Tag Archives: Thich Nhat Hanh

Water, Walking and Words

Water Walking and Words, , , ,

In the video above Oprah interviews Thich Nhat Hanh, or Thay, as his followers call him.

Many years ago I saw this interview, and the part that stayed with me is when Oprah tells Thay that just being in his presence she feels less stress and more peaceful. She asks him if he always feels peace and he responds, “That is my practice.”  

That one thought has stayed with me, “That is my practice.” It has inspired me to write about Water, Walking and Words and having that as a practice. I know that walking is the best exercise, fresh spring water one of the best things for our bodies, and words create our experiences in life.

My reasoning is that knowing these simple three things and practicing them can be very beneficial. Thay combines walking with mindfulness and peace. I like to combine walking mindfully with cultivating joy as my practice. When he said cultivating peace is my practice, it gave me not only an overwhelming feeling that peace is possible, but a knowing that we can practice Divine Qualities of kindness, love and joy until they are such a part of us that they radiate from us and are available for others who are in our presence.

The statement, “That is my practice,” frees us to start again when we fall short. When we put our energy and intention, our mindfulness, to a practic,e it will grow, step by step. Our job is to choose where we want to put our energy and intention.

I often ask myself the question, “What do I want to bring into this moment?”

I included the video in the middle today because I feel grateful that our US Embassy, in an official capacity, gave a tribute to Thay. The United States was one of his second homes, and he still has a great following here, along with Plum Village in France.

The last video is a wonderful teaching about worry, which I feel we can all benefit from.

I’ve have listened to many of Thay’s teaching  videos over the years and have received their effect of being bridges of love light to my high self.

What do you want to have as your practice, without any self-judgement or recrimination, just a loving habit that will allow one of the many Divine parts of yourself to grow and flourish?

Contemplation, Mindful Movement and Meditation

Love Peace Harmony, , , , , , , , , , ,

Contemplation, Mindful movement, and Meditation
Photo by Hana Wilkins. Teton Creek, Idaho

Last week we discovered how simple it is to create Love, Peace and Harmony in our lives. These qualities help us have more health, happiness and contentment.

I want to share my favorite forms of these practices that have been my personal bridges of love-light. I love joy, fun and happiness. These activities of light have helped me truly and immeasurably to be happy, be joy and be myself.

Often friends tell me of the upset and anxiety in their lives and I ask, “Do you meditate?” As often the response is, “No, I don’t have time.” My favorite response I borrowed from a zen proverb: “You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour.”

I’ve experienced over and over that mediating gives me more time in my day. Synchronicity, serendipity, harmony and peace of mind create the space for great ideas and solutions to problems. Who to call, when to go and where; your own Divine intuition enhanced and louder.

My favorite forms are Mindful Walking, sitting on a bench in a garden, Tai chi, taking an almost-nap in the sun, sitting on the sand at the ocean’s edge, walking on the beach or, as the Japanese say, “forest bathing.” Choose a form that works for you. You don’t have to be formally meditating as a Zen Monk to receive the many benefits of stilling your mind and being in your heart– as Eckhart Tolle teaches us in Stillness Speaks.

What I learned from his holiness, The Dalai Lama, is that what he gets from meditation is “nothing.” What he doesn’t get is what is important: he doesn’t get get anger, anxiety and a lack of peace of mind.

He teaches us: “The source of a happy life is within us… Peace of mind is within us; it requires that we develop a warm heart and use our intelligence. People often don’t realize that warmheartedness, compassion, and love are actually factors for our survival.” (From The Dalai Lama on Why Leaders Should Be Mindful, Selfless, and Compassionate, by The he Dalai Lama with Rasmus Hougaard, published in the Harvard Business Review February 20, 2019.)

The photo above demonstrates stillness in movement. The creek is flowing and still and clear at the same time. For me, the clear mirror image in the photo’s picture of stillness is how we reflect our Creator in the stillness. We hear our “still small voice.”

Water walking and words

WATER, WALKING and WORDS, Part 2

Water Walking and Words, , , , ,

Walking in Nature is your number one Key to Well-Being.

Our bodies are designed to move. Everything in Nature is in constant movement, even if just at the atomic level as in rocks. Breezes, clouds, rivers, oceans, ice flows, leaves, grasses, animals and ….. Us.

We are in constant movement. A very popular Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, teaches many around the world about Being here now while walking (You Are Here, Shambala Press 2009). This alone is a healing, as we are designed to be Joy at our core. Another popular spiritual teacher, Eckhart Tolle, wrote one of my favorite books about Nature, Stillness Speaks. He writes, “Nature has been waiting for us as it were, for millions of years.”

The movement of walking in Mother Nature enhances all of our systems, heart, lungs, muscles, etc, though the most beneficial part is well-being even if just for a moment. When you walk silently in Nature for just 20 minutes, you arrive at the same frequency of inner peace that you would having meditated, sitting in a room, for the same length of time. The added benefit of being outside is Prana, the energy of pure air from trees, sunshine, flowers, plants, water and the Spirit of Mother Nature. We are designed to walk.

As we see the horizon in the distance, our body and emotions balance themselves. Sananda teaches us to contemplate infinity every day which we do as we see the horizon or star gaze. Watching the sun rise connects you to Mother Earth, and the sunset prepares you for a restful sleep. These activities are so simple but contribute to our wellness, on so many levels, reminding us we are a part of the Whole Earth and universe. We are not looking at nature as a photograph, but are immersed in Mother Nature and are very much a part of it, not separate or isolated from all that is. We each have a very unique part to play upon this alive world.

The photo I took is a Mimosa tree that just for the moment caught the rays of sunlight. I live for the joy of these moments and hope you will, too, in discovering such a simple and fun way to enhance your peace, health, well being, inspiration, clarity and a renewed love of birds, trees, animals and the Elemental world.

Next week… Words.