"With Each Step, a Flower Blooms" Plum Village HK “每一步， 百花盛放”─ 梅村香港禪修營

 

After attending 8 meditation/spiritual retreat camps (from 2004 summer to 2015 spring), also writing some pieces of articles about the same, it is time to update my record and spiritual encounter!

It is my first time attending Plum Village Hong Kong (founded by the renowned Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh)’s retreat camp, since I realized there is a amazing place as “Plum Village France” in 2004!
 

It is really a stunning experience to attend this Plum Village HK as it differs from my previous camps which were organized by different Buddhist organizations (Tibetan Buddhism, China Buddhism, Sri Lanka Buddhism, local green figure). 

Their lovely songs:

 

On the first night (26/3 Thur), I was surprised to see the young monks and nuns were playing guitar and singing folk-songs, totally different from previous typical Buddhism songs!

It is one of their songs: “Breathing In, Breathing Out”, with soft melody, simple wordings but touching!

 

Breathing in, breathing out;

Breathing in, breathing out;

I am blooming as a flower;

I am fresh as the dew.

I am solid as the mountain;

I am firm as the earth.

I am free. 

Breathing in, breathing out;

Breathing in, breathing out;

I am water, reflecting,

What is real, what is true.

And I feel there is space

Deep inside of me.

I am free, I am free, I am free.

 

Schedule:

During this 4-day & 3-night retreat (26/3 Thur to 29/3 Sun), we have a schedule which consists of the following:

Dharma Talk (6:00 am – 7:00 am)

Walking Meditation (7:00 am – 8:00 am)

Breakfast (8:00 am – 9:00 am)

Working Meditation (e.g. cutting vegetables, cleaning) (9:00 am – 10:30 am)

Dharma Talk (10:30 am – 12:30 pm)

Lunch (12:30 pm – 1:30)

Total Relaxation or Personal Time (1:30 pm – 3:00 pm)

Dharma Sharing: we were divided into 5 groups, each group consists of around 12 people (3:00 pm – 5:00 pm)

Stick Exercise (5:30 pm – 6:30 pm)

Dinner (7:00 pm – 8:00 pm)

Dharma Talk (8:00 pm – 9:00 pm)

Bathing (9:00 pm – 10:00 pm)

Night out (10:00 pm)

After each meal, we would wash our own bowls, plates, chopsticks, forks & spoons.

  

Vegetarian cuisine:

Needless to say, all meals are great!  I even saw the young monks and nuns making noodles, potato-fries, toro-fries!  Most of the cuisine are of Vietnamese style (sometimes with chilli), with some Western salad, bread etc.  

A beautiful Moon night – 28 March 2015 (Sat) 

On that night, to echo with Friends of the Earth's big campaign, all Hong Kong people/organizations were advised to switch-off lighting for 1 hour from 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm. 

After the evening Dharma talk, we went to the grassland, surprised to see the young monks have set up beach-mats for us to sit on, grass bottles with candles ... while the Moon was watching us tenderly, we just remained silent, sitting on the beach-mats on the grassland, watching stars and Moon!

Their songs & smile:

(To be continued …)

My old article #1 (2009 Sept)

http://www.angel-asura.blogspot.hk/2013/12/blog-post_21.html

My old article #2 (2009 Sept)
http://www.angel-asura.blogspot.hk/2013/12/2-aug-2009.html

My old article #3 (2009 Sept)
http://www.angel-asura.blogspot.hk/2013/12/3-sep-2009.html

My old article #4 (2011 Jan)
http://www.angel-asura.blogspot.hk/2011/01/back-to-nature-eat-pray-love-lifeflow.html