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Solid and Free in the Present Moment

Thich Nhat Hanh · September 23, 1997 · Kim Son Temple, United States

Our true home is right here, in this very moment. When we know how to come back to ourselves, even for just a few minutes, the qualities of solidity and freedom naturally manifest. This is nirvana—the deep peace that the Buddha taught we can touch with our own body. What is important is not to merely repeat the words, but to allow that solidity and ease to truly be present within us, to “return and take refuge” just as the wave remembers it is water, returning to our true mind, our Buddha nature—the unchanging foundation that is always there.

The practice of “I have arrived, I am home” continues with “now, here” so that we can dwell in the present moment, solid as a green mountain, free as a white cloud, with the door of the unborn open. This simple yet powerful exercise includes:

Breathing: breathing in, “I have arrived”; breathing out, “I am home.”
Dwelling: moving to “now, here.”
Repeating: “solid, solid; free, free.”

“I have arrived, I am home, I have arrived, I am home, now, here. Solid, free, I return and take refuge.”