Meditation: The Gardening Of The Heart with Gary Gach

MP3 Download

We all aspire to live a purposeful and meaningful life. Gach tells us that daily meditation and setting our intentions will point us in the right direction for living mindfully. Mindfulness doesn't need to be an intermittent part of our life, like a faucet that turns off and on; it can be present in every moment. Neuroscientists find that setting our intention in the morning helps our mind and body establish a baseline for our experience for the rest of the day. It is like setting a thermostat in your home. He advocates meditation and says, “Formal meditation is a well we can draw from throughout the day. If I’m conscious that I’m breathing while I’m going from the car to the door, going to the bathroom, chopping vegetables, the phone rings, whatever it is, if I’m not only showing up but I’m present when I show up, then I have touched the possibility that I can keep my appointment with life at all times. My appointment with life is being present.” Gach helps us to know that engaged spirituality makes us genuinely intimate and connected with life; it is mindfulness in action. (hosted by Justine Willis Toms) 

Bio 

Gary Gach is a lifelong meditator. He’s been an actor, bookshop clerk, dishwasher, hospital administrator, office temp, stevedore, teacher, and typographer. He was lay-ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh in 2008 and is the founder of Spiritually Engaged Economics (SEE). He facilitates a weekly practice group of Mindfulness Fellowship in San Francisco.

Gary Gach has written many books including:

• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Buddhism (Alpha 2001)
• Pause Breathe Smile: Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation is Not Enough (Sounds True 2018)

 To learn more about the work of Gary Gach go to www.garygach.com.

Topics Explored in This Dialogue

• What Gach learned in working with Thich Nhat Hanh
• What is the importance of mindfulness
• What kinds of events help us to awaken and live more mindfully
• Whatever your resistance is, that is your teacher
• Why pausing and taking a deep breath is a key to taking control and commanding our lives
• The point of formal meditation is to draw upon it throughout the day
• How is the breath is related to meditation
• What mindfulness looks like in Chinese writing as depicted in its characters
• What is the Buddhist sky meditation
• What are the benefits of the mouth yoga of smiling
• How we can go from resistance to resilience
• What is the importance of consciously concluding your meditation
• How meditation is a community affair
• What is engaged spirituality 

Host: Justine Willis Toms         Interview Date: 7/18/2018        Program Number: 3649 

Music Playlist

From Album: Himalayan Nights 
Artist: Agni and Lewis Howard 
1997 Clarity Sound & Light #CSL 02

Opening Essay: Track 01 Dhaulagiri
Music Break 1: Track 02 Annapurna
Music Break 2: Track 03 Kangchenjunga
Music Break 3: Track 04 Nanga Parbat