Four Pebbles

One practice.  Four perspectives.

The wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh is timeless and as relevant today as it has always been.  A Vietnamese monk and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh spent much of his life in exile, becoming a prolific writer and poet.

Four Pebbles is one of my favourite meditations because of it’s simplicity.  It is practiced by the children in Plum Village.

We start by gathering four stones.  As we come to a comfortable seat we lay them out in our laps or nearby in front of us.

I see myself  as a flower.  I am fresh.

The first stone represents a flower, all that is fresh, beautiful and light.  We are each of us a flower in the garden of humanity.  As children we are inherently fresh, beautiful, uncluttered and this leads us to happiness.  

As we grow and become adults, it is easy to lose this sense of ‘flowerness’ as responsibilities take over, and emotions like anger, fear, jealousy become more active in our minds.  These cause us, and our loved ones, sadness.

The intention of the meditation is not to transform ourselves to flowers, but to re-capture and preserve our flowerness, our fresh approach to life.

I see myself  as a mountain.  I am solid.

However the winds blow and storms rage, mountains remain still, solid, unmoveable.  Inside each of us is a part that is solid too.  We practice mountain shape in yoga after all!  

But sometimes our feelings of solidity, who we really are deep down, can be swept away when we experience strong emotions.  Then we meet with our world as if it is behind a veil, our views shaped by the feelings that we have.

Our meditation helps us to cultivate our own solidity so that we are less affected by events and people.  We can become our own refuge, unchangeable against the storms of life.  This helps us to maintain our happiness whatever life throws at us.

I see myself  as still water.  I reflect things as they truly are.

When we are calm, we are able to see things as they really are.  We can see clearly, uncluttered by fear, jealousy, anger, want.  

When we experience strong emotions, the water of our soul is disturbed and that leads to wrong perceptions.  In turn, this leads us to say or do things that bring suffering to ourselves or others.

Our meditation reminds us that without calm there is no happiness.

I see myself  as space.  I feel free.

When we are taken up by the business and concerns of our everyday lives, we fill ourselves with turmoil and leave no space for ourselves or other people.

Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that the most precious gift you can offer another person is space.  Without space there is no freedom.  And without freedom there is no happiness.  He tells us that the moon is happy because she is surrounded by space.

Just think how you are drawn to people who offer you space, and freedom to pause and to breathe.  When you create space for yourself, you draw other people to you.

Why not enjoy the full meditation?  Just five minutes of space.  All you need are four, ordinary pebbles.