This document provide grins of how one should walk effectively, Assignments of Culinary Arts

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CONTENTS

Notes on Walking

Walking Meditations

We frequently walk with the sole purpose of getting from one place to another. But where are we in between? With every step, we can feel the miracle of walking on solid ground. We can arrive in the present moment with every step.

When we first learned to walk, we walked just to enjoy walking. We walked and discovered each moment as we encountered it. We can learn to walk that way again.

YOU HAVE ARRIVED

When you walk, arrive with every step. That is walking meditation. There’s nothing else to it.

WHY WALK?

People ask me, “Why do you do walking meditation?” The best answer I can give is, “Because I like it.” Every step makes me happy. There’s no use in doing walking meditation if you’re not going to enjoy every step you make; it would be a waste of time. The same thing is true with sitting meditation. If someone asked, “What’s the use of sitting for hours and hours?” The best answer is, “Because I like sitting.” Sitting and walking can bring peace and joy. We have to learn how to sit and walk so that we can produce peace and joy during the time of sitting or the time of walking. We have to learn to walk so that we can enjoy every step. Mindfulness and concentration can bring a higher quality to our breath, to our sitting, and to our steps.

PRACTICING JOY

We may think of joy as something that happens spontaneously. Few people realize that it needs to be cultivated and practiced in order to grow. Mindfulness is the continuous practice of deeply touching every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly present with your body and your mind, to bring harmony to your intentions and actions, and to be in harmony with those around you. We don’t need to make a separate time for this outside of our daily activities. We can practice mindfulness in every moment of the day as we walk from one place to another. When we walk through a door, we know that we’re going through a door. Our minds are with our actions.

WALKING ON PLANET EARTH

Walking on this planet is a very wonderful thing to do. When astronauts return to Earth, one of the things that they’re most happy to do is to take a walk. Coming back to their home, they can enjoy the grasses, the plants, the flowers, the animals, and the birds with each step. How long do you think they enjoy walking on the Earth after they’ve returned from space? I’d guess that the first ten days are wonderful. But eventually they get used to it, and maybe a year later they don’t feel as happy as they did in the first few months after coming home. Every time we take a step on this Earth, we can appreciate the solid ground underneath us.

SLEEPWALKING

We’re in such a rush, looking for happiness in one place and then another. We walk like sleepwalkers, without any enjoyment of what we are actually doing. We are walking, but in our minds we are already doing something else: planning, organizing, worrying. There is no more need to run. Every time we return our attention to our breath and our steps, it’s as if we wake up. Every step brings us back to the here and the now. We can touch the Earth and see the sky and notice all the wonders in between. In each step there is the possibility of mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

ENLIGHTENMENT

To enjoy walking meditation isn’t difficult at all. You don’t need ten years of practicing mindful walking to be enlightened. You need only a few seconds. You just need to become aware that you’re walking. Awareness is already enlightenment. Each of us is capable of being mindful of our in-breath and our out-breath. When you breathe in, be aware that you’re breathing in. Be aware that you have a body, that you’re breathing in and nourishing that body. Be aware that your feet are strong enough for you to enjoy walking. That is also enlightenment. When you breathe out, be aware of the air leaving your body. Be aware that you are alive. This awareness can bring you so much happiness.

CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN

I once traveled with a delegation to China and climbed Wutai Shan, a famous mountain there. The path to the top is very steep, and usually people arrive exhausted. There are 1,080 steps to climb. Before setting out, I suggested our delegation breathe, make a step, relax; breathe, make another step, and relax. Our intention was to climb the mountain in a way that we could enjoy each moment of the climbing. Every ten steps or so we would sit down, look around, breathe, and smile. We didn’t need to arrive; we arrived in every step, with peace, stillness, solidity, and freedom. When we got to the top, everybody was so happy and full of energy. Every step, even uphill, can bring mindfulness, concentration, joy, and insight.

WALKING WITH DANIEL BERRIGAN

One day in New York City, I invited Daniel Berrigan, the Catholic father, poet, and peace activist, to go for a walk in Central Park. I told him, “No talking, just walking.” Father Berrigan is much taller than I am and his legs are very long; one of his steps was equal to two of mine. We started out together but after a few steps he was way ahead. When he turned around and saw I wasn’t next to him, he stopped and waited. I didn’t rush. I was determined to walk slowly and mindfully at my own pace. I was determined to pay close attention to my steps and breath, otherwise I knew I would lose myself and get carried away in the idea that there was a rush. Each time I caught up, we would walk together for a little while and then he would get in front again. Each time, I would keep my own pace. Later, he came to visit me in France and he had a chance to learn and practice walking meditation. He was able to walk without rushing, even when he returned to New York.