Heartfulness is More Important than Mindfulness

Jin Wei Shi: Oftentimes we come into practice thinking that we want to fix ourselves or we want to be awakened. However, our attitude is a very important part of this journey. We call this place “Redwood Brahmavihara'' as we hope this is where we can connect to something that is nourishing, warm, and healing. The Four Boundless Hearts, loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equainmity, are expression of loving-kindness in different forms. We don’t have to “deserve” this energy. It is "our human rights" to feel care and deeply connected to our roots and our nature.

We often start with “me”: “me” arriving at the retreat with an agenda, expectations, and  uncertainties. But as we are doing chores, we act as one like a Bodhisattva with many hands. This retreat happens because of the care of many. 

We discover we are not separated from each other and our practice cannot go far if we just depend on “me”. We go from “me” to “we”. This “we” also includes this forest. The roots of redwood trees are interconnected. They support each other but each tree is allowed to grow separately and reach the heaven. 

We could really learn this model of mutual support that is already established in this ecosystem. It's not co-dependence. It’s sharing existence. Each one of us is full, lacking nothing, and we support each other.

Many past generations have appeared before we can be here. Grandparents, parents, friends, each of us carry our own lineage that has no beginning. The teachers of our lineage go back to Bodhidharma and all the way to the Buddha. Redwood Vihara is part of this great lineage. Use your imagination, can you see that each of us holds a universe of relationships? Isn’t that amazing? If you look at someone's face, can you see the “we” behind that?  

We all have this powerful force. It’s not just about cultivating “me”. As we are connected, we together can become a real force that benefits our families, neighborhoods, country, the world, and beyond. 

[Edited from talks given on December 28, 2022]