We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track. If this problem persists help us by reporting it so we can investigate it.
Watch this talk
Enter your email to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Log in or create an account
Don't Seek Happiness in the Future
Breathing and mindful steps are two effective means to help us embrace body and mind, bringing us back to the present moment, restoring “sovereignty” over our body and mind like a king in his own kingdom. Each person shares their daily walking meditation experience:
– The gatha “returning to take refuge in the island within” is combined with the breath (in-breath for 2–3 steps, out-breath for 4–5 steps) and steps in rhythm.
– The teacher has sets of gathas with two, three, four, and six words to flexibly adapt during walking meditation.
– Mindfulness in breathing is likened to “the light of the Buddha,” “the Dharma protecting body and mind,” the breath as “a fresh flower bud,” “still water reflecting.”
– Steps and breath bring us back to the present, giving rise to true freedom: walking, breathing, speaking, listening—all because we wish to, not out of compulsion.
Mindfulness is the source of free will and the path of liberation from suffering according to the Four Noble Truths:
- Suffering (dukkha)
- The cause of suffering
- The cessation of suffering
- The path (the Noble Eightfold Path)
On the contrary, wrong ways of living and thinking form the “Eight Wrong Practices”:
- Wrong view
- Wrong thinking
- Wrong speech
- Wrong action
- Wrong livelihood
- Wrong diligence
- Wrong mindfulness
- Wrong concentration
Thanks to mindfulness (breathing, walking meditation) and the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path, wrong thinking and habitual tendencies are transformed, creating conditions for free will to grow strong, bringing peace and happiness right in the present moment.
Part of the following collection
Gratitude and Happiness