Sunday, August 2, 2009
To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.
By Thich Nhat Hahn in The Miracle of Mindfulness
To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.
By Thich Nhat Hahn in The Miracle of Mindfulness
”We often ask, ‘What’s wrong?’ Doing so, we invite painful seeds of sorrow to come up and manifest. We feel suffering, anger, and depression, and produce more such... more
I asked the leaf whether it was frightened because it was autumn and the other leaves were falling. The leaf told me, "No. During the whole spring and summer I was very alive.... more
If you can refrain from hoping, you can bring yourself entirely into the present moment and discover the joy that is already here. From Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat... more
Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. From Peace is Every Step by Thich... more
Wherever you are, you can breathe mindfully. We all need to go back to ourselves from time to time, in order to be able to confront the difficulties of life. We can do this... more
Empty your mind of all thoughts. Let your heart be at peace. Watch the turmoil of beings, but contemplate their return. From the Tao Te Ching as translated by Stephen... more
True mastery can be gained by letting things go their own way. It can't be gained by interfering. From the Tao Te Ching as translated by Stephen Mitchell... more
When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad. Being and non-being create each other. Difficult... more
Not-knowing is true knowledge. Presuming to know is a disease. First realize that you are sick; the you can move toward health. The Master is her own physician.... more
The wonderful gift of mindfulness is that we can stop ourselves and ask: What am I feeling? What is it like from my child's point of view? When you can do that, you often... more
There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. There is no way to peace. Peace is the way. There is no way to enlightenment. Enlightenment is the way. Thich Nhat... more
Mindfulness, which lies at the heart of Buddhist meditation, means moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness. It's cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention, intentionally,... more
The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers. Thich Nhat Hanh ... more
We talk about social service, service to the people, service of humanity, service for others who are far away—but often we forget that it is the very people around us that... more
While practicing mindfulness, don’t be dominated by the distinction between good and evil, thus creating a battle within oneself. Whenever a wholesome thought arises,... more
Try watching your reactions in situations that annoy you or make you angry. Notice how even speaking of something "making" you angry surrenders your power to others... Observer... more
Those who know don't talk. Those who talk don't know. Close your mouth, block off your senses, blunt your sharpness, untie your knots, soften your glare, settle your... more
Whenever I encountered a grown-up who seemed to me at all enlightened, I would experiment on him with my drawing Number One… I wanted to see if he really understood anything.... more
Knowing other is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. From the Tao Te Ching as translated... more
The elusive nature of a concrete, permanent, unchanging self is quite a hopeful observation. It means that you can stop taking yourself so damn seriously and get out from... more
To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is. By Thich Nhat Hahn in The Miracle of Mindfulness... more
If you close your mind in judgments and traffic with desires, your heart will be troubled. If you keep your mind from judging and aren't led by the senses, your... more
There is a difference between being aware of a thought and thinking a thought. That difference is very subtle. It is primarily a matter of feeling or texture. A thought... more
See the world as your self. Have faith in the way things are. Love the world as your self; then you can care for all things. From the Tao Te Ching as translated by... more
Fully developed Mindfulness is a state of total non-attachment and utter absence of clinging to anything in the world. If we can maintain this state, no other means or device... more
In the midst of every pleasant experience, you watch your own craving and clinging take place. In the midst of unpleasant experiences, you watch a very powerful resistance... more
There are three fundamental activities of mindfulness. We can use these activities as functional definitions of the term: (1) mindfulness reminds us of what we are supposed... more
Mindfulness is not trying to achieve anything. It is just looking. Therefore, desire and aversion are not involved. Competition and struggle for achievement have no place... more
I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and in thoughts, you return to the... more
We don't get enlightened. We cease being deluded. Jaye Seiho Morris (digitalzendo)... more
Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care... more
The ignorant one, mistakenly identifying with the body, erroneously thinks, 'I am the doer'. This is the mark of egoism. In truth, Arjuna, all actions are really performed... more
One popular human strategy for dealing with difficulty is autosuggestion: when something nasty pops up, you convince yourself it is pleasant rather than unpleasant. The Buddha's... more
Work hard in the world, Arjuna, but for work's sake only. You have every right to work but you should not crave the fruits of it. Although no one may deny you the outcomes... more
What happens is that you are going from being a thing to being a process. Your going from being a noun, to being a verb. And there’s an awkward intermediate zone that you... more
Your true home is in the here and the now. It is not limited by time, space, nationality, or race. Your true home is not an abstract idea. It is something you can touch and... more
Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. From the Tao Te Ching as translated... more
And heed this important point about life in general: The way to win this great war is to react alike to both pain and pleasure, profit and loss, victory and defeat. Krishna... more
Another time the Buddha recounted a story which made me suddenly see the supreme importance of practicing mindfulness of one's own self -- that is, to protect and care for... more
As the darkness of night vanishes when the sun rises, so too the darkness of ignorance and delusion is dispelled when you gain knowledge of your True Self. From the... more
Meditation is synonymous with the practice of non-doing. We aren't practicing to make things perfect or to do things perfectly. Rather, we practice to grasp and realize (make... more
Don’t go outside your house to see flowers. My friend, don’t bother with that excursion. Inside your body there are flowers. One flower has a thousand petals. That... more
One does not accomplish great ends in some by-and- by future, O Warrior. Only in the present can you hammer out real achievement. The worried mind tends to veer from the only... more
My office was on the outside edge of the college, and one day as I was wandering between stacks of books in the back of the college library, I came across a book that drew... more
The virtues of getting up early have nothing to do with cramming more hours of busyness and industry into one’s day. Just the opposite. They stem from the stillness and... more
Guess what? When it comes right down to it, wherever yo go, there you are. Whatever you wind up doing, that's what you've wound up doing. Whatever you are thinking right nowm,... more
To deny the reality of things is to miss their reality; to assert the emptiness of things is to miss their reality. The more you talk and think about it, the further astray... more
The present moment contains past and future. The secret of transformation, is in the way we handle this very moment. From Understanding Our Mind by Thich Nhat Hahn... more
Your mind is an instrument, a tool. It is there to be used for a specific task, and when the task is completed, you lay it down. From The power of now, by Eckhart Tolle
Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself? From the Tao Te Ching... more
Mindfulness is considered the heart of Buddhist meditation but its essence is universal and a deep practical benefit to all. In essence, mindfulness is about wakefulness.... more
Can you coax your mind from its wandering and keep to the original oneness? Can you let your body become supple as a newborn child's? Can you cleanse your inner vision until... more
Sitting at my desk the day before my little mindfulness project begins, I realize that the time I had put aside to get prepared has evaporated. I just finished coding up the... more