"We have so many reasons to be happy. The Earth is filled with love for us, and patience. Whenever she sees us suffering, she will protect us. With the Earth as a refuge, we need not be afraid of anything, even dying. Walking mindfully on the Earth, we are nourished by the trees, the bushes, the flowers, and the sunshine. Touching the Earth is a very deep practice that can restore our peace and our joy. We are children of the Earth. We rely on the Earth, and the Earth relies on us. Whether the Earth is beautiful, fresh, and green, or arid and parched, depends on our way of walking. Please touch the Earth in mindfulness, with joy and concentration. The Earth will heal you, and you will heal the Earth.
"One of the best ways to touch the Earth is by practicing walking meditation. We walk slowly, massaging the Earth and planting seeds of joy and happiness with each step, and following our breathing at the same time. We don't try to go anywhere. We arrive with every step. When we breathe in, we count the number of steps we take. If we take three steps, we say, silently, 'In, in, in.' When we breathe out, we do the same, 'Out, out, out.' If we take three steps as we breathe in and four steps as we breathe out, we say 'Out, out, out, out.' We listen to the needs of our lungs, and we breathe and walk accordingly. Walking up a hill, we will probably take fewer steps with each breath. As we walk, we bring our attention down into our feet. We breathe as if we were breathing from the soles of our feet. We don't stay in the zone of our thoughts and emotions.
"After practicing 'In, in, in' and 'Out, out, out,' five or ten times, you might like to practice 'Flower, flower, flower,' while breathing in, and 'Fresh, fresh, fresh,' while breathing out. You get flowerness and freshness from the Earth and from the air. You can hold the hand of a child as you walk. The child will receive your concentration and stability, and you will receive his or her innocence and freshness. At Plum Village, I proposed to the young people a simple gatha for walking meditation. I wanted them to respond to life, to society, to the Earth in a positive way, so I suggested they say, 'Oui, oui, oui,' when they breathe in, and, 'Merci, merci, merci,' when they breathe out. The children liked it very much.
"After practicing 'Flower/Fresh,' you can switch to 'Mountain/Solid.' Practice each exercise as many times you wish, enjoying your walking and not arriving anywhere, except the present moment. You can practice walking meditation between business meetings, walking from your car to the market, or on any other occasion. Allow enough time to walk. Instead of three minutes, give yourself eight or ten minutes. I always give myself an extra hour when I go to the airport so that I can practice walking meditation there. My friends want me to keep visiting right up to the last minute, but I always resist. I tell them that I need the time.
"To strengthen the seeds of mindfulness in us, it is helpful if sometimes we practice in a park or some other beautiful, quiet place. We walk slowly, but not too slowly, as we don't want others to think we are too unusual. This is a kind of invisible practice. We can enjoy nature and our own serenity without making others uncomfortable. When we see something we want to touch with our mindfulness — the blue sky, the hills, a tree, or a bird — we just stop, but while we do so, we continue breathing in and out mindfully. If we don't continue to breathe consciously, sooner or later our thinking will settle back in, and the bird and the tree will disappear. Therefore, we always hold on to our breathing. At Plum Village, we practice walking meditation every time we go from one place to another, even for a short distance. Whenever I see someone walking mindfully, she is a bell of mindfulness for me. If I have lost my mindfulness and I see her, I return to my mindfulness right away. As a community, we can help each other a lot.
"There is no need for us to struggle to arrive somewhere else. We know that our final destination is the cemetery. Why are we in a hurry to get there? Why not step in the direction of life, which is in the present moment? When we practice walking meditation for even a few days, we will undergo a deep transformation, and we will learn how to enjoy peace in each moment of our life. We will smile, and countless bodhisattvas throughout the cosmos will smile back at us because our peace is so deep. Everything we think, feel, and do has an effect on our ancestors and all future generations and reverberates throughout the universe. Therefore, our smile helps everyone. This is the teaching of the Avatamsaka Sutra. To take good care of our baby, we only need to stop struggling. Peace is every step. We have already arrived."