Tag: Thich Nhat Hanh

How to Help This Garden Grow.

There’s an onion that grows wild in the forests of Asia. Its spice lends such a delicate aroma, a perfect balance for the local cuisine. People travel from many miles away simply to partake in its savory goodness.

You might think, given its popularity, that the plant’s essence might soon be depleted. But, quite the opposite is true. In fact, were you to harvest it’s sweetness, it would grow back much stronger than ever before.

The send is true of human kindness and generosity. “We exist in interbeing with all of life,” Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh shares. “When we understand this fundamental truth, our acts of giving will be made in the spirit of nondiscrimination.”

We do, not because we expect acknowledgement or reward – but, rather simply, because the energy of goodness belongs to all and in this space we are the means by which it grows.

“We don’t have to give $100,000 or even $10,” he writes. “instead we can offer a smile or a loving, compassionate gaze. We can give the gift of our calm, concentrated presence to help someone who is fearful or anxious. We can make an offering of our time and energy and work with the homeless, or with those who are prisoners or are addicted to different substances, or to work on helping the environment. We have plenty of gifts to offer; we are far wealthier than we may imagine. We can help secure the happiness of many people even if we don’t have a single penny in our pocket. When we are motivated by the desire to give, even if we have not yet offered anything yet, just the intention to offer our help and understanding, our willingness to listen and communicate, begins to lessen our own and others’ suffering.”

It is this simple act of giving that serves as a catalyst to our own awakening. And our actions, a measure of change. In the end, only love can make this garden grow.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❣

The Art of a Carefully Placed Pause.

This morning, I was getting ready for work, when I realized I didn’t feel well. My body has been greatly fatigued since my surgery, and perhaps coming back to work was a bit premature. Over the past few days, I’ve been feeling emotionally and physically drained.

As I looked into the mirror, I could see the ‘distance’ in my eyes. My face felt flushed as I steadied my hands against the countertop edge. I realized that I had been doing too much. In my eagerness to move forward, I actually set myself back.

As humans, we are wired to compete; to set and exceed expectations, in spite of the costs and/or considerations. We want to be the ‘best’ – though, against which scale?

As we embark on this spiritual journey, we may presume to know the way. We practice as the teachings say; we breathe, we meditate and eventually let go.

But do we remember to stop and take rest? Do we remember the balance between want and need?

This morning, my body forced me to take notice. Instead of rushing off, I took a few extra moments. I sat with the puppies, watching the path of the morning sun. I immersed myself in the changing colors of the sky. As the twilight faded, I realized that the stars were still there. Just like the rest I so desperately needed.

In his book, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, Thich Nhat Hanh encourages our pause. “We have to learn the art of stopping,” he writes. “Stopping our thinking, our habit energies, our forgetfulness, the strong emotions that rule us.”

Only in this way, can we become more mindful of our interactions and far more grounded in this present moment.

“Around us, life bursts with miracles,” he writes. “a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar…if you live in this awareness, you’ll see miracles everywhere. When we are tired and feel discouraged by life’s daily struggles, we may not notice these miracles, but they are always there.”

When the mind submits to rest, my friends – only then can we finally begin to see.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

To Those Empowered, a Message of Peace.

In 2011, the venerable Thich Nhat Hanh addressed members of the United States Congress. He was there to impart guidance and knowledge; to lay a foundation for this path to peace.

Members of the ‘political elite’, their spouses and families, and selected Congressional staffers (both current and former) were invited to participate. At first, they were hesitant to accept a ‘foreign’ wisdom. Though, perhaps more so – a bit fearful to lay down old habits.

Throughout history, empires have been built upon the backs of those willing to conquer and defeat. Subsequently, wars became a means to an end, while the battle within raged deeply. Villages were pillaged, and the very fabric of humanity, worn thin.

With each action, our understanding of morality, equanimity and justice was challenged. With each action, there was a ‘price’ to be paid.

Eventually, the energy of war bred an environment of mistrust – as world governments shifted resources to offset their fears.

Soon, the energy made its way through to each social class, as new policies were adopted to help control the change.

Even now, this battle extends to our day to day. We struggle with the hastiness of ‘view’; of seeing ourselves through another’s eyes.

“There is a lot that needs to be done in society”, he shared, “work against war, social injustice, and so on. But first we have to come back to our own territory and make sure that peace and harmony are reigning there. Until we do that, we cannot do anything for society. Let us begin immediately.”

You see…

The ‘true work’, my loves – begins with each day; a disentangling of prejudice built upon story. We have to begin the tedious (and often fear inducing) work of laying down labels; of allowing ourselves to be…

Just as we are.

As Brother Thay so simply put, “come back to ourselves and take care of the little boy or the little girl who inhabits the depths of our wounded souls.”

I think our world governments would benefit from such sound advice; to recognize and take action a perspective of humility.

Only then, can the ‘true work’ begin.

Though, this government was founded on the precept of separation; it was never intended to serve without being whole.

A little something to consider, my loves…

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

Copyright 2016, Tara Lemieux

About Those Edges.

I’ve been having some difficulties moving about, as of late. My body, it seems, has found a path of its own and I’ve felt somewhat powerless to help.

Years ago, I would have fallen deeply into my fears – certain of the destiny to follow.

Fear is such a debilitating energy; for in a split second of a ‘moment gone wrong’ our worlds may be reduced to the point of a pin.

At the heart of it, I suppose we’re afraid of being vulnerable — that sense of powerless far too great a burden to manage. Though, even in this moment there exists an opportunity to transform.

Often, we’ll hear the phrase ‘looking deeply into our fears’. Though, in practice – what does that mean?

Most will offer, ‘it’s a moment to pause’ — to reflect on the energy of fear itself, to understand its true source. To some extent, that’s true – however, it also requires moving closer to our ‘edge’.

That is to say…

We mustn’t try to dissuade or ‘hush’ the energy. Rather, we should experience it at its fullest complexity.

As Thich Nhat Hanh once so poignantly shared, “When we succeed in surviving strong emotions, we experience a more solid peace of mind.”

So, let those fears, in turn, deepen you. Allow these lessons of willingness to prevail.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

In Finding Freedom.

When I first entered mindfulness training, I approached it as a means to ‘end my suffering.’ I wanted to be free of debilitating emotions – fear, loneliness, anger, unrest.

So much so, that these emotions became the center point of my focus. In doing so, I allowed them the space to deepen their roots.

“What you pay attention to grows,” shares Geneen Roth. And, it’s true.

Though, quite certainly inadvertent – still, we sacrifice our freedom for yet another spiritual chain. Thus, further bound by that which we are trying so desperate to escape.

And then one day I realized – there is no ‘escape’ from the suffering we experience. Rather, we must learn to look into and ultimately transform the energy of our pain.

As Thich Nhat Hanh teaches: without suffering, there can be no happiness. So we mustn’t be so discriminatory against the ‘mud’, rather we must learn to embrace with a soul-filling tenderness.

In time, perhaps we may successfully transition – from the role of ‘willful actor’ to that of ‘mindful observer.’

“What can we do transform our deep-rooted seeds of suffering?” he asks.

We may open to their lesson, instead of being limited by it.

A little something to consider, my friends…

With blessings of peace and love…

Namaste ❤️

How Does this Energy Serve You?

“How does this serve you?” he once asked of me.
 
My teacher was a sweet old man, short of stature but great of heart. His questions were like riddles designed to enlighten and reveal.
 
He smiled again with toothless grin,
 
“How does this anger serve you?”
 
It was the first time I had ever considered my ‘role’ within the context of an emotional upset. More specifically, it reinforced the capacity of mind to create the conditions my heart was so desperately seeking.
 
I wanted to be free of my anger, and yet – I gripped it tightly like a treasured amulet.
 
We have such an attachment to our emotions, as if a child born of our own blood. How dare anyone challenge their ‘goodness’ or ‘rightness’? After all, our emotions could never do wrong…
 
Right?
 
The truth is, we tend to become lock-stepped validating the legitimacy of our emotions, rather than looking deeper to determine their much broader meaning.
 
Our minds are continuously shifting and sorting. Some call it logic, others – simply ‘noise’. We feel we’re doing justice through this external examination. Though sadly, in doing so, we miss the opportunity to ‘connect.’
 
Is it any wonder why stillness has such difficulty manifesting?
 
“Be still and heal” reads the calligraphy hanging upon my wall. The words are those of the venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, and are intended to guide our attention to these subtler complexities of life.
 
In our stillness, we can set aside our restlessness and worry. We can begin to silence that inner voice which keeps us so helplessly tethered to our pain. Though, more importantly –
 
We can begin to understand and grow.
 
“We have to trust our spirit in the way we trust our body,” he shares. “Our spirit has the power of self healing if only we know how to allow it to rest.”
 
We have to learn to let our spirit heal, my loves. And, each time we feel the flinch of reaction – we must ask ourselves:
 
“How does this energy serve you?”
 
A little something to consider on this day, my loves. Our choices define our interrelationship with this world, but more so – they shape the context of our being.
 
Much love ~
 
Namaste <3
 

The Art of Being.

“The flower does not try to become the sun; it already is the sun. It does not try to become a tulip; it already contains the qualities of tulip within it. When you achieve this insight, you stop suffering. We suffer because we want to deny ourselves. We want to become something else, and so…we never stop running.”

Oh my goodness, what an inspirational passage this morning by the venerable Thích Nhất Hạnh. That is to say, in life we have realistically just two options – to learn to be still, or to simply run away.

In running away, we lose the opportunity to connect with our heart, and understand its interrelationship with all living beings.

It is, perhaps, our most sacred discovery – to uncover the very essence of ‘connection.’

My darlings, we shouldn’t feel compelled to be the sun – as, we are *already* the sun. Filled with the fire of one thousand Universes, with the mission of ‘just simply being.’

Now, isn’t that simply the most wondrous release? That we are all and everything, at once – with no need to be anything but ‘me.’

It’s time to look deeply, my darlings. To take pause, to consider – to breathe.

“Everyday we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize.” he writes. “a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child – our own two eyes. All is a miracle.”

My darlings, it’s about time you opened your eyes…. and realized…

That you are both beautiful…AND…you are loved.

<3

Where to Find Our Smile.

“Breathing in, I feel my strong emotions.
Breathing out, I smile.
I stay with my breathing so I won’t lose myself.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

It’s often difficult to let go of what we know.

The energy of the emotion feels so inexplicably real – anger pits to the center of our chest, and sadness pulls our whole body inward.

In time, we begin to lose sight of its origin…its roots. Breathing in, we feel the strength of our emotions – that push, pull, tug, tumbling forward deeper into our own unsettledness.

It happens to the best of us. In spite of our intention, we fall further into duress – preferring the comfort of familiarity over our much bigger fear of the unknown.

You know, it’s always puzzled me to think – that if a bottle were marked clearly as ‘poison’, we would immediately turn it away.

Though, if the same were true of our own emotions – I wonder, how quickly we might react?

As Thích Nhất Hạnh would say, it’s the letting go which gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.

Leaving room enough to wonder – what’s the worst that can happen if I simply let things go?

And, knowing that in our breathing out – we’ll always find our smile?

A little something to consider today…

Learning to Become One With Love.

“This is the subtle truth; whatever you love, you are.” – Rumi

One of my favorite passages from poet, Jalāl ad-Dīn Rumi. But, my darlings, do you know what this means?

It speaks to the nature of our interconnectedness; that inexplicable bond whose ‘threads’ form the very fabric of humanity.

It is the ‘oneness’ which connects us all. And, when we’re able to break free of these barriers to love, my darlings – only then, can we finally step into the wholeness of our being.

As Thich Nhat Hanh once so beautifully offered,

“We touch the earth to let go of the idea that we are separate and to remind us that we are the Earth and part of Life. When we touch the Earth we become great, like an ancient tree sending her roots deep into the earth, drinking from the source of all waters.”

I like to think, with each ‘root’ that is formed, that we are reinforcing our connection to all living beings.

Whatever you love, you are; and, whatever we embrace, we become.

My prayer on this day, is that we may all become ‘one’ with this Love.

Namaste <3

Learning to Trust That One True Voice Within.

Brother Thich Nhat Hanh once offered, that when first encountering our mindfulness practice – we might discover a million unanswered questions.

Questions such as, “How do I maintain this calmness of center, when the world seems to be crumbling into chaos?”

Or even more directly, “How do I continue to find love for myself, when the absence of love is so palpable?”

We all have these life questions, my loves – questions that seem to take us farther from ‘home.’ Instinctively, we avoid following that ‘trail’ – convinced, that any further exploration would lead to further burden.

Instead of looking more deeply within, we seek refuge in areas external to self.

“We have the habit of always looking outside of ourselves, thinking we can get wisdom and compassion from another person or the Buddha or his teachings (Dharma) or our community (Sangha).

But you are the Buddha, you are the Dharma, you are the Sangha.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

My darlings, before looking elsewhere for these foundations of ‘heart’, we must first bring our awareness back ‘home.’

Home is where all of our answers exist. Where even the most complex of puzzles are effortlessly solved.

“Listen, listen.
This wonderful sound brings me back to my true self.”

It is within this silence, that our one true voice may finally be heard.

The trick is, not only learning to listen – but, to trust in it.

I promise you, it’s there for a reason.