Beginning Anew
Below this description of the practice of beginning anew is a lovely poem, "Beginning Anew" by Thich Nhat Hanh
To begin anew is to look deeply and honestly at ourselves, our past actions, speech and thoughts and to create a fresh beginning within ourselves and in our relationships with others. At the practice center we practice Beginning Anew as a community every two weeks and individually as often as we like.
We practice Beginning Anew to clear our mind and keep our practice fresh. When a difficulty arises in our relationships with fellow practitioners and one of us feels resentment or hurt, we know it is time to Begin Anew. The following is a description of the four-part process of Beginning Anew as used in a formal setting. One person speaks at a time and is not interrupted during his or her turn. The other practitioners practice deep listening and following their breath.
1) Flower watering - This is a chance to share our appreciation for the other person. We may mention specific instances that the other person said or did something that we had admired. This is an opportunity to shine light on the other’s strengths and contributions to the sangha and to encourage the growth of his or her positive qualities.
2) Sharing regrets - We may mention any unskillfulness in our actions, speech or thoughts that we have not yet had an opportunity to apologize for.
3) Expressing a hurt - We may share how we felt hurt by an interaction with another practitioner, due to his or her actions, speech or thoughts. (To express a hurt we should first water the other person’s flower by sharing two positive qualities that we have truly
observed in him or her. Expressing a hurt is often performed one on one with another practitioner rather than in the group setting. You may ask for a third party that you both trust and respect to be present, if desired.)
4) Sharing a long-term difficulty & asking for support- At times we each have difficulties and pain arise from our past that surface in the present. When we share an issue that we are dealing with we can let the people around us understand us better and offer the support that we really need.
The practice of Beginning Anew helps us develop our kind speech and compassionate listening. Begin Anew is a practice of recognition and appreciation of the positive elements within our Sangha. For instance, we may notice that our roommate is generous in sharing her insights, and another friend is caring towards plants. Recognizing others positive traits allows us to see our own good qualities as well.
Along with these good traits, we each have areas of weakness, such as talking out of our anger or being caught in our misperceptions. When we practice “flower watering” we support the development of good qualities in each other and at the same time we help to weaken the difficulties in the other person. As in a garden, when we “water the flowers” of loving kindness and compassion in each other, we also take energy away from the weeds of anger, jealousy and misperception.
We can practice Beginning Anew everyday by expressing our appreciation for our fellow practitioners and apologizing right away when we do or say something that hurts them. We can politely let others know when we have been hurt as well. The health and happiness of the whole community depends on the harmony, peace and joy that exists between every member in the sangha.
Beginning Anew
With great respect,
we turn towards Shakyamuni Buddha,
the Conqueror of afflictions.
We have lived in forgetfulness for a long time.
We have brought about our own suffering.
We have been blinded by our wrong perceptions.
Our heart's garden is sown
with attachment, hatred and pride.
Our everyday deeds and words do damage.
All of these wrong actions
are obstacles to our peace and joy.
Let us begin anew.
(bell)
We are often thoughtless,
straying from the path of mindfulness.
We are a storehouse of suffering, worries and anxieties
due to wrong perceptions
And we have become weary of life.
Because we do not understand others,
we maintain ill-will against them.
Even after our dispute with them has been resolved,
we continue to feel enmity,
making the rift greater.
There are days when we are unwilling
to speak to each other,
unwilling to look each other in the face,
and we create emotional knots in ourselves.
We turn now to the ThreeJewels.
Sincerely recognizing our errors, we bow our heads.
(bell)
We know so well that in our consciousness
are buried all the wholesome seeds-
seeds of love and understanding,
seeds of peace and joy.
But if we do not know how to water them,
how can they spring up fresh and green?
When we chase after a distant happiness,
life becomes a shadow of the reality.
Our minds become occupied by the past
or worrying about this or that in the future.
We cannot let go of our anger,
and we long for what we have to be permanent,
thereby trampling on real happiness.
As month follows month,
we are sunk in sorrow.
So now we recognize our errors and begin anew,
fragrant as a breath of fresh air.
(bell)
With all our hearts we go for refuge,
turning to the Buddhas in the ten directions
and all bodhisattvas,
noble disciples, and self-achieved Buddhas.
Very sincerely, we recognize our errors
and the mistakes of our wrong judgements.
Please bring the balm of clear water
to pour on the roots of our afflictions.
Please bring the raft of the true teachings
to carry us over the ocean of sorrows.
We vow to live an awakened life,
to learn the path of true happiness,
and to practice smiling and conscious breathing.
Diligently we live in mindfulness.
(bell)
We come back to live in the wonderful present,
to plant our heart's garden with good seeds
and to make strong foundations of
understanding and love.
We follow the way of mindfulness,
the practice of looking and understanding deeply
to be able to see the nature of all that is.
To be free from fear of loss and death.
We learn to speak lovingly, to be affectionate,
to care for others
whether it is early morn or late afternoon,
to bring the roots of joy to many places,
helping people abandon sorrow;
to respond with deep gratitude
to the kindness of parents, teachers and friends
(bell)
We ask the Lord of Compassion to
be our protector
on the wonderful path of spiritual practice.
We vow to practice all aspects of the path with energy
so that our efforts may bear fruit.
(three sounds of the bell)
Thich Nhat Hanh
We practice Beginning Anew to clear our mind and keep our practice fresh. When a difficulty arises in our relationships with fellow practitioners and one of us feels resentment or hurt, we know it is time to Begin Anew. The following is a description of the four-part process of Beginning Anew as used in a formal setting. One person speaks at a time and is not interrupted during his or her turn. The other practitioners practice deep listening and following their breath.
1) Flower watering - This is a chance to share our appreciation for the other person. We may mention specific instances that the other person said or did something that we had admired. This is an opportunity to shine light on the other’s strengths and contributions to the sangha and to encourage the growth of his or her positive qualities.
2) Sharing regrets - We may mention any unskillfulness in our actions, speech or thoughts that we have not yet had an opportunity to apologize for.
3) Expressing a hurt - We may share how we felt hurt by an interaction with another practitioner, due to his or her actions, speech or thoughts. (To express a hurt we should first water the other person’s flower by sharing two positive qualities that we have truly
observed in him or her. Expressing a hurt is often performed one on one with another practitioner rather than in the group setting. You may ask for a third party that you both trust and respect to be present, if desired.)
4) Sharing a long-term difficulty & asking for support- At times we each have difficulties and pain arise from our past that surface in the present. When we share an issue that we are dealing with we can let the people around us understand us better and offer the support that we really need.
The practice of Beginning Anew helps us develop our kind speech and compassionate listening. Begin Anew is a practice of recognition and appreciation of the positive elements within our Sangha. For instance, we may notice that our roommate is generous in sharing her insights, and another friend is caring towards plants. Recognizing others positive traits allows us to see our own good qualities as well.
Along with these good traits, we each have areas of weakness, such as talking out of our anger or being caught in our misperceptions. When we practice “flower watering” we support the development of good qualities in each other and at the same time we help to weaken the difficulties in the other person. As in a garden, when we “water the flowers” of loving kindness and compassion in each other, we also take energy away from the weeds of anger, jealousy and misperception.
We can practice Beginning Anew everyday by expressing our appreciation for our fellow practitioners and apologizing right away when we do or say something that hurts them. We can politely let others know when we have been hurt as well. The health and happiness of the whole community depends on the harmony, peace and joy that exists between every member in the sangha.
Beginning Anew
With great respect,
we turn towards Shakyamuni Buddha,
the Conqueror of afflictions.
We have lived in forgetfulness for a long time.
We have brought about our own suffering.
We have been blinded by our wrong perceptions.
Our heart's garden is sown
with attachment, hatred and pride.
Our everyday deeds and words do damage.
All of these wrong actions
are obstacles to our peace and joy.
Let us begin anew.
(bell)
We are often thoughtless,
straying from the path of mindfulness.
We are a storehouse of suffering, worries and anxieties
due to wrong perceptions
And we have become weary of life.
Because we do not understand others,
we maintain ill-will against them.
Even after our dispute with them has been resolved,
we continue to feel enmity,
making the rift greater.
There are days when we are unwilling
to speak to each other,
unwilling to look each other in the face,
and we create emotional knots in ourselves.
We turn now to the ThreeJewels.
Sincerely recognizing our errors, we bow our heads.
(bell)
We know so well that in our consciousness
are buried all the wholesome seeds-
seeds of love and understanding,
seeds of peace and joy.
But if we do not know how to water them,
how can they spring up fresh and green?
When we chase after a distant happiness,
life becomes a shadow of the reality.
Our minds become occupied by the past
or worrying about this or that in the future.
We cannot let go of our anger,
and we long for what we have to be permanent,
thereby trampling on real happiness.
As month follows month,
we are sunk in sorrow.
So now we recognize our errors and begin anew,
fragrant as a breath of fresh air.
(bell)
With all our hearts we go for refuge,
turning to the Buddhas in the ten directions
and all bodhisattvas,
noble disciples, and self-achieved Buddhas.
Very sincerely, we recognize our errors
and the mistakes of our wrong judgements.
Please bring the balm of clear water
to pour on the roots of our afflictions.
Please bring the raft of the true teachings
to carry us over the ocean of sorrows.
We vow to live an awakened life,
to learn the path of true happiness,
and to practice smiling and conscious breathing.
Diligently we live in mindfulness.
(bell)
We come back to live in the wonderful present,
to plant our heart's garden with good seeds
and to make strong foundations of
understanding and love.
We follow the way of mindfulness,
the practice of looking and understanding deeply
to be able to see the nature of all that is.
To be free from fear of loss and death.
We learn to speak lovingly, to be affectionate,
to care for others
whether it is early morn or late afternoon,
to bring the roots of joy to many places,
helping people abandon sorrow;
to respond with deep gratitude
to the kindness of parents, teachers and friends
(bell)
We ask the Lord of Compassion to
be our protector
on the wonderful path of spiritual practice.
We vow to practice all aspects of the path with energy
so that our efforts may bear fruit.
(three sounds of the bell)
Thich Nhat Hanh