Gāthās for the Practice of Mindful Living

G AT H A S
Gāthās for the Practice of
Mindful Living
A selection of short verses to recite during daily activities to help us
return to our practice of mindfulness, offered by Thích Nhất Hạnh
In order to practice the gāthās correctly in daily
life, we need to memorize them. As you recite
them to yourself, every line of the verse is accompanied by an in-breath or an out-breath:
the first line by an in-breath, the second line by
an out-breath.
The aim of the practice is to maintain
mindfulness so that we can dwell in the present moment. For example, when we brush our
teeth, we need to practice during the whole
time we brush our teeth:
Brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth,
I purify the way I speak.
Through Right Speech my mouth becomes
fragrant,
and a flower blooms in the garden of
my heart.
We stand still in one place to practice this
gāthā, not walking back and forth, not talking
or thinking about something else. In this way,
we practice both fine manners and Right
Mindfulness.
When we drive, road signs help us find our
way. We go in the direction pointed by the first
road sign until the next one shows us how to
continue, and so on. Practicing with gāthās is
the same. When we practice, the gāthās can be
with us throughout the whole day, and we can
live our day in awareness.

G AT H A S
Waking Up
Waking up this morning, I smile.
Twenty-four brand new hours are before
me.
I vow to live fully in each moment
and to look at beings with eyes of
compassion.
Turning on the Water
Water comes from high mountain sources.
Water runs deep in the Earth.
Miraculously, water comes to us and
sustains all life.
My gratitude is filled to the brim.
Using the Toilet
Defiled or immaculate,
increasing or decreasing—
these concepts exist only in our mind.
The reality of interbeing is unsurpassed.
Looking in the Mirror
Awareness is a mirror
reflecting the four elements.
Beauty is a heart that generates love
and a mind that is open.
On the Stairs
Going up or down the stairs,
I let my steps be gentle.
If I hear them make a noise,
My mind is not at peace.
Placing Your Shoes

I place my shoes tidily.

May everyone always walk mindfully,

coming in and going out in freedom.
Listening to the Bell

I listen, I listen,

this wonderful sound

brings me back

to my true home.
Sitting

Sitting here is like sitting under a

Bodhi tree.

My body is mindfulness itself,

free from all distraction.
Changing Your Posture

Feelings come and go

like clouds in a windy sky.

Conscious breathing

is my anchor.
Harmonizing the Breath

Breathing in, I calm my body.

Breathing out, I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment,

I know this is a wonderful moment!

G AT H A S
Walking Meditation
The mind can go in a thousand directions,
but on this lovely path, I walk in peace.
With each step, a gentle breeze blows.
With each step, a flower blooms.
Before Eating
Beings all over the Earth
are struggling to live.
I aspire to practice deeply
so all may have enough to eat.
Washing the Dishes
Washing dishes in the historical dimension,
when the stack is piled up high,
I look at the ultimate dimension.
The stack presents no obstacle.
Picking a Flower
May I cut you, little flower,
gift of earth and sky?
Thank you, dear bodhisattva,
for making life so beautiful.
Taking out the Garbage
In the garbage, I see a rose.
In the rose, I see compost.
Everything is in transformation.
Impermanence is life.
Turning on the Computer
Turning on the computer,*
Mind connects with store consciousness.
I vow to transform habit energies
to help love and understanding grow.

• You may substitute “Looking at my smartphone”
  or “Turning on my device.”
  Before Starting the Car
  Before starting the car,
  I know where I am going.
  The car and I are one.
  If the car goes fast, I go fast.
  Taking Care of Anger
  Angry with each other in the historical
  dimension,
  I close my eyes and look deeply.
  Three hundred years from now,
  where shall you and I be?
  Impermanence
  The day is now ended; our lives are shorter.
  Let us look carefully. What have we done?
  Noble Sangha, with all our heart,
  let us be diligent in the practice.
  Let us live deeply, free from our afflictions,
  aware of impermanence
  so that life does not drift away
  without meaning.

G AT H A S
These are excerpts from Stepping into Freedom: An Introduction to Buddhist Monastic Training by Thích Nhất Hạnh,
published by Parallax Press. Photo courtesy of the monastic Sangha.
Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh is one of the most revered and influential teachers in the world today. Born in Vietnam
in 1926, he became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen. Over seven decades of teaching, he published more
than one hundred titles on meditation, mindfulness, and Engaged Buddhism, as well as poems, children’s stories, and
commentaries on ancient Buddhist texts. After his exile from Vietnam in 1966, he became a pioneer in bringing Buddhism
to the West. He founded the Plum Village tradition of meditation practice, which today has ten monasteries and dozens of
practice centers in the United States, Asia, Australia, and Europe, as well as more than 1,500 local mindfulness practice
communities. He built a thriving community of over seven hundred monks and nuns worldwide, who, together with his
tens of thousands of lay students, apply his teachings on mindfulness, peacemaking, and community-building in schools,
workplaces, prisons, politics, and businesses throughout the world. Our beloved teacher passed away peacefully on
January 22, 2022, at Từ Hiếu Temple in Huế, Vietnam, at the age of ninety-five.