Deep inside us lives a longing that all the world be at peace

From time to time, The Seattle Times hosts guest columnists on the Faith & Values Page. Today, we introduce Eileen Kiera, dharmacarya (dharma teacher in Sanskrit).

In the stillness of our hearts, and at the core of our being, is a deep desire, a yearning for all to be well, at peace and happy.

This desire extends to all people, all beings, and to all that exists. Sometimes it is so still that you cannot express it with words. It is like a question that has no audible answer. A felt thing, it lives within us, but as though with a life of its own.

Sometimes this felt sense is a prayer; a prayer for the well-being of everyone. It is the deepest desire of the heart of human life. As we touch that yearning, and live in its unspoken question, we come to know what Buddhists call "bodhicitta."

Bodhicitta is the desire to awaken the mind of understanding, or enlightenment, but not for one's self alone. Rather, we seek to wake up for the sake of our earth and all her occupants.

Bodhicitta is like a seed. Just a tiny kernel of longing, but when it is put into the dark, rich soil of our consciousness, as in the stillness of a prayer, it begins to grow.

We let it lie there in the quiet, and we tend to the soil. We can water the seed. In Buddhist practice, we develop mindfulness, paying attention to the movement of our hearts and minds, and to the gifts of our day.

We aren't necessarily trying to find words or an answer to our yearning. We pay attention to see what arises from the stillness of the question, and the unfolding of awareness in each moment.

Eventually the seed sprouts, sending out root and leaf.

Bodhicitta stays with us as we move through our days. We see our thoughts and feelings and responses to the world, and our bodhicitta becomes a light that protects us in the midst of negativity, cynicism and anger.

We weed our heart's garden to protect the newly sprouted and tender plant, our deep yearning. And eventually, the plant will grow strong and produce fragrant and colorful flowers.

When we nurture the desire for happiness and wellbeing for everyone, we naturally grow in compassion and understanding. The delicious fruit appears.

The work of our aspiration is the work of mindfulness itself. When we find ourselves lost in hurriedness, or forgetfulness, or when we are out of touch with ourselves and the world around us, we simply let go of our busyness and come back to attend to what is right before us; a steaming bowl of fragrant oatmeal, the smile of the person we love the most, the dawn calling of a saw-whet owl.

When we touch the gifts of each day with mindfulness, we, in turn, are touched and enlarged. We remember our natural interconnectedness with the world.

In the bowl of oatmeal, we see the field of grain planted, the work of the farmer, the songbird singing over the harvest, the truck that brings the oats to the store, the oil that fuels the truck, the grocer, and so many other people now involved in the great reality of oatmeal. And when we eat the oatmeal we taste the fruit of the earth, the sun, the rain, the clouds and the great blue sky. It has come to us so easily, and tastes so delicious and nourishing. The natural wish arises: May all beings be well.

In the eyes of our beloved, we see the joys and sorrows of his life, her desires and losses. We see his parents, alive in the story of their lives, and we see our children in the fullness of youth. All parents and children and all who are beloved are present in that moment of our loved one's smile. "May we all look upon each other with the eyes of love."

And on hearing the call of the saw-whet owl, we know the gift of another day dawning. We experience the preciousness of our life in its ordinariness. Our life calls to us, and asks us to be awake, to be aware, to attend to each moment. The saw-whet's call is like our own hearts calling, calling us home, calling us to our own deepest reality.

And we don't need to do more. This is enough; enough for today, enough to be here for this moment's unfolding. With bodhicitta, the desire that all beings be well, we step forward with empty hands, and an open heart, greeting each moment, anew.

Eileen Kiera is a dharma heir of the Venerable Thich Nhat Han, Zen master. She is the guiding teacher for several meditation communities in the Northwest, including the Mindfulness Community of Puget Sound. 206-728-7466 or www.mindfulnesspugetsound.org