In the words of the Most Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, spiritual teateacher, poet, scholar, and peace activist, who's life long efforts to generate peace and reconciliation moved Martin Luther King, Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967:
'Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing. We bring our body and mind into harmony while we wash the dishes, drive the car or take our morning shower. '
He furthers explains in his book Savor Mindful Eating, Mindful Life:
'The Chinese character for “mindfulness” is “nian”. It is a combination of two separate characters, each with its own meaning. The top part of the character means “now”, and the bottom part of the character means “heart” or “mind”.Literally, the combined character means the act of experiencing the present moment with your heart.
So mindfulness is the moment-to-moment awareness of what is occurring in and around us.
It helps us to be in touch with the wonders of life, which are here and now. Our heart opens and is immersed in the present moment, so that we can understand its true nature. By being present and mindful of the present moment, we can accept whatever is at that moment as it is, allowing changes to happen naturally, without struggle, without the usual resistance and judgement that cause us to suffer more.
Mindfulness is the energy that helps us look deeply at our body, feelings, mind perceptions, and all that is around us. It is a source of light in the darkness, allowing us to see clearly our life experience in relation to everything else. It is through this kind of insight that we can lift ourselves out of ignorance, the main cause of suffering.'
'Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing. We bring our body and mind into harmony while we wash the dishes, drive the car or take our morning shower. '
He furthers explains in his book Savor Mindful Eating, Mindful Life:
'The Chinese character for “mindfulness” is “nian”. It is a combination of two separate characters, each with its own meaning. The top part of the character means “now”, and the bottom part of the character means “heart” or “mind”.Literally, the combined character means the act of experiencing the present moment with your heart.
So mindfulness is the moment-to-moment awareness of what is occurring in and around us.
It helps us to be in touch with the wonders of life, which are here and now. Our heart opens and is immersed in the present moment, so that we can understand its true nature. By being present and mindful of the present moment, we can accept whatever is at that moment as it is, allowing changes to happen naturally, without struggle, without the usual resistance and judgement that cause us to suffer more.
Mindfulness is the energy that helps us look deeply at our body, feelings, mind perceptions, and all that is around us. It is a source of light in the darkness, allowing us to see clearly our life experience in relation to everything else. It is through this kind of insight that we can lift ourselves out of ignorance, the main cause of suffering.'
To read more on Thich Nhat Hanh and Mindfulness click here.
The Chinese characters:
'nian'
|
now
|
heart or mind
|
