[blockquote source=”C. JoyBell C.”]“The day I understood everything, was the day I stopped trying to figure everything out. The day I knew peace was the day I let everything go.” [/blockquote]

When asked how she managed to maintain such calmness of heart, Buddhist Nun, Chan Tung Nghiem (Sister Pine), lovingly replied,

“It is by keeping in mind what I really want.”

There is such simplicity in her response, and yet – when we ask this question of ourselves, there is a bit of tenderness which surrounds it.

“What will they think of me?”

“What if I fail?”

What if…what if…what if…?

Oh, my dearest darlings, can’t you see the endlessness in these ‘what if’ scenarios?

As we look out into this world, we notice how it continually changes. Where there is success, there is failure; where there is love, there is loss; where there happiness, there is the emptiness of profound sorrow.

And, through it all our emotional little heart responds. Through the multitude of twists and turns, through life’s upsets and unsettledness – these waves of emotions share no refuge, nor rest.

How can we be expected to find our footing, when our whole world is continuously shifting?

By keeping in mind what we really want. And, by doing everything with a mind that lets go.

We must make a choice, whether consciously or subconsciously – to ‘water the seeds’ of mindfulness. As Sister Pine further elaborated,

“I have to be in touch, to be mindful, to know (as Thay always says) what is going on in me and around me, so I can choose the life-enhancing, more pleasant option.  That’s what I mean by keeping in mind what I really want.”

Indeed, by keeping in mind what we really want, we begin to live the life we’ve always dreamed.

And, my darlings, that often requires the greatest amount of courage.