Mantra – “Walking within, I clear my path towards inner peace.”

Clearing the Overgrown Path – A Journey Through the Kleshas
OPENING REFLECTION
Welcome. Let’s begin with a simple truth: we become whatever we repeatedly do. Just as in nature, paths are made by walking—our inner paths are formed the same way. Every time we choose presence over distraction, kindness over reaction, breath over chaos—we clear the way just a little more.

But when we stop walking, stop tending to our inner trail, it becomes overgrown. Weeds creep in. Vines twist across the trail. What was once clear becomes tangled. Over time, our path to peace and happiness can seem to disappear—not because it’s gone, but because it’s been neglected.

In Buddhist teachings, this overgrowth has a name: the kleshas—mental afflictions like doubt, pride, jealousy, craving, aversion, delusion, and ignorance. They grow quietly when we stop paying attention. They begin to block our Dharma—our natural, peaceful way.

But here’s the beauty: the trail is still there. Your practice tonight is how you return to it. Every pose clears a little more. Every breath helps you find your footing again. Let’s begin.

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TOPIC 1 – Recognizing the Overgrowth: The Kleshas
Metaphor: The Unused Trail
If you stop walking a forest trail, nature reclaims it. Shrubs grow, vines twist, the way becomes unclear. The same happens in the mind.

Reflection:
The kleshas—craving, jealousy, and doubt—often grow silently at first. We may not notice them until the path begins to vanish. But noticing is the first step. Tonight, observe what’s been growing in your mind. No judgment. Just awareness.

Quotes:
“The mind is not the enemy. It’s just untended land.” – Unknown
“Awareness is the machete that clears the way.” – David Scott
“The kleshas are not permanent. They grow from what we feed.” – Buddhist teaching
“Ignorance is not the absence of knowing, but the absence of seeing.” – Pema Chödrön
“Nothing is lost, only hidden by growth.” – Zen proverb

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TOPIC 2 – Clearing With Care: The Antidotes
Metaphor: Hands in the Weeds
You don’t rip at vines in anger—you gently untangle them, root by root. Each klesha has a counter-force: compassion softens anger, humility cuts pride, contentment starves craving.

Reflection:
In nature, when we violently yank weeds from the earth, they often release their seeds—ensuring they return even stronger. The same is true with afflictions of the mind. If we fight them aggressively, we often feed them.

That’s why we clear the path gently, with care. When anger rises, don’t rip at it—observe it. Offer compassion. When pride flares, don’t shame yourself—meet it with humility. This is how true transformation begins.

Quotes:
“Compassion is the blade that doesn’t wound.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“Each affliction has an opposite medicine. Find it. Use it.” – Matthieu Ricard
“We do not fight darkness. We light a lamp.” – Buddhist proverb
“Healing is not destruction. It is transformation.” – Unknown
“Peace does not come from force. It grows from attention.” – Dalai Lama

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TOPIC 3 – Rediscovering the Trail Beneath You
Metaphor: The Path Was Always There
Even if you can’t see the full trail, the earth remembers it. The way is beneath the overgrowth.

Reflection:
Sometimes the most tangled growth is ignorance—not a flaw, but simply forgetting who you are. The kleshas don’t erase your Dharma. They only hide it. The trail is still there. Trust your breath. Trust your feet.

Quotes:
“You are not off course. You are in the clearing process.” – David Scott
“Faith is taking the first step when the whole path isn’t clear.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“The path is not outside of you—it is through you.” – Rumi
“Stillness is the trail marker.” – Zen saying
“Sometimes returning is more powerful than discovering.” – Buddhist teaching

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TOPIC 4 – Living as the Gardener of Your Own Path
Metaphor: Keep the Trail Walked
A trail stays clear only if it’s used. Overgrowth returns when we stop practicing.

Reflection:
Let tonight be more than a class. Let it be your quiet return to consistency. When we stop walking, doubt comes back. When we cling to outcomes, craving grows wild. But when we walk the path daily, peace stays close.

Quotes:
“Do not neglect your own inner trail.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“A clear mind is not born. It is cultivated.” – Buddha
“Presence is a practice, not a personality.” – Pema Chödrön
“Walk the path and it becomes easier to find.” – Lao Tzu
“Peace is not stumbled upon. It is returned to.” – Unknown

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TOPIC 5 – Gratitude for the Overgrowth
Metaphor: What the Weeds Taught Me
The vines taught you where the path ends. The thorns taught you where not to step.

Reflection:
Even the kleshas have value. Jealousy reveals what matters to us. Pride shows us where we’re insecure. These aren’t enemies—they’re tangled teachers. And tonight, we thank them as we clear.

Quotes:
“The obstacle is not in the way. It is the way.” – Zen proverb
“From difficulty grows devotion.” – David Scott
“Give thanks to the weeds. They taught you how to care.” – Unknown
“The soul grows deeper through struggle.” – Kahlil Gibran
“Sometimes the most sacred things are revealed through the tangle.” – Buddhist reflection

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CLOSING WORDS
Your path was never gone. It was just waiting for your return.
Let your breath be your machete. Let your practice be your care.
And when you feel lost again, remember: you’ve already cleared the way once.
You can do it again. Each step is sacred. Each step is the path.

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MANTRA OPTIONS
I clear the way. I return to peace.

My path is within me. I walk it with presence.

I meet the overgrowth with grace.

I tend the trail of my peace.

In stillness, I find the way again.