We are gardeners putting in the right ingredients to develop ten perfections. These noble qualities are essential to enhance tDhamma he practice of growing in wholeness, unconditional love and balance. Reflecting on how they support each other and work together, we fill the beautiful chant of these Ten Pārami with our voices.

Walking as a meditation posture is dynamic and complementary to breath meditation. With more to distract us from being attentive to our own experience, walking requires sharper effort, mindfulness, focus, and present moment awareness. This provides an invaluable template for practice in the many walking times of our daily lives.

How do we deal with life when it bites us? Without trusting the Path, there is no way we can fulfill it. Practise seeing what works and what doesn’t, what binds us and what frees us. Seeing pain as our teacher, we can face whatever we are feeling and not lament. Not owning our suffering is letting go the second arrow of mental pain. This will be for our safety, and when wise insight into suffering reveals the truth in us, there arises incalculable joy and peace.

Standing as still as we can like the earth, aware, embodying qualities of heart that we treasure, share the goodness with all who are dear to us, and with all beings. Live wisely from that kind of pure inner space. As we chant these essential five recollections, reflect: we are all subject to aging, sickness, and death; we shall all be separated from what is ours, it will fade and be lost; and we are the heirs of our karmic deeds – for good or for ill.

Venerable Punna was one of the great bhikkhus of the Buddha’s time, known especially for his fierce faith, practice skill, and his fearlessness. When the Buddha hears that Punna plans to wander on foot in a remote and dangerous frontier region, he questions Punna how he would respond to the inevitable perils and violent ways of the native people of that place. Their dialogue reveals Venerable Punna’s remarkable courage, wisdom, and selflessness.

We come on retreat from our busy lives where we can easily relapse into old unworthy mental habits, hoping that here, at last, we can put them to sleep. They too are impermanent. Reflect on their impermanence using these chants for the funeral of our ego and the death of our ignorance. Once their corpse is seen and placed in a coffin, it’s possible to sustain open compassionate awareness wherever we are.

Reviewing our effort to practise, recalibrate and make adjustments as needed. Make peace with what arises – neither controlling nor being passive; like a parent – compassionate, mindful, discerning. Whatever hindrance is most predominant, make it skilful, waking up if we’re asleep, or settling down if we’re restless, calming when agitated or patiently balancing. This is nothing short of the way to Nibbana, the supreme goal. Step by step, through all manner of sufferings and joys, we radiate blessings in the ten directions.

When delusion, impatience and lack of trust prevail in our spiritual work, we rape our own goodness and execute ourselves over and over again. This suffering, clearly known, helps us to see how we cling and how we let go. When clinging again, let go again – stop the subterfuge of clinging and undermining ourselves. Actually, we are our own liberators. We are powerful beyond our understanding.

Standing up in pure presence is one of the four great postures. In this simple act of being present, know one mind-moment at a time, repeatedly. Grateful for one breath, one posture, one point, we gain balance and poise. We allow our suffering to dissolve in the suffering of all the world. This is how we stand for the Dhamma in a practical way – with the body; and in a practice way – with compassion and understanding of the Dhamma.

Pāli chanting for all the retreat yogis with a brief Dhamma reflection and blessings for the good kamma and happiness of all beings.