The Five Mindfulness Trainings
- A Shared Commitment for the Earth Citizens' Community -
The Five Mindfulness Trainings offer a practical path for living with greater awareness, compassion, and understanding. Rooted in the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, they are universal, nonsectarian practices that help us care for ourselves, one another, all living beings, and the Earth.
They are not rules imposed upon us, but commitments that grow from our own understanding of how our actions affect the well-being of all life. Through mindfulness, we learn to live with greater peace, responsibility, and love.
1. Reverence for Life
We commit to protecting life and reducing violence in all its forms. We see every species as equally sacred. We cultivate compassion, openness, and respect for all living beings and seek to protect the natural world and the delicate web of life of which we are a part.
2. True Happiness
We commit to practicing generosity, fairness, and social responsibility. We will not steal, exploit, or take more than we need, and that and that solely running after wealth, fame, power and sensual pleasures can bring much suffering and despair. We seek ways to share our resources, reduce suffering, and live simply and sustainably, recognizing that our happiness is deeply connected to the well-being of others and the Earth.
3. True Love
We commit to cultivating love, respect, honesty, and responsibility in our relationships. Knowing that sexual desire is not love, and that sexual activity motivated by craving always harms myself as well as others, I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without mutual consent, true love, and a deep, long-term commitment. I will do everything in my power to protect children from abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct. Seeing that body and mind are interrelated, I am committed to learn appropriate ways to take care of my sexual energy and to cultivate the four basic elements of true love – loving kindness, compassion, joy, and inclusiveness – for the greater happiness of myself and others. We honor the dignity, safety, and integrity of every person, respecting differences and diversity. We nurture loving kindness, compassion, joy, and inclusiveness in ourselves, our families, and our communities.
4. Loving Speech and Deep Listening
We commit to speaking truthfully and listening with openness and compassion. I know that the roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person, and I will embrace and care for my anger as I would a needy child, in a loving way. We seek to understand rather than judge, to communicate rather than divide, and to use our words to encourage healing, reconciliation, and peace.
5. Nourishment and Healing
We commit to mindful consumption in all areas of our lives. We pay attention to what we eat, drink, watch, read, and take into our minds and bodies. We choose what nourishes our physical and mental well-being, reduces harm, and supports the health of our communities and the EARTH. I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs, or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, over-use of mobile phone apps, or electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and toxic conversations.
Our Shared Intention: May these five commitments guide us in becoming more mindful Earth Citizens: living with compassion, acting with awareness, caring for one another, and protecting the precious web of life for generations to come.