Teaching Given to the Dying

Day of Mindfulness (one-day retreat)
for Health Care and Human Service Professionals
from 9:30 to 16:30 on Saturday October 12, 2013
at Centre on Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong

Singing meditation at the  “Body and Mind are One” DOM at HKU
Centre on Behavioral Health May 22, 2013

Online register is availabe.  Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are only 60 spaces available.

September 10, 2013

Dear friends,

You are invited to attend a Day of Mindfulness (DOM) for health care and human service professionals, co-organized by HKU Centre on Behavioral Health and PVFHK Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism (AIAB). This DOM is part of our “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind” Initiative to integrate mindfulness practices to the physical and mental health fields. The foundations of this initiative are the teachings on the Discourse on Mindful Breathing (Anapanasati Sutta) and the Discourse on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness (Satipatthana Sutta), as taught by the Buddha about 2600 years ago. We also studied how the mind works, based on the teachings of manifestation-only Buddhist Psychology, which was formulated in the 4^th century by the Indian Buddhist monk and philosopher Vasubandhu. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh has used these teachings to form the foundation for mediation practices to help us nourish our body and mind, to develop insight and to help us transform pain and suffering into peace and happiness.  Even though the teachings are from Buddhist tradition, the practices are non-sectarian and are open to people of all faiths.

In 2013, we will have a Day of Mindfulness for Health Care Professionals once every 3 months, on the 2^nd Saturday of Jan, April, July and October. For the upcoming October 12, 2013 DOM, we will study teachings to be given to the dying. Things manifested when conditions are sufficient and dissolved when conditions are not sufficient. When things are formed, we call it birth. When things are dissolved, we call it death. Birth and death are ideas created from our mind. We can transcend birth and death by transforming the duality point of view of birth and death. The fear arisen from the idea of being somebody (having a permanent and separate self) to being nobody at death creates a lot of pain and suffering in the dying. How do we transform this mental fear, which will also help transform physical pain. We will follow the texts of the “Discourse on Teachings to be Given to the Sick,” which was given to Anathapindika, a devoted lay disciple of the Buddha and was about to die. The teachings given was to mediate on impermanent and selflessness and inter-dependent co-arising nature of phenomena.

In the day of mindfulness, we will learn the practice of going back to our breath, anchoring our mind in the in-breath and out-breath. We become calm and clear when the mind and body are together in one place, with the help of our mindful breath. We will practice listening to the bell, walking meditation, eating meditation, exercise meditation (mindful movements), and relaxing meditation (total relaxation) … We practice to stop, to slowdown the thinking in our mind via bodily actions.

You can find more information about activities of past days of mindfulness at http://pvfhk.org/index.php/en/activities/body-mind

In the day of mindfulness, we will learn the practice of going back to our breath, anchoring our mind in the in-breath and out-breath. We become calm and clear when the mind and body are together in one place, with the help of our mindful breath. We will practice listening to the bell, walking meditation, eating meditation, exercise meditation (mindful movements), and relaxing meditation (total relaxation) … We practice to stop, to slowdown the thinking in our mind via bodily actions.

 A sample programme schedule for the Day of Mindfulness is as follow:

9:30                 Sitting and Slow Walking Meditation (indoor)

10:30               Lecture

12:30               Lunch

13:30               Total Relaxation

14:30               Group Discussion

16:00               Walking Meditation (outdoor)

16:30               Farewell

Location:        Centre on Behavioral Health, The University of Hong Kong
2/F, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Building for Interdisciplinary Research,
5 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

香港大學行為健康教研中心
香港薄扶林沙宣道5號香港賽馬會跨學科研究大樓2樓

Fees:               HKD100.00 per day (including light vegetarian lunch and tea)

How to register:
Register online at www.pvfhk.org, the Plum Village Foundation Hong Kong Website. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are only 60 spaces available.

For more information, please contact us at Centre on Behavioral Health, e-mail: bhealth@hku.hk, Tel: (852) 2831 5163.

Breathe and Smile,

Sr. Hanh Nghiem (Sr. Adornment with Action), PVFHK Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism

Venus Wong, HKU Centre of Behavioral Health

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