by Kylie Kok and Sophy Chin Raman (Class of 2018)

Editor’s Note:  During the last month of meditation class in Spring 2017, twenty-five students at the Developing Virtue Girls Secondary School were taught how to make a meditation cushion. With supplies of cloth, foam, and sewing tools, and under the guidance of DM You優, they were put to task with the making of a meditation cushion. They learned the process of planning the pattern of the cushion case, making measurements, cutting the cloth, chalking, and stitching by hand. Below are reflections by two juniors.

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During these past few weeks of sewing meditation cushions I have learned a lot about patience and mindfulness. Before this, I did not know how to sew, so learning this process was a new thing to me. Throughout these weeks, I not only learned how to sew, I have also learned how sewing relates to being mindful because knowing where to sew and being able to sew a straight line require concentration. I have also discovered that when I am sewing, I need to be quiet and focused on what I’m doing or else I will mess up. I never realized this before, but sewing cultivates our virtue of patience, as it is a long process. I hope that by making these cushions, they will benefit the next generation of meditation class and help them towards their path to mindfulness. Overall, I enjoyed this experience and learned new things.

They say “Slow and steady wins the race.” Even though by the time I finished sewing, others have basically gone to the moon and back. What we did before we started sewing was chalking measurements on the cloth. Well, it didn’t go very well since different rulers had different measurements. What was even worse was that the rulers weren’t even straight. And once the chalking was done, we started sewing (by hand). At first, I was sewing at a fast pace, hoping to quickly finish my job. The problem was that my fast-paced sewing did not give me a satisfying straight line, it did not even follow the line. I had to cut all the thread open and start over. If I were to do that with a steadier pace, I would be able to save time, the thread, and my effort. Thus sewing this cushion made me remember the saying that goes “Quality over Quantity.” Thus, even though I am the last one to finish, I can assure everyone that, that cushion is made out of quality effort and dedication, my blood and sweat. To those using this cushion next year, “You’re welcome.”