy industry, which means a repeated cycle of impregnation, separation, painful milking, oxytocin shots and mastitis. To keep dairy animals productive, animal husbandry manuals recommend re-impregnation around 60 days after calving — a longer calving interval is uneconomical and a shorter interval reduces milk production.

Impregnation is increasingly being carried out through artificial insemination. India’s National Dairy Plan aims to use artificial insemination on at least 35 per cent of all fertile animals by the end of 2017. Artificial insemination involves extracting semen from selected bulls and forcibly placing it in restrained cows. This technology is popular because it is efficient, allows for selective breeding of high-yielding animals and reduces the need for males.

Dairy farming involves the killing of unproductive, infertile and ‘spent’ cows and buffaloes. Milk production starts to decline after three to four lactations (pregnancies). At this stage, cows and buffaloes are sold for slaughter through middlemen, or to a smaller farmer who will use them for an additional two to three lactations before selling them for slaughter or abandoning them. An infertile or unproductive animal shares the same fate, only much earlier. India’s world-beating output of 132.4 million tonnes of milk in 2012-13 would not have been possible if cattle and buffalo were taken care of for the entirety of their natural life-spans.

Dairy cattle have a terrible choice: life can be nasty, brutish and short, if you are male; or nasty, brutish and longer, if you are female. Beef is an inevitable consequence of dairy. The data bear out this hypothesis. Figures provided by the National Dairy Development Board show that the monetary value of milk production almost tripled between 2004-05 and 2011-12. So did the monetary value of beef production. There was a 98.6 per cent match between milk and beef production over this period.

Both qualitatively and quantitatively, a milch cow or buffalo has a worse life than an animal bred solely for meat. Why, then, do we believe dairy to be better than beef?

Part of the explanation lies in psychology. Meat is obviously linked to the death of a fellow- creature. The impacts of dairy are easily veiled in narratives about ‘surplus milk’ and the Indian veneration of the cow. Of course, buffaloes that provide more than half the milk we consume as a nation don’t figure in these debates.

Neither do the environmental consequences of dairy farming, whether pollution caused by runoffs, greenhouse gas emissions, or high water footprints.

Ultimately, Indian vegetarianism is about us rather than the vulnerable creatures we claim to care for. We may prefer to turn our eyes away from the connection between our individual acts of drinking our filter coffee or morning chai, and the cow or buffalo that produced the milk.

The logic, however, is clear: drinking milk causes as much suffering as eating meat, if not more. Indeed, milk involves more cruelty than meat does."

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/the-sorry-tale-of-the-milch-animals/article6578663.ece

#Reverence4Life #Veganism #MindfulConsumption

Dipānkarā and her Deepāvali

Diwali is short for Deepāvali, which means a row of lamps. The one who lights the lamp is Dipānkar (mas.) or Dipānkarā (fem.). The practice of lighting lamps is an invitation to live the present moment joyfully. Light signifies mindfulness. Lighting lamps on Diwali signifies that we are mindful and willing to share our joy with others.

Dipānkarā lights five diyas (lamps) of mindfulness on each of the five days of Diwali.

The first day is the day of protecting life. It is the day of Ayurveda, the health science. According to the Sankhya School, what we consume can be divided into three categories - sātvik, rājasik and tāmasik. Rājasik foods are those which likely foster worldly desires like meat, onions etc. Tāmasik foods like garlic foster laziness. Sātvik foods like spinach, fruits, rice, wheat etc. are good for health. Protecting life also means consuming only vegan food. We also feed animals on this day.

The second day symbolizes the end of exploitation. On this day we share what we have with others practicing true happiness. We buy things for the poor.

The third day is dedicated to mothers. Mothers practice true love. Their love for their children is unconditional. Children give gifts to their mothers on this day.

The fourth day is the day of the wives. Married men practice mindful communication by letting their wives know of their unwavering commitment. They also buy gifts for their wives.

The fifth day is the day of brotherhood and sisterhood. Men go to their sisters' homes and practice mindful consumption. Brothers get gifts for their sisters on this day.

In Nepal, the women feed the crows on the first day, dogs on the second day, cows on the third day, oxen on the fourth day and their brothers on the fifth day. It is very important to have a sister or you might end up without food on their fifth day of Diwali (Tihar, in Nepal).

While lighting the lamps, Dipānkarā is aware of the relative nature of reality and knows that she must live mindfully. She is aware that through mindfulness she can help manifest joy.

Once upon a time a young man was very keen on becoming a statesman. In his country the King had established a selection procedure to hire state officials. So he applied but unfortunately he was unsuccessful. Disappointed he began on his return journey from the capital to his home. His home was far away and after walking for a long time he became very tired and hungry. He stopped by a hermitage where an old hermit woman was preparing lentil soup. He told her that he was hungry. The old hermit woman told him that food would be ready soon and that he could rest for a while if he wanted to. The young man, tired as he was, fell asleep under a peepal tree.

He experienced a strange dream. He dreamt that he was selected to be a statesman. The King was very happy with the way he answered questions and conducted himself. He made the young man the Minister of Defense and also his son-in-law. This kingdom was not very powerful. The neighboring kingdom was aggressive and always looking to acquire their territory. The young man made mistakes and the neighboring kingdom capitalized on his mistakes by extending their territorial gains. The King became very upset and the young man lost his job. The King appointed a new Minister of Defense. The young man's personal life was also in disarray. He was sad and miserable.

Suddenly, he woke up. The food was ready but he was no longer hungry. He was asleep for barely fifteen minutes but it seemed like many years.

Time is relative and our experiences are just like the perceptions in a dream. Any material acquisitions in a dream are illusory, what remains when we wake up is the mind, the consciousness. The truly rich is not one who has more material resources but one who has fewer needs. He is more content. So we must think very carefully if we really want to chase material desire. Do we really want to marry a princess and become the Minister of Defense? We should think if money, sexual activity, fame, power etc. can truly make us happy.

Aware of this Dipānkarā trains her mind to live in the here and the now. She lights her lamps not as an offering to Gods or Buddhas but as a mindful activity. Like the mindfulness bell, lighting a lamp too can bring the mind and the body together.

We may spend a lot of money building temples and decorating altars but that is of no use because Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Gods and Goddesses are not to be found in temples. They are in us, waiting to manifest and will manifest if we create the right conditions. We can create the right conditions by practicing the five mindfulness trainings.

We can light the five lamps not just on Diwali but everyday - reverence for life, true happiness, true love, mindful communication and mindful consumption. Wish you a mindful Diwali!

#ThichNhatHanh #5Mindfulness #विज्ञप्तिमात्र #Veganism #Vijñaptimātra #TrueLove #MindfulConsumption #Reverence4Life #TrueHappiness #MindfulCommunication #Diwali #VijñaptimātraDiwali #Deepavali

Wish You A Mindful Diwali

A Mindful Diwali Is A Happy Diwali.

#ThichNhatHanh #5Mindfulness #Diwali #Vijñaptimātra #विज्ञप्तिमात्र

Eating Mindfully To Heal Our Planet

Looking deeply at the way we eat from a global perspective, we can see that meat production is a huge drain on the planet. The United Nations' report Livestock’s Long Shadow, an in-depth assessment of the damaging impact of livestock on our environment, concluded that livestock’s negative effect on our environment is massive and that we need to address it with urgency. The report estimates that raising livestock uses 8 percent of our planet’s water and contributes strongly to water depletion and pollution. Some scientists have estimated that it takes one hundred times as much water to produce a kilogram of beef as it does to produce a kilogram of protein from grain. Part of the reason that so much water is needed to produce livestock is that cattle are fattened on vast amounts of grain, which requires water to grow. In the United States, cattle consume seven times as much grain as the U.S. population as a whole. An Environmental Protection Agency report on U.S. agricultural crop production in 2000 states that, according to the National Corn Growers Association, about 80 percent of all corn grown in the United States is consumed by domestic and overseas livestock, poultry, and fish production. Yet, ironically, more than nine thousand children die each day from causes related to hunger and undernutrition. It is a painful realization that the grain and resources we use to raise livestock could be used more directly instead to feed the starving and malnourished children in the world.

Furthermore, a 2008 report by the Pew Charitable Trust and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that factory farming in the United States is taking a heavy toll on human health and the health of the environment—and that keeping livestock in these “concentrated animal feeding operations” constitutes inhumane treatment. Animal waste pollutes the water and air around the farms, causing illness among farmworkers and farm neighbors, as well as land degradation. Heavy use of antibiotics in factory farming leads to new strains of viruses and bacteria resistant to antibiotics, creating “superbugs” that may pose a public health threat to us all. In the report, the experts recommended phasing out and banning the use of antibiotics in farm animals except for the treatment of disease, instituting tighter regulation of factory farm waste, and phasing out intensive confinement systems.

The devastating environmental and societal impact of raising livestock goes beyond the use of water and land to grow food. Our society’s hunger for meat contributes mightily to the production of climate-changing greenhouse gases. The livestock industry is responsible for 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, a higher share than the entire transportation sector. Seventy percent of forests in the Amazon have been cut to provide grazing land for cattle, and when such forests are destroyed, enormous amounts of carbon dioxide stored in trees are released into the atmosphere. The meat, dairy, and egg industries are also responsible for two-thirds of human-induced emissions of ammonia, which in turn plays a role in acid rain and the acidification of our ecosystem.

The data suggest that one of the best ways to alleviate the stress on our environment is to consume less meat and eat more plant based food, which results in reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. We do not need cattle to process the food for us. It is much better and more efficient for us to eat more plant-based food and process it ourselves. It may seem like a huge change for many people, but reducing the amount of meat and dairy in your diet is a great way to keep your weight in check, improve your overall health, and take steps toward improving the health of our planet. When we learn to eat more vegetables, grains, and beans mindfully, we will enjoy their taste, and we can be happy knowing that we are supporting a new kind of society in which there is enough food for everyone and no one will have to suffer from hunger.

We must take urgent action at the individual and collective levels. For individuals, going towards vegetarianism can have great weight and health benefits. Vegans and vegetarians tend to weigh less than people who consume animal products; they also tend to have lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

Although this practice is primarily based on the wish to nourish compassion toward animals, it also offers many health benefits. Now we also know that when we eat vegetarian, we protect the earth and help reduce the greenhouse effect that is causing her serious and irreversible damage. Even if you cannot be 100 percent vegetarian, being a part-time vegetarian and consuming a more plant-based diet is already better for your own health as well as the health of our shared planet. You may want to start by eating vegetarian for a few days a month, or you can eat vegetarian only for breakfast and lunch every day. This way, you are already more than half vegetarian. If you feel that you cannot eliminate animal products from your diet for even one meal, simply reducing the portion of meat and eliminating processed meats like bacon, sausages, and ham can lower your risk of colon cancer and your risk of dying an early death from heart disease, cancer, or other causes. This is a good first step to adopting a more plant-based, healthful, environmentally friendly diet.

Using mindfulness to look deeply at what you eat can make it much easier to make such changes, because you realize the benefits they can bring to the planet and yourself—lower weight, lower risk of colon cancer and heart disease, and more energy for doing the things you enjoy. We are “interbeings”: we and our environment are interdependent. And even small changes on our part can have a large impact when combined with others. Our market economy is driven primarily by consumer demand. As a population, if a large number of people make even small moves to eat less meat and more plant-based foods, the livestock industry will shrink. Over time, farmers will find other crops to support their livelihoods. Through such collective awakening we can make a difference in our world.

- Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung (from the book "Savor - Mindful Eating, Mindful Life").

#ThichNhatHanh #5Mindfulness #विज्ञप्तिमात्र #HowToEat #Veganism #Vijñaptimātra #TrueLove #MindfulConsumption #Reverence4Life #LilianCheung #VeganAngels

Celebrating Continuation Day - October 11

We are in each other. You are in me and I am in you. It has always been like this. There never was a beginning, and never will there be an end. This is something that will not change. Together, we will ride the tides of birth and death joyfully, knowing that we can never part. On the 11th day of October we complete one more year of continued existence.

What is Continuation Day?
-----------------------------

Nothing is born and nothing dies. We only continue to exist. You may find a date of birth on your birth certificate but you existed on the previous day as well and the day before. You were in your mother's womb. In fact, there never was a time when you did not exist, and there never will be a time when you will not exist. Since we are never born, there is a continuity with no beginning and no end. Each day we continue to exist. Each day is a continuation day. Since, Thich Nhat Hanh observed this and shared his observation with us, we call his 'birthday', October 11, 'Continuation Day'.

A Cloud Never Dies
----------------------

A cloud is never born and it never dies. It is never created and it cannot be annihilated. A cloud transforms into water, ice and steam and back. It never becomes nothing. Ask a cloud when is its birthday and it will tell you that it was never born. And, it will never die. It is the same for everything.

Vijñaptimātra
-----------------

Vijñaptimātra (pronounced Vig-yup-ti-maatr) is a Sanskrit word which has two meanings - 'Manifestation Only' and 'Perception Only'. We always manifest in some or other form. When conditions are right, we can perceive each other. As humans we have cultivated the habit of perceiving through our five senses. So we think something exists when we can see, hear, smell, touch or taste an object. All our experiences are vijñaptimātra (perception-only). All existence is vijñaptimātra (manifestation-only).

Who is Thich Nhat Hanh?
----------------------------

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddha. A Buddha is one who is aware of what is happening around him. He has awakened to reality and knows that all conditions for happiness are present, always.

When do we suffer?
--------------------

We suffer when we are separated from our loved ones or from conditions that can make us happy. If we want something and we don't have it, we suffer.

Why do we suffer?
--------------------

As humans and animals we suffer due to ignorance. All of existence is vijñaptimātra (manifestation-only) and all our experiences are vijñaptimātra (perception-only). Our idea of reality is like a magician's illusion created by our mind with inputs from the five senses. We are caught in concepts like birth and death, coming and going, after and before, same and different etc. All these concepts arise due to the way our mind interprets the inputs received from the five senses. Unfortunately we are never satisfied. Marrying a 3D projection is not the same as marrying a real person. A 3D projection stops manifesting when the projector is switched off or when we take off our glasses. It is a conditioned manifestation. Unmindful of the unconditioned nature of reality we are caught in a conditioned existence.

Is it possible to end all sufferings?
-----------------------------------

It is possible to touch reality even through our five senses. For example, the five senses can perceive the cloud and can see and feel that there is no birth and death but the mind has got into a habit of interpreting things in a different manner so we think that there is birth and death and do not recognize the rain as a continuation of the cloud. It is possible that by cultivating mindfulness we can transform these deep rooted habits and end all our sufferings.

How do we end all sufferings?
---------------------------------

First two steps that make transformation easy are openness and letting go. Openness to let unconditioned reality manifest and letting go is to let go of concepts that we have acquired like birth and death, coming and going, after and before, same and different etc. Concepts like these arise due to the mind misinterpreting the feed from the five senses. It is based on discrimination and causes suffering. Through mindfulness we can transform the mind's habits and eliminate all sufferings.

I am in you, you are in me
----------------------------

We perceive that a cloud, the sun, the soil, a mango tree are separate from each other and we act accordingly. However, that is not really the case. The mango seed transforms into a mango tree when rain, sunlight, suitable soil are present. The mango tree is a continuation of the sun, cloud, the soil and the mango seed. The sun, the soil, the cloud, the mango seed are in the mango tree. In the same manner, everything is in everything else. The universe is as much in an atom as an atom is in their universe. And just like that, I am in you and you are in me. We don't perceive this because we subscribe to a concept of what is you and what is me.

What are mindfulness trainings?
-----------------------------------

Mindfulness trainings are designed to help develop concentration which leads to the development of insight which liberates. The #5Mindfulness and #14Mindfulness trainings help transform habits that strengthen wrong perceptions and cause suffering.

How do we progress on the path?
--------------------------------------

The #5Mindfulness trainings and the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh help us progress on the path. If we don't practice the #5Mindfulness trainings we can easily be mislead. The Five Mindfulness trainings protect us. Let me give you some examples. If someone tells you that you can obtain great powers by sacrificing an animal to a certain God, you may end up doing so unless you have understood and are practicing the Five Mindfulness trainings which includes veganism. Some may say you can be happy by consuming alcohol and you may end up becoming an alcoholic. Someone may say money can buy happiness and you may be tempted to exploit others. You may say things that cause your loved ones to be sad and they may distance themselves from you. Not understanding how commitment nourishes love, you may lose the person you love. However, when we practice the Five Mindfulness trainings, they protect us from such threats that are caused by greed, anger, jealousy, insecurity etc. Never let go of the five mindfulness trainings until you are enlightened.

Today is a great day to begin
--------------------------------

Why not practice the Five Mindfulness trainings for one day, today, to begin with?

The first mindfulness training is reverence for life. You can practice this very easily. Just don't engage in or promote violence and do not consume meat. Protect life. Be mindful in your actions so you can help prevent starvation and deaths from unnatural causes.

The second mindfulness training is to practice true happiness. You can do this by not exploiting humans, animals and natural resources. Don't cheat or steal or evade taxes, don't consume or promote what comes from animals (like milk, leather, fur, wool etc.). Do not look to profit from others' miseries. Share what you have with others. This mindfulness training battles greed and strengthens generosity and compassion.

The third mindfulness training is to practice true love. True love is based on commitment and understanding. Understanding that we are in each other, we can truly love each other. This understanding strengthens the love in us. We are able to love all humans, animals and nature. Then we stop hurting others. We no longer give in to malicious intent. We do not abandon our loved ones, humans, animals etc. for the sake of power or wealth.

The fourth mindfulness training is to practice mindful communication. Mindful communication brings hope to others and ourselves. We must communicate in a manner that does not cause separation or strengthen wrong concepts like birth and death, coming and going, after and before, same and different etc. This training helps us remove hurt and discrimination.

The fifth mindfulness training is mindful consumption. We must not consume what is harmful to our mind, body, other living beings and nature. This includes food, drinks, communication, data etc. Don't smoke or consume alcohol or material that is not in accordance with the five mindfulness trainings. For example, do not follow texts or teachings that suggest men are superior to women, that some country is superior to another country, that humans are superior to animals, that one religion is superior to another etc. Such data strengthens discriminatory forces and habits that go along with those forces.

We must keep in mind that the decisions we make are largely due to circumstances. A baby has little choice as to what food is forced into her mouth. A child has little choice as to what language he will learn or which school he will study in.

What motivates someone to practice mindfulness?
------------------------------------------------------

When we have truly loved, we are no longer willing to surrender to the forces of conditioned existence. People can become monks and practice mindfulness as a part of their monastic curriculum. People may practice veganism thinking it is a higher moral ground or something that will make them appear compassionate. People may practice mindfulness for a better health or success at work. There may be many reasons that may motivate one to practice the five mindfulness trainings but none are stronger and more unwavering than love. All the other motivations will fall prey to obstacles that arise on the path sooner or later, only those driven by love will find their way to liberation. So bring to mind the people you love and strengthen the resolve to never part with them. That in turn strengthens the resolve to practice the mindfulness trainings and helps us progress on the path.

Begin today! Happy Continuation Day!

(The author, Saurabh Singh, is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh.)

#ThichNhatHanh #5Mindfulness #विज्ञप्तिमात्र #HowToEat #Veganism #Vijñaptimātra #TrueLove #MindfulConsumption #Reverence4Life #TrueHappiness #MindfulCommunication #HappyContinuation

Choosing What To Eat

Our way of eating and producing food can be very violent, to other species, to our own bodies, and to the Earth. Or our way of growing, distributing, and eating food can be part of creating a larger healing. We get to choose. The planet suffers deeply because of the way many of us eat now. Forests are razed to grow grain to feed livestock, and the way the animals are raised pollutes our water and air. A lot of grain and water is also used to make alcohol. Tens of thousands of children die of starvation and malnutrition every day, even though our Earth has the ability to feed us all.

With each meal, we make choices that help or harm the planet. “What shall I eat today?” is a very deep question. You might want to ask yourself that question every morning. You may find that as you practice mindful eating and begin to look deeply at what you eat and drink, your desire for certain foods may change. Your happiness and that of the Earth are intertwined.

The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations proposed that the meat industry be reduced by at least 50 percent in order to save our planet. The simple act of becoming vegetarian can make a difference in the health of our planet. If you’re not able to entirely stop eating meat, you can still decide to make an effort to cut back. By cutting meat out of your diet even five or ten days a month, you’re already helping. Try to reduce your consumption by at least 50 percent. This begins to nourish your compassion. If you know that you’re living in a way that makes a future possible for your planet, you’ll have joy.

Our food comes from this beautiful planet. The Earth is inside of us, in each morsel of food, in the air we breathe, in the water that we drink and that flows through us. Enjoy being part of the Earth and eat in such a way that allows you to be aware that each bite is deepening your connection to the planet.

May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that reduces the suffering of living beings, stops contributing to climate change, and heals and preserves our precious planet.

- Thich Nhat Hanh, from the book "How To Eat".

#ThichNhatHanh #5Mindfulness #विज्ञप्तिमात्र #HowToEat #Veganism #Vijñaptimātra #TrueLove #MindfulConsumption #Reverence4Life

Incline your mind towards kindness

What is Veganism?
----------------------

Veganism is the practice of respecting the right of all sentient beings to be free. Vegans practice living in a manner that they do not end up using other sentient beings as resources like food or slaves and avoid exploiting their body and mind.

Thus, vegans do not consume milk or meat or butter or cheese or eggs. They do not use leather or animal-tested cosmetics or anything that comes from an animal or that might have jeopardized an animal's welfare, health or freedom. They practice living in this manner to the extent possible.

When we practice veganism we are promoting compassion and freedom, which are necessary conditions for happiness.

Why do we eat plant based food?
----------------------------------

We eat food that comes from plants like potatoes, rice, wheat, fruits etc. because these vegetables and fruits do not have a central nervous system which is needed to experience pain and joy. Plants are living and conscious but do not have a central nervous system either. Eating a leaf or a fruit or a seed does not cause pain to the plant. Animals have a central nervous system and can experience pain. Plant based food is also healthier.

Why do we not consume animal milk?
---------------------------------------

Animals, like cows, produce milk after childbirth. It is meant for the calf. However, these days cows are viewed as a milk producing resource. They are repeatedly impregnated, so they give birth and produce milk. The calf is separated from the mother cow and her milk is stolen by humans and the dairy industry. The mother cow bellows in pain for days and loses her faith in humanity.

Why do we not use leather and other animal derived products?
---------------------------------------------------------------

Leather, wool, silk etc. come from animals. When animals are killed or enslaved by the modern economy, they suffer just like we do. We do not wish to promote suffering. We believe that all beings have a right to be free. They should not be used as resources. They don't have to die so we can get a silk saree or a leather handbag. The true sign of a beautiful woman is compassion, not her saree or handbag.

Are there alternatives to animal derived products?
----------------------------------------------------

Yes, we easily get soya milk in the stores. We can also easily prepare cashew milk and almond milk ourselves. We can easily find tofu paneer in the stores. We can use leather alternatives like micro-leather and similarly alternatives to wool and silk are easily available. An American company Beyond Meat sells plant based products that taste just like real meat. Replace ghee with healthier alternatives like olive oil or canola oil. Use peanut butter instead of animal derived butter.

(The author, Saurabh Singh, is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh.)

The Three Stages Of Love

What would you say to a person who is in love with someone because that someone is very pretty or very rich? No doubt you think that is not true love. The desire for someone because she is pretty is a sensual desire and the desire for someone because he is rich is a material desire. True love is not a sensual or material desire. What is love and what has this got to do with veganism, you, me, a monk who lives in France and a cloud? I will tell you, but you must be open minded. If you have a concept of love in your mind then you cannot experience true love.

Bring to your mind the day you fell in love. The day your loved one manifested in your life, like sunshine, making your world bright. It was a nice feeling isn't it? That's the first stage of love - coming together (contact). Contact is possible because we have form (body) and consciousness (five senses, mind, manas and store consciousnesses). Contact does not mean beginning. There is no beginning. Your loved one existed even before you met that person. You existed as well and so did love. Contact is coming together. Contact develops into feelings, feelings into mental formations and mental formations into volitions. Depending on the type of contact feelings arise, depending on the type of feelings mental formations arise and depending on the type of mental formation that has arisen we make a decision (volition is the process of making a decision). Our volitions determine the future of our love.

The second stage of love is separation. If our coming together is based on the body or perceptions then we must part. Imagine a person in love with a man who is very rich. She wants material comforts. One day the rich man loses all his money. Then her desires remain unfulfilled. She will be angry, they will fight and will part. If you love someone because she is a girl or a boy, then one day that person will die and you will experience separation. Everyone who has ever loved a conceptual "person" has lost that person. If you love a body or a perception, it will end in suffering. When someone dies we miss them. When we die our children suffer, we are not there to help them when they need our help.

The third stage of love is liberation. How to be free from the suffering of separation? I will tell you, a little bit, today. I know a monk who lives in Plum Village, France. He is my teacher. He is very mindful. One day observing a cloud he realized that a cloud never dies! It transforms into rain, ice, steam but never dies. He then realized that nothing dies. We only fail to recognize the manifestations. We are unable to recognize the cloud when it transforms into rain and miss the cloud. But the cloud has now become water and is closer to us! If nothing dies how can a person die? When we think a person has died, it is because we consider her to be her body. This is so because of our habit of recognizing and discriminating on the basis of the five sense perceptions - body, voice, touch, taste and smell. To be liberated is to be free from the suffering of separation. There are two hurdles that must be crossed - knowledge and perceptions. A cloud can help you with knowledge. A bird can help with knowledge. A teacher can help you with knowledge. But to overcome the hurdle of perceptions you will have to transform your habits. One who practices the Five Mindfulness Trainings is doing just that! True love is the third mindfulness training.

Since separation is because of our habit of recognizing and discriminating on the basis of the five sense perceptions - body, voice, touch, taste and smell, we must first learn to stop making our love contingent upon sensual perceptions. We must stop discriminating on the basis of physical features, manners, their views etc. We cannot treat one race or one sex or one specie with love and another with hatred. Why? If you smoke cigarettes everyday, then it becomes a habit. Then you become a slave to the cigarette. Then you get a lifestyle and ailments that come with smoking.

Once we are ready to look beyond body, we realize that love is not sexual desire. Love is liberating in nature. It makes us happy. Let a bird, a chicken, a cow come to you expecting love. When we practice loving animals, we are transforming our habits. We are practicing love that is not contingent upon how the other person looks. In fact, true love is true love because it is not contingent upon any conditions. Something is true when it does not change. Because of our habits we stop loving people when they change or they say something we don't like etc. We become angry or sad. Such love is like that of a selfish person who says, "I love myself, now you also love me", selfish and subject to change. True love is not contingent upon religion, political views, specie, gender, color etc.

What do you do when you love someone? The selfish lover wants his own happiness. He doesn't care for the loved one's happiness. The true lover wants his loved one to be happy. Will you kill and eat a woman because you love women? Then why do you kill and eat a chicken if you love chicken? We must learn to love all beings without discrimination. We don't hurt someone we truly love. We don't kill them. We don't eat them.

When we begin to practice true love, we are transforming our habits. It is very difficult. It may not happen overnight, not even in weeks but we have to try and make it happen because then all sufferings will end. There is only one vehicle that can free us from suffering in one lifetime and that is not any religion or doctrine or a pill or a person or an imaginary concept. It is true love.

The one who loves us is our true home. We can go home and be happy. The home does not follow us when we go to office. All sentient beings are waiting to love you. It is time you came home!

(The author, Saurabh Singh, is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh.)

#विज्ञप्तिमात्र #Vijñaptimātra #ThichNhatHanh #5Mindfulness #Enlightenment #Veganism

Dealing with adversities

The woman in the picture is vegan activist Benazir Suraiya who was carrying a sign that read "Make Eid Happy For All - Try Vegan" to promote veganism in her Islamic community yesterday (Monday). In a matter of minutes a mob attacked her and threw footwear and stones at her. It was her date with adversity. What do you do when faced with adversity?

Before someone is enlightened (free from sufferings) she has to battle negative forces. Negative forces are difficult situations, negative emotions and mental formations like fear, anger, insecurity, anxiety, sadness, greed, jealousy, contempt, sensual desires, hunger, distraction etc. Buddha had to face all of these difficulties. He was criticized by his friends from the Sānkhya school. He almost died of starvation. He was attacked by the most lethal of Mara's weapons - distraction every time he would try to focus on his breath.

We all have to conquer adversities if we wish to be free from sufferings. It is very difficult because most of us are completely driven by emotions and circumstances. How to break this cycle of slavery? How to battle fear? There are some things we need to understand thoroughly to generate the faith that we need to progress.

The first is the understanding of interdependent co-arising. This is because that is. Everything exists because everything else exists. That is why we wish to bring about a positive transformation in our community. When we understand this very well, we begin to practice the Five Mindfulness trainings (#5Mindfulness) which includes veganism.

The next important concept that we need to understand is that the effect is present in the cause in an un-manifested form and manifests when conditions are right. This is why a little girl can grow into a pretty young woman, a mango seed can turn into a huge mango tree. The pretty young woman comes from the little girl and mango tree comes from the mango tree. If we consider the Earth as the seed then we all emerge from that seed and the Earth is in us as much as we are in the Earth. At no point is there a distance between the Earth and us. Nothing is separate. An atom is in the universe and the universe is in an atom. Separateness is an illusion.

The third understanding is that transformation is illusory like an illusionist's trick. Why is this so? Because if transformation was real something would transform into something else altogether which means something would be created and something annihilated but we know that cannot be. A cloud transforms into water and water can transform into ice and vice versa and evaporate to become a cloud again. At no point is the water annihilated or created.

These three understandings are called - interdependent co-arising, non-self and impermanence. This leads to the understanding the 'you are in me and I am in you'. This is called shunyata (emptiness) or interbeing.  We think that something exists separately because we thing it has a separate self, that there is a distance between the object and the subject and that transformation (like from life to death) is real. Once we have seen through these three illusory aspects and understood interbeing (emptiness) we have the first of the five powers in action - faith. We still have to develop a stronger grip on interbeing and unlock the doors of signlessness and aimlessness. Signlessness is to recognize manifestations. Aimlessness is practicing to recognize that all conditions for manifestation of happiness are present in the here and now. All the three doors are in each other.

The next step is to practice the second power - diligence. We must diligently practice the Five Mindfulness trainings - reverence for life (non violence), true happiness (exploitation free living), true love ( commitment and understanding), mindful speech and mindful consumption. By practicing and promoting veganism we are already doing all of these to an extent but we need to do more. The more we do this, the faster the obstacles of knowledge and perceptions disappear.

In order to do that and to overcome adversities like temptations or frustrations, we have to bring the third power - mindfulness into action. Be mindful that adversity is just another phenomenon. All phenomena perceived by the five senses are like an illusionist's trick - impermanent and have no existence of their own. So keep this in mind and don't be upset or led astray by fear, insecurities etc.

We practice to be enlightened. Just like sports persons who train hard before games, we need the fourth power - concentration to improve our practice. Concentration leads to the fifth power - insight. When insight is fully developed we are past the three doors and there is no more separation from anyone or any condition of joy. Everyone is present, all conditions for happiness are present. No more craving, no more unfulfilled desires.

We must thank adversities because they strengthen our practice. Yesterday, Benazir may have shed tears but they have become a cloud now and one of these days they will transform into raindrops and kiss her cheek and she can dance in the rain!

(The author is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh.)

#विज्ञप्तिमात्र #Vijñaptimātra #ThichNhatHanh #5Mindfulness #Enlightenment #Veganism

Women in Buddhism

One day Sister Chan Khong asked Thay, "Thay, why do women have to take 348 precepts instead of 248 precepts like men. Is there discrimination in Buddhism?". Thich Nhat Hanh explained to her that most of the additional precepts arose due to the prevalent circumstances. For example, a nun was assaulted when she was traveling by herself so a precept was created that nuns would not travel alone.

Precepts are mindfulness trainings that help an individual be free from certain samsaric bonds, negative actions, emotional knots and material dependencies. All monks and nuns are expected to practice the fourteen precepts also known as the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings (#14Mindfulness). The other precepts are not obligatory. Many precepts like 'unless a monk is ill he should only travel on foot' are not followed by most monks and nuns. It would be very difficult for Thich Nhat Hanh to come to India if he were to follow that precept!

We must understand that being enlightened, being a promising scholar, being a monastic and being a Buddhist are not the same. Enlightenment or the knowledge of the dharma is not restricted to the monastic community. Many monks themselves have lived the life of a hermit away from their monastery after seeking ordination. Some of them have even married while continuing to practice the dharma with the same or even greater proficiency. Anyone can be enlightened or acquire exceptional knowledge of the dharma. So a woman has as good a chance of being enlightened as a man.

A monastic community is like any other community. Not all monks and nuns are at the same level. However, by becoming a monk out of free will they have expressed their commitment to practicing the path. The members of a monastic community are provided with access to proficient teachers and dharma resources. The status of a woman in a monastic community depends on the culture and mindset of people who make up that community. You may want to take a closer look at the order before becoming a monk or a nun if you do not have a teacher already.

A Buddhist in the dharmic sense is one who practices the five mindfulness trainings or Panchasila at the very least. Many sects accept one as a Buddhist if one takes refuge in the triple gem (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha). This is the same for both men and women.

The right way to go about if you really wish to dedicate your life to learning and practicing the path is to first find the right teacher or the right environment. The next step is to practice under the guidance of the teacher or by yourself. One who is pessimistic is unlikely to promote optimism. Similarly, one who is unhappy cannot truly show others the way to happiness. The measure of progress is not just the understanding of texts but also how happy you are on the path. We can begin to experience happiness when we begin to develop an understanding of interbeing and interpenetration, impermanence and practice the Five Mindfulness trainings (#5Mindfulness). We can then help others do the same and help them water the seeds of mindfulness. Mindfulness leads to concentration which leads to insight. You can see that this is gender independent.

Here is how Sister Chan Khong found her teacher (as recorded by Andrea Miller):

"“You have a good heart,” Chan Khong’s first Buddhist teacher told her. “With all the generous work that you do, you will be reborn into a wealthy family. Perhaps you will be a princess.” But Chan Khong wasn’t concerned about her next life, much less the possibility of a royal pedigree. Her focus was the present moment: the hungry need food, the sick need medicine, and they need it right now.

“You need to study scriptures more and work to become enlightened,” continued her teacher. “After you are enlightened, you will be able to save countless beings.” The idea was that if she practiced Buddhism diligently, she would be reborn as a man in her next life; then she might become a bodhisattva, and later still a Buddha with miraculous powers. But again Chan Khong felt alienated by these goals. She didn’t want miraculous powers or to be a man, and to her this enlightenment smacked of both sexism and irrelevance.

In the autumn of 1959, Chan Khong had a conversation with a prominent Buddhist monk during which she asked many questions about the dharma. But he didn’t answer any of them. Instead, for each question he took out a book by Thich Nhat Hanh—a monk who Chan Khong had never heard of—and said, “The answer to your question is in here.” Chan Khong would have preferred talking to the monk in front of her, but she agreed to read the material when she had time. Then a month later, Chan Khong attended a course Nhat Hanh was teaching in Saigon. Impressed from the first lecture, she felt she’d never before heard anyone speak so beautifully and profoundly.

The following year, Chan Khong began corresponding with Nhat Hanh. In his first note, he wrote in his impeccable script about the mountain monastery where he lived—the wet wood he cooked with and the cold, singing wind outside. In later notes he addressed Chan Khong’s concern that most Buddhists didn’t seem to care about the poor and that they viewed social work as mere merit work.

According to Nhat Hanh, it was possible to find enlightenment helping those in need—or doing any other activity—as long as it was done mindfully. He believed that Buddhism had a great deal to contribute to society, and he promised to support Chan Khong in her efforts. He planned to bring together people with the same vision and to establish villages to serve as models for development, as well as founding training centers for workers in education, agriculture, and health care.

Thich Nhat Hanh was the teacher she had been looking for."

#Vijñaptimātra #ThichNhatHanh #SisterChanKhong #Pratimoksha #Women #Buddhism

Meditating On The Five Mindfulness Trainings

Jane Austen wrote in her book, Sense and Sensibility, "I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way."

When I was a child, I used to live with my grandparents. When I was with them, I was very happy. I was safe, comfortable, free from inhibitions. All conditions for happiness were present. My grandmother used to say that I was to my grandfather like a stepney to a scooter. Like a stepney follows a scooter wherever it goes, I would follow my grandfather wherever he went. Now if you told me there is a heaven or nirvana where one can have everything they want, what do you think I'd want? I'd want my grandparents. Perhaps you want to be with your children or parents or friends or someone you are attracted to or a million beautiful women or God or just by yourself.

This aspect too is what we call a self. We are the five aggregates - form (body), feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness. The first four are manifestations of the fifth (consciousness). Consciousness is existence. If we are conscious, we can be happy or sad. We obviously want to be happy. It is for this very reason that we need to learn, practice, experience the Five Mindfulness trainings.

Just like how a dress or a shoe is no good until it fits us, so are the paths to freedom, peace and joy. A shoe that does not fit me is a shoe but not my size. It is not something I'll buy. Similarly the understanding and experience of the Five Mindfulness trainings must be a personal one to really create an impact, to really become a habit.

It must be your own way. So it is necessary then to see how the Five Mindfulness trainings are your own way.

Perhaps, you believe in God. Perhaps, you believe that God created this world, you and me. So did God create this world, you and me with a substance other than God or is God everything and we are a manifestation of God?

Let's say you think that God created us using some substance other than God. In this case, you'd have to admit that God is conscious. Without consciousness it would not have been possible for him to create and we can only connect with God through the bridge of consciousness because you say we are of different substance. Only consciousness is common. It is the bridge.

Can you separate consciousness from the object of consciousness? If you experience, you experience something. Even if it is only a dream or a thought or an imaginary object. Since consciousness cannot be separated from objects, God is connected to all objects of existence. When you kill, humans or animals or contribute to the depletion of natural resources you are actually bringing about a negative transformation of consciousness. This is so because to the consciousness an experience of being killed or being depleted is not a pleasant one. So do you think God will reward you? Do you think God will say, 'Now come, my love, here are a few angels for you to kill in heaven. You have done a wonderful job of destroying life on Earth, now come and destroy life in heaven.' Certainly not. If you want to go to heaven, it is  necessary for you to not hurt objects of consciousness. The Five Mindfulness trainings are designed with the objective of preventing us from hurting others.

If on the other hand you say that everything is a manifestation of God, its as good as saying everything is a manifestation of consciousness. So God and consciousness ultimately are same. So it would be fair to say that any change we experience is a transformation of consciousness/God. Is the transformation, then, real or illusory? If it is real, then God has become something else, is no longer God and you are now one who thinks God and his creation are of separate substances which we have already discussed. If you say the transformation is illusory, then how is this illusion of change manifesting? Change is impermanence. Time is a necessary condition for impermanence to manifest. There have to be at least two moments for change to manifest. Two means separateness. So you would have to agree that impermanence cannot manifest without time and separateness. But you say that everything is a manifestation of God, so separateness must be an illusion.

According to Buddhist teachings, such an existence where causes and conditions are required for manifestation of phenomena is a conditioned existence and such phenomena are conditioned phenomena. God/Nirvana are unconditioned phenomena.

To wake up from this illusion of separateness we will have to practice seeing everything in everything else. To wake up from the illusion of the separateness is also to realize that our loved ones are here, my grandparents, God, a million beautiful women and me are all here. All conditions for happiness are present right here, right now. We will have to be mindful to recognize the conditions of happiness that are present. The Five Mindfulness trainings are our guide to practicing mindfulness.

The Five Mindfulness trainings are - reverence for life, true happiness, true love, mindful communication and mindful consumption.

To practice reverence for life is to practice nonviolence, to avoid aggressive behavior, to refrain from depleting natural resources, to not contribute to anything that can become a threat to conditions that are conducive for life. It is also to practice veganism. To practice the first mindfulness training is also to revere the Five Mindfulness trainings.

To practice true happiness is to not exploit others, including animals and natural resources. It is also to practice veganism. It is also to share what we have.  To practice the second mindfulness training is also to share the Five Mindfulness trainings.

To practice true love is to not take advantage of others, it is a display of commitment, it is an act of transmitting happiness. We can make someone very happy by dedicating ourselves to the cause of making her happy. We cannot do this if our motivation is only to solicit sexual favors. When two people love each other, there is perfect understanding. To practice the third mindfulness training is also to perfect the understanding of the Five Mindfulness trainings.

To practice mindful communication is to not hurt others through speech and other form of expression. To not engage in slanderous or hate speech. We are an expression of existence. To practice the fourth mindfulness training is also to become an embodiment of the Five Mindfulness trainings.

To practice mindful consumption is to only consume what is good for the mind and body. To avoid alcohol, illicit drugs, cigarettes, etc. What we consume transforms us. The fifth mindfulness training is also to consume the Five Mindfulness trainings.

To revere life is also to revere God because God is inseparable from the living. To practice true happiness is also a practice of generosity which brings us closer to God. By practicing true love we connect with God. We truly praise God when through mindful communication we bring joy to others. Mindful consumption leads to mindful transformation that helps us to wake up from illusions and touch God.

If you are a Mahayanist, to practice the Five Mindfulness trainings is also the practice of sila pāramitā. In each of the six pāramitās are the other five pāramitās. So practicing the Five Mindfulness trainings is also practicing the six pāramitās.

If you are a Theravadin, to practice the Five Mindfulness trainings is also the practice of Right Mindfulness. In each fold of the Noble Eightfold Path are the other seven folds. So when we practice the Five Mindfulness trainings we are also practicing the Noble Eightfold Path.

Thus, the Five Mindfulness trainings are the one size that fits all. They are like water, you cannot dislike water. They are the theory of everything. They are not of a religious or sectarian nature and yet they are your personal spiritual experience and practice. They do not teach us to discriminate. They are your own as they are Thich Nhat Hanh's. They are not created, they are universal truths. If we practice the Five Mindfulness trainings, all our wishes are fulfilled. God embraces us, we are enlightened, we cross over to the other shore - Nirvana.

#5Mindfulness #ThichNhatHanh #विज्ञप्तिमात्र #Vijñaptimātra #VijñaptimatraBuddhism #Christianity #Islam #Religion #Spirituality #ManifestationOnly #Vigyaptimatra #India #Hinduism #Buddhism #Buddha #Mahayana  #Prajñapāramitā #Vijnaptimatra #IndianBuddhism #IndianPhilosophy

Why do we practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings?

The Five Mindfulness trainings are our understanding of the Panchashila (Panchsheel) - the five precepts or the five pillars of a happy community. The Panchashila and Five Mindfulness trainings are universal truths and guidelines to manifest a happy community with happy individuals. These trainings are not created by Thich Nhat Hanh or Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. Instructions like do not kill, do not steal etc. have been there long before Gautama Buddha was born. In fact there were laws to prevent these from happening.

Unfortunately reading the Panchasila does not mean we have understood it and are keeping the precepts. For example, Buddha says do not steal. A child's understanding of this would not be the same as that of a taxman or a vegan activist. What is stealing? Is stealing from animals not breaking this precept? Is encouraging theft not breaking this precept?

Buddha taught - do not kill. Is it ok for Buddhist monks to order non-vegetarian food? Is it possible on the other hand for us to not inhale tiny microorganisms?

Buddha taught - do not consume alcohol. Does that mean we can't consume medicines that contain alcohol? Should we not use alcohol based fragrances? Since Buddha only said 'do not consume alcohol', is it ok to smoke?

Our practice of the five precepts largely depends on our understanding of phenomena. The Five Mindfulness trainings are more detailed descriptions, making it easier for us to understand and practice the precepts. If we carefully read and meditate on the Mindfulness trainings we get the answer to all these questions and any other that may arise in our minds.

We must approach these teachings keeping this in mind. Today, it is possible to practice veganism. Today we have alternatives to leather so it is not necessary to wear leather shoes. We have cashew and almond milk to replace cow milk. Vegetarian food is easily available. So to not kill is also to protect animals. It is to respect all forms of life. Respect is not to bow. We do not bow to ourselves but we respect ourselves. To respect is to not hurt others. You would not slap a Buddha, then why slap your wife? Is it possible for a monk to incite violence in Burma or Sri Lanka if he understands 'do not kill' as 'respect life'? We see things like monks and lay practitioners engaging in violence, politics, non-vegetarianism etc. because of their shallow understanding of the Panchashila and Pratimoksha.

It is not very important to study the scriptures if we have a Buddha teaching us. We learn from life more than we learn from scriptures. We have done enough if we can just practice the Five Mindfulness trainings. It is not necessary to become a monk or to chant mantras or to meditate for hours or to even be a Buddhist. A Muslim practicing the Five Mindfulness trainings is dearer to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas than one who has memorized all the sutras.

These precepts are based on our understanding that we cannot be happy if others are unhappy. By practicing these mindfulness trainings we are helping each other. We are promoting happiness. One who practices these mindfulness trainings does not hurt animals, does not exploit labor, does not exploit resources, does not evade taxes, does not hurt women, does not practice racism, does not cheat her/his partner, does not consume drugs or toxic substances, does not engage in lose talk or slanderous speech etc. It is wonderful to live with someone like this. You can rely on such a person. You know her love is true. You know her actions are not manipulative. You know that she is kind. We would like a bit of love and kindness. We want more people like this. Such a person is to be treasured. We want to be like this. So we practice the Five Mindfulness trainings.

#ThichNhatHanh #5Mindfulness #VijñaptimātraBuddhism #Interbeing

Open Letter to Ocwen and Altisource

Dear friends,

Last week I was at a supermarket on Bangalore's busy Brigade Road when a child came up to me asking where he could find 'Mogu drinks' (a popular beverage containing nata de coco). I led him to the refrigerated food and drinks section. A few minutes later he came back to me asking me if I knew where his mom was.

In pursuit of material wealth we lose our mom, our loved ones, our home, our happiness. Not being able to find a 'Mogu drink' must have made the child a bit anxious but imagine the anxiety at not finding his mom. No 'Mogu drink' can relieve the child of that anxiety. It is time for you to find your mom, your loved ones, your home and true happiness.

I read, today, that a 6-year old from Temple, Texas, ordered for pizza under the name Thomas Jefferson, paid for it using his father's credit card and signed the receipt as 'Dad'. Prior to this he had ordered for pizza from the same outlet under the name Abraham Lincoln.

Many children use their parents' credentials, credit cards etc. perhaps sometimes without informing them. Shall we tell them that they are stealing and and that they are thieves and put them in prison? The correct way to deal with such situations is to explain to children that if they take more from mom and dad, then mom and dad will have less. Mom and dad may not have enough to pay for groceries, school fees, telephone and internet bills, medication etc. If they have less, we will have less. If they have less, they may not be able to keep their car or their home. On the other hand if they have more, they may be able to provide us a better future, better education, better lifestyle etc.

The government too helps us and protects us. If we do not pay taxes, the government will have less money to help us. If we take more from others, they will have less. If we do not contribute enough, they will have less. Many of your clients are banks, who were bailed out by the government. This helped you survive and profit. In return you spun off Altisource and headquartered Altisource in Luxembourg to avoid paying taxes. You also headquartered Altisource Asset Management Company, Altisource Residential, Newsource etc. at tax havens. So the government has less money to deal with problems like homelessness.

According to an organization, "There are 610,042 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the United States. About 9 percent of homeless adults- 57,849 - are veterans. These numbers come from point-in-time counts, which are conducted, community by community, on a single night in January every other year."

These are people who contributed to our wellbeing. They worked for us and fought for us. They worked so we could fulfill our desires and they fought to make the world secure.

You have been instrumental in making people homeless by pursuing foreclosures and then keeping them homeless by evading taxes, thereby preventing the government from having enough money to fix the problem of homelessness.

Then, it is only fair that you stop foreclosing on loans and start providing homes to the homeless for free. You own a lot of properties through companies like Blue Valley Apartments and Altisource Residential. You can transform some of these into residential apartments and allocate them to the homeless. Thanks to modern technology mass housing projects can be completed at low cost. Materials like coated steel can also be used to construct elegant homes. According to the Tata group it is even possible to construct a house for less than $1000.

You are aware that since January, I have been trying to create awareness about your companies' practices and trying to help borrowers without charging any fees or receiving any favors in return. During the same period you have failed to admit wrongdoings and have continued foreclosing on loans and have failed to work towards providing homes to the homeless. You have, instead,been paying more money to yourselves and your lawyers. This indicates that you have not understood that if we take more from others, they will have less. If they have less, we will have less.

World leaders have shown remarkable maturity by avoiding conflict in Ukraine. If a government pays for its army to fight a war, it also leads to rise in prices of essential commodities. The people end up paying for both. That is how things impact each other.

You have been consistently chasing material wealth. Many of you have been buying homes in America but living in places like Luxembourg, while there are people who remain homeless. If we chase material desires we are separated from mom, from loved ones, from our home, from happiness. This is what I have learned from my teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh.

Please stop foreclosures immediately and provide homes to the homeless. If possible, please learn and promote the five mindfulness trainings and stop harming people, animals, natural resources and the environment.

Regards,
Saurabh Singh

Men cannot be happy if women are unhappy

To curb discrimination, we must train our minds in the wisdom of interbeing. Women and men are not separate from each other. Men cannot be happy if women are unhappy. There is no greater or lesser between the two. If you truly want all women and men to be happy then teach yourself and your children, the five mindfulness trainings and begin practicing them.

First Mindfulness Training - Reverence for Life

Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating the insight of interbeing and compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, or in my way of life. Seeing that harmful actions arise from anger, fear, greed, and intolerance, which in turn come from dualistic and discriminative thinking, I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination, and non-attachment to views in order to transform violence, fanaticism, and dogmatism in myself and in the world.

(When we practice the first mindfulness training we make sure that we never physically hurt a woman. This ends all forms of violence like domestic violence against women.)

Second Mindfulness Training - True Happiness

Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to practicing generosity in my thinking, speaking, and acting. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others; and I will share my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need. I will practice looking deeply to see that the happiness and suffering of others are not separate from my own happiness and suffering; that true happiness is not possible without understanding and compassion; and that running after wealth, fame, power and sensual pleasures can bring much suffering and despair. I am aware that happiness depends on my mental attitude and not on external conditions, and that I can live happily in the present moment simply by remembering that I already have more than enough conditions to be happy. I am committed to practicing Right Livelihood so that I can help reduce the suffering of living beings on Earth.

(By practicing the second mindfulness training we ensure that we do not exploit women's interests. We will respect their choices and their rights. This will ensure that they get equal educational, employment, business, spiritual/religious and political opportunities and rewards. This will end discriminatory wages, workplace discrimination, forced marriages, killing of the girl child etc. The practice of true happiness creates a world of opportunitues and resources.)

Third Mindfulness Training - True Love

Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society. Knowing that sexual desire is not love, and that sexual activity motivated by craving always harms myself as well as others, I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without true love and a deep, long-term commitment made known to my family and friends. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct. Seeing that body and mind are one, I am committed to learning appropriate ways to take care of my sexual energy and cultivating loving kindness, compassion, joy and inclusiveness – which are the four basic elements of true love – for my greater happiness and the greater happiness of others. Practicing true love, we know that we will continue beautifully into the future.

(By practicing the third mindfulness training we ensure that women do not end up being victims of sexual exploitation. We ensure that we pay attention to their emotional needs and treat them with love. This will end rapes and sexual harassment. This will promote trust and fidelity.)

Fourth Mindfulness Training - Mindful Communication

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to speaking truthfully using words that inspire confidence, joy, and hope. When anger is manifesting in me, I am determined not to speak. I will practice mindful breathing and walking in order to recognize and to look deeply into my anger. I know that the roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person. I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to transform suffering and see the way out of difficult situations. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to utter words that can cause division or discord. I will practice Right Diligence to nourish my capacity for understanding, love, joy, and inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence, and fear that lie deep in my consciousness.

(By practicing the fourth mindfulness training we ensure that we use our communication skills to bring joy to women. We practice inclusive and honest speech. We practice deep listening to become aware of the sufferings of women in Afghanistan, Iraq, India, America, Europe... They suffer for different reasons. We listen deeply and communicate in a manner that heals. We talk resolution instead of defending discriminatory practices.)

Fifth Mindfulness Training - Mindful Consumption

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I will practice looking deeply into how I consume the Four Kinds of Nutriments, namely edible foods, sense impressions, volition, and consciousness. I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs, or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and conversations. I will practice coming back to the present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor letting anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment. I am determined not to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety, or other suffering by losing myself in consumption. I will contemplate interbeing and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and the Earth.

(By practicing the fifth mindfulness training we make sure that women have access to healthy food and healthcare. We make sure that their special dietary and sanitary needs, particularly during childbirth are met. We make sure that we do not let audiovisual ingredients like movies, magazines and websires create a wrong perception of women in our minds. By consuming mindfully we create better physical and mental being.)

#ThichNhatHanh #Vijñaptimātra #Interbeing