Walk as if you're Kissing the Earth with your Feet - more on the wonderful practice of Gatha

Maja Heynecke
Sep 10, 2018
4 min read

Gatha is a sanskrit word for 'song' or 'verse', and is a meditative poem or verse used in contemporary mindfulness practice. It has its roots in Buddhism, Jainism and also the Zoroastrian tradition.

Short sayings, a poem or a verse of around 4 lines, used to bring our attention back to the here and now, keeping us rooted in mindfulness, and also bringing our attention back to the beauty and extraordinary wonder in ordinary day-to-day experiences, activities and objects. It can also express a spiritual concept, and used as a reminder.

Gatha can thus be different things to different people, although every moment of our waking day is an opportunity for mindfulness, for being present in the moment, for becoming aware of the wonder and extraordinary beauty found in the ordinary, simple things.

Traditionally a Gatha is 4 lines, the second line always reading "I vow with all Beings", but used in a contemporary way, this can be translated into " I promise myself and everyone I meet"

We recite Gatha to ourselves, to encourage ourselves to stay in the moment or adhere to an intention.

Unlike Mantras, we use Gathas for specific activities.

Here are a few of my favourite Gathas found online reads as follows:

Morning Gatha

Waking up this morning

I smile

Twenty-four hours before me

May I live each moment mindfully

And may I look at all beings with eyes of compassion

A Stop Sign

Stop,

Return to the Present Moment

May I meet the Present Moment with Joy and Peace.

(the author says: When I see a red light or a stop sign, I smile and thank it. I see it is a friend, helping me resist rushing")

Sweeping the Floor

As I carefully sweep the ground of enlightenment

A tree of understanding springs up

From the earth

Cars late at night

When a car goes by late at night

I vow with all beings

to remember the lonely bakers

who secretly nourish us all.

Making a Short Journey Safely

Two-thirds of accidents take place near home.

Knowing this, I am very careful

Even on a short trip

Panic or Anxiety

When I panic at losing my bearings

I vow with all Beings

To acknowledge the error is panic

Not losing familiar ground

Walking Meditation

The mind can go in a thousand directions

But on this beautiful path

I walk in peace

With each step,

a cool wind blows

With each step

A flower blooms

You can make your own Gatha. Give it a try. You don't have to be a poet or a great writer to make a Gatha. And you don't have to share it with people. Although you can stick a post-it note on the dashboard of your car or on the mirror in your bathroom if you want to.

I find the writing of Gatha can also be very useful in clarifying a worry or an intention, and give a very specific and concise way of being in the present, cultivating a quality that may be somewhat "not-there" at the moment or taking an action, or following an intention.

I guess it's a little bit like the modern day "affirmation".

There are no right or wrong Gathas, as long as your intention is to help others or to help yourself in order to help others.

One of my own favourites Gathas is:

If I stops to smell the flowers,

I promise myself and others

Not to be annoyed or impatient

If my nose gets wet

Which is especially useful when I have expectations of others. You know that moment where you allow someone in a car to come in front of you and they zip in but don't even bother to acknowledge you? Or you do something to help someone and they don't say 'thank you'?

Please don't think I'm advocating bad manners. I'm not. But it's always interesting to see that, even on a very small scale, we often do things for others with an expecation in mind - even if the expectation is a certain response.

So that Gatha is for those moments where I can feel quite "put upon" :)

But perhaps your style is a little longer and less "layered", something clearer and more direct, such as this Gatha I found:

Gatha of the morning

As I begin this Day

May I be gentle with myself and others

Let go of expectations

And discover the joy of being present in the moment

I also love animals for their very wonderful present-moment abilities, especially cats. One of my lovely ginger cats, Biscuit, is a very Zen creature. Often, it's very Gatha for me to take a moment just to watch him doing his animal thing. His "I'm in the present-moment, nothing is earth-shattering" thing. Just for a minute or two, and I feel very present-moment myself.

For others it can be a sunset. A flower. A budding blossom. It can be the reflection of clouds in a lake, the rushing water in a stream. It can be a walk in nature, listening to the birds. Walking is an incredible way to stay in the present moment. As Thitch Nhat Hanh says: "Walk as if you are Kissing the Earth with your Feet."

Lovely.

I end off with a Gatha on Impermanence:

Impermanence

The day is ending

And our life is one day shorter

Let us look carefully at what we have done

Let us take time to reflect so understanding arises in our heart

Let us live deeply in each moment and be aware

So the time doesn't slip away meaninglessly

And remember to smile

So we can make others' lives more beautiful

_/\_