Thich Nhat Hanh

4 posts

stop

Stop Doing What You Are Doing

Stop during what you are doing. Have you heard this sentence before? Parents often use this statement with their children. Thus, as a conditioned behavior, we learn to always focus on doing instead of consciously being. I recently overheard a conversation that illustrates this behavior.

stop

Don’t waste time by spending too much time doing non-productive things. The individual I mentioned above made this statement. Stop doing what you are doing. You’re wasting time. Instantly, I saw and felt confusion and frustration in the second person. Why? Because her focus was only on the details of the experience. Let’s be clear about something. Losing focus to your state of being in any moment insures mind dominance through thoughts or emotions. Continue reading

bobbing

Bobbing for Apples and Conscious Living

Yes, what I wish to share with you today is related to bobbing for apples. But, not in the customary manner that many people are familiar. I was running today as part of my ongoing physical therapy. This is bodily painful but mentally and spiritually beneficial because I have always loved to jog. So, there I was jogging away. The sun was shining and the birds where singing. Well, maybe the bird song was only in my heart. 😊

bobbing

I was very active in marathon running years ago. The runner’s high that people often talk about is possible and can be very beneficial to object consciousness development. You (the mind) may still be pondering on the relationship between bobbing for apples and conscious awareness. I will get to this shortly. But, first we should discuss and reflect on a few things. The reason for mentioning the runner’s high is because it is a portal to living more consciously. Not only this but, it is possible to experience without running everywhere you go. 😊 Moreover, I wish to share an exercise that can be beneficial in the conscious awakening process. Continue reading

Quality Experience Depends on You

An ultimate quality within any given experience is not really prevalent. The mind often deters us from consciously experiencing something. Therefore, we repeat the same behavioral patterns over and over. Most people stay on a conditioned one way street throughout the unfolding of any given day. Furthermore, human traits influence how we interact with any situation.

quality

Emotional traits such as anxiety or fear, for example, are destructive to our state of presence. A person cannot experience life quality when overshadowed by mind baggage. This distorts the unfolding of a given moment with illusion imprints. It does this very efficiently when a person is not living in the moment. We should also remember that quality is only a word. This word, as any word, and its meaning will vary from person to person. However, don’t take word meanings or interpretations too seriously. When we speak of quality it would be more appropriate to express this at the level of absoluteness. Therefore, using a mind-made quality label seems ambiguous.

Continue reading

Breath of Life: You are Alive

Breathe in slowly and breathe out even slower. What are you experiencing? We feel life in each breath. However, let’s focus on more than just the biological ramifications. We know that the body is an organism that must have oxygen to exist.

breath

However, the breath you take also entails the flow of life within it. This, in turn, provides the basis for object consciousness to awaken. Thereupon, the portal to universal consciousness opens. Your state of presence allows passage. Continue reading