The Miracle of Being Present · The Peaceful Path

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The Miracle of Being Present

One of our new members

mentioned in her introduction that she likes the teachings of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh .

I was blessed to have been able to meet him here in France at a Buddhist ceremony back in 2015 before he bacame ill. So in his honour here is a post of his core teachings of mindfulness, compassion, and interbeing.

Thầy (as his students affectionately called him) taught us that peace is not just a concept, but a practice we cultivate in every step, every breath, and every word. May these posts serve as a small bell of mindfulness for you today.

Mindfulness / "I have arrived, I am home"

Have you ever eaten a tangerine so mindfully that you could taste the sunshine, the rain, and the soil that created it?

Thích Nhất Hạnh taught that the greatest miracle is not to walk on water, but to walk on the Earth in the present moment. He often reminded us with the simple gatha (verse):

"I have arrived, I am home

In the here, in the now.

I am solid, I am free.

In the ultimate, I dwell."

Most of us live in the shadows of the past or the hopes of the future, missing the only moment we truly have: this one.

Mindfulness is the energy that helps us stop running and finally arrive.

Today's practice:

Wherever you are—sitting in traffic, washing the dishes, or walking to your car—take three conscious breaths.

Feel your feet on the ground.

Arrive in your body.

You have suffered enough.

It is time to come home to yourself.