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Arrive and Be Home: Mindfulness in Daily Life

Thich Nhat Hanh · November 15, 1998 · Grünwald, Germany

Meditation is the application of mindfulness in daily life, described as the practice of mindful living. It is possible to practice while cooking, driving, or watering the garden. The Sangha serves as a boat, keeping practitioners from sinking back into habit energy and forgetfulness. Collective energy penetrates and supports the individual, making transformation and healing possible. The essential is not thinking, but being; becoming aware of the in-breath and out-breath allows one to be fully alive. Enlightenment is the light that allows awareness of what is happening in the here and the now. Whether washing dishes or driving, the practice is to establish oneself firmly in the present moment, rather than sacrificing the activity for the sake of arrival.

Vasana, or habit energy, pushes us to do and say things we do not want to, often transmitted by ancestors. The energy of mindfulness helps recognize this habit energy, allowing it to return to the form of a seed and become weaker. To cultivate mindfulness, specific exercises are proposed, such as eating an orange in perfect mindfulness to see the sunshine, rain, and cosmos within it, or hugging a loved one with 100% presence. Deep relaxation involves scanning the body with the beam of mindfulness, smiling to each part to release tension and promote healing.

To overcome the belief that happiness is not possible in the here and the now, four questions are asked:

  1. What are the one or two conditions believed to be absolutely essential for happiness?
  2. Can one manage to be happy even if that condition is never realized?
  3. What are the conditions of happiness available right now?
  4. What arrangements can be made to come in touch with these conditions every day?

Mindful walking trains one to live deeply without the need to arrive, touching the wonders of life with every step. This practice of arriving and feeling at home is supported by the verses: I have arrived, I am home; In the here, in the now; I am solid, I am free; In the ultimate I dwell.

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