Brother Freedom led a class yesterday, here at Deer Park Monastery (where my husband Mike and I are currently on retreat stay for a few months). After sharing a lovely 20-minute music-infused guided meditation he recorded – which I had listened to once before on his YouTube channel and really enjoyed – he spoke about the four elements of Plum Village monastic life: practice; study; work; and play. While I’ve been aware of these elements for some time – and expanded on this list for my own purposes a while back (more on that here in a bit) – I appreciated and resonated with the specific way in which he spoke about them. He said that if we only practice we risk becoming too ultimate dimension. If we only study we risk becoming too intellectual. If we only work we will burn ourselves out. And if we only play then others will not take us seriously. Thus, a balance of all four parts is needed.
When I first began investigating this list for my own use, I realized pretty quickly that while these four elements fit for me, some things were missing. For my own personal sense of balance, my most optimal functioning and felt sense of well-being, I also need the elements of: service; self-care; and relationship building. Here are some of the activities that I do that represent each one of these elements:
Practice: daily sitting meditation; daily gratitude practices; attending retreats; personal days of mindfulness; attending sangha weekly
Study: reading; watching Dharma talks online; taking classes
Work: household upkeep; meal prep & cooking; errands; job I do for $
Play: creative endeavors & all forms of creative self-expression; riding my motorcycle; anything involving music; dance; wearing fun socks; laughing; any activity I do because it’s fun &/or enjoyable
Service: volunteering; assisting or supporting others or a cause; any activity I do out of choice that aims at benefiting others and is not done for $
Self-Care: prioritizing the art of resting; good sleeping habits; healthy eating; mindful consumption of all forms of media; getting enough movement/exercise; befriending self; cultivating joy
Relationship Building: spending quality time with close friends; reaching out & checking in with loved ones; staying in touch with family & friends; organizing events/activities that help bring people together; asking for support when I need it
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