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I Have Arrived, I Am Home

Thich Nhat Hanh · November 15, 2008 · Germany · Audio Only
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A Day of Mindfulness is a practice to enjoy every moment of daily life, where sitting, walking, breathing, and drinking tea are done in mindfulness. When the mind is fully present with the body, drinking tea becomes a deep spiritual experience and breathing in reveals that being alive is the greatest of all miracles. Life is available only in the present moment, yet many are caught in regret concerning the past or fear about the future. To return to the present is to touch the Kingdom of God, or the Pure Land of the Buddha, which is available in the here and the now. The Kingdom is now or never, and includes the blue sky, beautiful hills, flowers, birds, and all of us; the only requirement is to make oneself available to it.

Walking meditation helps resist the tendency to run, using the words “I have arrived, I am home” to stop running and “solid, free” to establish solidity against regret and freedom from uncertainty. The miracle is not to walk on thin air or water, but to walk on earth. Mindfulness is the energy that brings us home to the here and the now, applied to all activities:

  • Mindfulness of drinking
  • Mindfulness of breathing
  • Mindfulness of walking
  • Mindfulness of brushing teeth
  • Mindfulness of watering flowers
  • Mindfulness of driving

During meals, a piece of bread is recognized as the body of the cosmos, containing sunshine, rain, the earth, and the farmer. The greatest gift offered to a beloved one is true presence, embodied in the mantras: “Darling, I am really here for you” and “Darling, I know you are there and I am very happy.” To love someone is to recognize that they are there; to be loved means to be recognized as existing. The collective energy of a group helps recognize and embrace suffering tenderly. This energy is directed toward the history of Waldbröl, where a hospice for the mentally ill operated until 1938. Patients were transferred, subjected to forced sterilization, or given euthanasia, described as unworthy of living. Walking meditation is practiced to recognize this injustice, asking the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Jesus Christ to transfer merits for their release, while allowing compassion and forgiveness to be born for those who caused the suffering.

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