I know I’ve shared this before with many of you, but I have found it helpful to come back to it regularly so figured it couldn’t hurt bringing it up again (even if only as a gentle reminder to myself!). One of the things I appreciate about Zen is its insights regarding finding the sacred in everyday life. It can be as simple as just paying greater attention to one’s own sensations of the present moment and surroundings, rather than letting one’s attention wander to the past or future, or to elsewhere than here. Thich Nhat Hanh does a wonderful thing in this piece, reminding us how much time we spend missing out on appreciating the richness of the present moment because we are distracted by the imaginary worlds of the past and future, and therefore missing the real world before us.
Washing the Dishes
Washing the dishes is like bathing a baby buddha. The profane is sacred. Everyday mind is Buddha's mind.
To my mind, the idea that doing dishes is unpleasant can occur to us only when we are not doing them. Once we are standing in front of the sink with our sleeves rolled up and our hands in warm water, it is really not bad at all. I enjoy taking my time with each dish, being fully aware of the dish, the water, and each movement of my hands. I know that if I hurry in order to go and have dessert, the time will be unpleasant, not worth living. That would be a pity, for every second of life is a miracle. The dishes themselves and the fact that I'm here washing them are miracles!
Each thought, each action in the sunlight of awareness becomes sacred. In this light, no boundary exists between the sacred and the profane. It may take a bit longer to do the dishes, but we can live fully and happily in every moment. Washing the dishes is at the same time a means and an end - that is, not only do we do the dishes in order to have clean dishes, we also do them just to do the dishes and live fully each moment while washing them.
If I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have dessert and a cup of tea, I will be equally incapable of doing these things joyfully. With the cup in my hands, I will be thinking about what to do next, and the fragrance and the flavor of the tea, as well as the pleasure of drinking it, will be lost. I will always be dragged into the future, never able to live in the present moment. The time of washing dishes is as important as the time of meditation. That is why the everyday mind is called the Buddha’s mind.
From Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Present Moment, Wonderful Moment: Mindfulness Verses For Daily Living