August is "Committing to the Path of Awakening" Month. And I am encouraging you to examine your life today and this week to see what you would like to do in order to commit yourself more fully to the Path of Awakening.

According to some studies, it takes about 3-4 months (which is about 108 days) to effectively change an old habit and form a new habit. I want to challenge you to make a commitment starting sometime this month for 108 days -- a commitment to forming a new habit of daily meditation at home, weekly meditation with a group, a monthly "Day of Mindfulness" retreat (alone or with a group), and a quarterly weekend retreat (as well as an annual weeklong retreat, if that is within your means).

Mindfulness is not a quick-fix. Mindfulness practice is a lifestyle. It is a new habit that you need to commit to every day. It is like eating three meals a day and getting about 8 hours of sleep each night. It isn't anything extraordinary. And yet, for so long, we have been living as spiritually malnourished beings; it's as if we've only been eating one meal every few days and sleeping only a couple of hours a week. Then, when we encounter mindfulness practice, especially at a retreat, it feels extraordinary. But you can't just go to one retreat or a couple of group meditations and then stop there. You must continually commit yourself to daily practice, weekly practice, monthly practice, quarterly practice (and annual practice, if it is in your means). It's just like committing yourself to eating three nutritious meals a day and sleeping about 8 hours each night. You don't just eat one meal and sleep one night and then wait several days before eating and sleeping again. That is not healthy at all. And yet, that is exactly what we have been doing spiritually most of our lives.

We don't even realize that we are spiritually malnourished because most of us have never really known any other state of existence. Since our parents were probably spiritually malnourished, and all of our peers were most likely spiritually malnourished, and even our religious leaders may have been spiritually malnourished, our own state of spiritual malnourishment just seemed normal. But now, we have the opportunity to change all of that. We have the amazing opportunity now to break this ancestral cycle of spiritual malnourishment and begin a new generation of spiritual nourishment, transformation and enlightenment.

I encourage you to make a commitment to your own happiness, a commitment to transforming your suffering, a commitment to realizing enlightenment in this very lifetime, for the sake of all beings. I encourage you to wake up from the delusions of the self-centered self, to wake up from our collective addiction to distraction, to wake up from the extremes of both materialistic workaholism and of metaphysical laziness.

Do it today, do it this week, or do it next week, but just do it.

August is the 8th month of our Western calendar. The number 8 is a sacred number that symbolizes Enlightenment and a New Beginning. The Buddha taught the Eight-fold Path of Enlightenment. A week is composed of the 7 days from Sunday to Saturday and then the 8th day starts a new cycle, a new 1st day of the week, so it is a new beginning. All numbers, of course, are sacred. But we can take advantage of ancient symbols and spiritual traditions. We can use them positively for our benefit. So let us take advantage of August, the 8th month, as an opportunity for us to begin anew, to "Committing to the Path of Awakening."

You can choose to start your 108-day commitment on August 1st, which is also a sacred day in the Earth-based spiritual traditions ("Lammas" is the mid-point between Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox). Or perhaps you need some more time to prepare for this commitment. So you could choose August 5th as your start date, the first Sunday of August, when we will have a special "Encouragement and Blessing" Ceremony at the Sangha. Or maybe August 8th (8-8). Or perhaps on the eve of the New Moon on Sunday, August 12th. But whenever you choose to start this commitment, I encourage you to do it sooner than later, to do it this month, to do it with dedication and determination.

I close this letter with a Buddhist prayer, written by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Also, please listen to some of my Dharma Talks again or for the first time; and visit our Sangha page to see our upcoming schedule.

In Light, Love, and Life,
Br. ChiSing