Honey Locust Sangha
Omaha Community of Mindful Living
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Picture

 Indoor Walking Meditation
Taken with gratitude from the wonderful UK Order of Interbeing Website
http://interbeing.org.uk/manual/
 
Kinh Hanh literally means slow walking in Vietnamese. It is the form of walking meditation conducted in the meditation room. We refer to it as Kinh Hanh to distinguish it from Outdoor Walking Meditation. Kinh Hanh is a wonderful meditation which is central to our  mindfulness practice.

Usually Kinh Hanh is integrated with sitting meditation practice in the meditation room. Typically it is conducted between two sessions of sitting meditation (eg a period of silent sitting and a guided meditation). This gives a natural break between sessions and also allows us to refresh our body. It offers us the experience of the Sangha moving in mindful unity together in  the meditation room.

When we practise Kinh Hanh our breath is coordinated with our  steps. When we hear the bell to start we take an in-breath and make one step  with the left foot. On the out-breath we take another step with the right foot.  Then we begin the cycle again, the left leg always co-ordinated with our in-breath and the right leg always coordinated with our out-breath.  Throughout we are continually aware of the body, holding our palms in front of us as a lotus and relaxing the muscles of the mouth in a gentle smile:
“Breathing in,  I am aware that I am breathing in; breathing out, I smile.” Our body flows  in a continuous movement in harmony with our breathing. We are aware especially  of the contact of our feet with the ground, and the wondrous nature of the  present moment: “Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment;
breathing out,  I know it is a wonderful moment.”
We hold our head still, focusing our  attention about five feet ahead of us, but we are very aware of the Sangha. If we find that we need to slow  down or speed up we alter the length of our steps; we do not aim to
change our  breathing which stays relaxed and light.

As always the key ingredient in this practice is awareness. Thây once talked of  Kinh Hanh as like a book with pages stitched together with a thread of mindfulness. Each step we make is like a page in this book: if we lose our mindfulness at any stage a page is lost from our book. Each step is precious. Another image that is sometimes used is that of lotus footprints. When  we walk mindfully it is as though we leave a beautiful golden lotus behind in  each footprint. This is a beautiful metaphor for the sacred nature of our contact with the earth as we walk in mindfulness. 

Kinh Hanh is best practised in a spirit of celebration and joy. It helps the whole Sangha if we  remember to smile.


The sequence of events from sitting meditation to Kinh Hanh back to  sitting meditation is generally conducted in silence, co-ordinated with the  sound of the bell. This is a very simple process and it is good to remember that  all stages are part of the meditation practice. So mindfulness is as important  during the ‘change-overs’ as at any other time. The sequence is outlined  below:

The period of  sitting meditation is brought to an end by the sound of the large bell in the  meditation room¨There
then follows  a short period when we unfold our legs and rub our feet (if necessary).


¨
A sound of the  small bell is the signal for us to stand up and arrange our meditation cushions  in the centre of the room. This creates a small island of cushions and stools  for us to walk around. We then stand in a circle facing inwards (towards each  other).

¨
When every one is  standing and still, a second sound of the small bell signals for us to bow to  one another and turn to our left so that we are now in a circle facing clockwise  around the room, our left shoulders to the outside walls.

¨
On the third sound  of the small bell our Kinh Hanh practice begins, as described
above.


¨
To end the Kinh  Hanh session there will be another sound of the small bell. At this point we do  not stop walking. This sound of the bell lets us know that we are on the final  circumambulation of the room and should stop by our original place when we reach  it.

¨
Once everyone has  stopped walking and is standing at their original place in the room there is a  further sound of the small bell. At this point everyone bows to one another,  takes their meditation cushion and resumes their sitting position, ready for the  next session of meditation.

The number of circuits of the meditation room during Kinh  Hanh will depend on conditions such as the size of room and the time
allotted.  Generally one or two circuits is appropriate. In situations where there are many  people, it can be helpful to form two or more concentric circles.



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