Thich
Nhat Hanh a Zen monk, in his supremely edifying
book, titled, You are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment, shows
us how the path of mindfulness and insight can wake us from the
corpse-like stare of self-absorption, heal our emotional wounds and improve our
relationship with others, connect us with love and wonder to this beautiful
universe in which we live, and, finally, help us escape the bonds of birth and
death altogether, a wonderful practice based on nonviolence and nondualism.
We can love our bodies, our
emotions, and our minds even though they may cause us trouble.
In Buddhist meditation, you do
not turn yourself into a battlefield, with good fighting against evil.
Both sides belong to you, the good
and the evil. Evil can be transformed into good, and vice versa. They are
completely organic things, he observes.
He uses the illustration that if you
look deeply at the flower you will see that there is compost in it, made of
garbage.
Through such rich and accessible
metaphors, we learn that the key to happiness is learning how to turn garbage
(negative emotions like depression, fear and grief) into flowers (happiness,
joy and unconditional love).
Just as the flower needs compost, so
too do we need pain to grow.
In his words, “there is no path to
the cessation of suffering without suffering.”
Both the beauty and the debris are
there in a unity. Everything can be transformed from one thing to another.
We like the way this Buddhist
teacher counsels us to treat our bodies with tenderness by sending them energy
and appreciation such as "My heart, I know you are there for me, and I
want to be there for you, too."
The same can be said for other body
parts as well.
Being present in the here and now is crucial and there are
many practices which help us achieve this state, including meditation, walking
mediation, gathas, stopping and deep looking, and working with a sangha.
And just because the emphasis is on
the present doesn't mean that we cannot deal with the past or the future. We
can correct the past and vow to take fresh steps into tomorrow by
"beginning anew."
You Are Here: Discovering the Magic
of the Present Moment also contains helpful and wise
teachings on cultivating true love, the art of letting go, the practice of
shining light, weathering emotional storms, understanding the three dharma
seals (impermanence, non-self, and Nirvana), and becoming truly alive.
You Are Here
explains that the simple act of being present is a necessary prerequisite for
love.
In order to truly love ourselves, or
others, we must be here now, in the present. Being present can be as simple as
concentrating on our breath. Generating our own presence is the most precious
gift we can offer society.
How trueyyy he is!
Thank you so much Thomas Sir for
this rich and delightful recommend!
With
special inputs from spiritualityandpracticedotcom
Image courtesy: quotefancydotcom
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