THE MOMENT

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Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh was interviewed by Oprah in the March 2010 issue of O Magazine. The following are direct quotes from the interview. Words in italics are mine.

THE MOMENT

Happiness is the cessation of suffering. Well-being. For instance, when I practice this exercise of breathing in, I’m aware of my eyes; breathing out, I smile to my eyes and realize that they are still in good condition There is a paradise of form and colors in the world. And because you have eyes still in good condition, you get in touch with the paradise. So when I become aware of my eyes, I touch one of the conditions of happiness. And when I touch it, happiness comes.

How often do I FORGET to SEE and appreciate this glorious paradise around me?!

Breathing in, I am aware of my heart. Breathing out, I smile to my heart and know that my heart still functions normally. I feel grateful for my heart.

I should be MOST appreciative of my healthy heart!

You need to practice mindfulness to bring your mind back to the body and establish yourself in the moment. If you are fully present, you need only make a step or take a breath in order to enter the kingdom of God. And once you have the kingdom, you don’t need to run after objects of your craving, like power, fame, sensual pleasure, and so on. Peace is possible. Happiness is possible. And this practice is simple enough for everyone to do.

The KEY terms here are MINDFULNESS and establishing myself IN THE MOMENT!

When you focus ALL of your attention on being alive at a specific moment – such as a simple act of drinking a cup of tea – In that moment you are real, the cup of tea is real. You are not lost in the past, in the future, in your projects, in your worries. You are free from all of these afflictions. And in that state of being free, you enjoy your tea. That is the moment of happiness, and of peace.

The key is to be free of all distractions and focus entirely on the present simple activity – block out the past, the future, and all other distractions. Be FULLY CONSCIOUS of the present activity at that moment in time.

This was always easy for me when I participated in sports. During those times, my attention was COMPLETELY focused on the game. All other distractions were blocked out.

Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes.

Happiness comes from WITHIN. And that is possible when I remain IN THE MOMENT, in the PRESENT. Doing this will allow me to FULLY appreciate the simple blessings in life.

Many people come to our center and learn this art of mindful living.

MINDFUL LIVING is living COMPLETELY in the moment. There is a time to pay the bills and plan for a future, but so often I LOSE or miss out on the present by worrying or focusing on something from the past or something in the future?

As you walk, you touch the ground mindfully, and every step can bring you solidity and joy and freedom. Freedom from your regret concerning the past, and freedom from your fear about the future.

Mindful living in the moment can free me from much regret and fear.

People sacrifice the present for the future. But life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and now.

LIFE IS AVAILABLE ONLY IN THE PRESENT. How often have I LOST part of my life by not living fully in the present? How much of my sons’ lives as they were growing up did I miss out on because of my preoccupation with other distractions?!

Happiness and suffering support each other. To be is to inter-be. It’s like the left and the right. if the left is not there, the right cannot be there. The same is true with suffering and happiness….

I more fully appreciate the good times when I have been through bad times, victories when I have enduring loses, good health when I have experienced bad health….

The same is true with … good and evil. In every one of us there are good seeds and bad. We have the seed of brotherhood, love, compassion insight. But we have also the seed of anger, hate, dissent.

I must focus on cultivating my good “seeds” or qualities.

Mantras:
“Darling, I’m here for you.” When you love someone, the best you can offer is your presence. How can you love if you are not there?

And I must be MINDFULLY present when I am in their presence.

You look into their eyes and you say, “Darling, I’m here for you.” You offer him or her your presence. You are not preoccupied with the past or the future; you are there for your beloved.

I must focus on LISTENING and be totally engaged during our time together.

The second mantra is. “Darling, I know you are there and I am so happy.” Because you are fully there, you recognize the presence of your beloved as something very precious. You embrace your beloved with mindfulness. And he or she will bloom like a flower. To e loved means to be recognized as existing.

To be fully present in the company of my beloved IS VERY PRECIOUS! I must focus on embracing her with mindfulness.

And these two mantras can bring happiness right away, even if your beloved one is not there. You can use your telephone and practice the mantra.

I am NOT good at using the telephone, possibly because of my self-consciousness. I'm concerned that I might be holding the other person up.

I’m very happy. The third mantra is what you practice when your beloved one is suffering. “Darling, I know you’re suffering. That is why I am here for you.” Before you do something to help, your presence already can bring some relief.

Just being WITH someone, they know I care about them. That alone is a start. But again, I usually hesitate to go to someone for fear they would rather I not be there.

And the fourth mantra is a little bit more difficult. It is when you suffer and you believe that your suffering has been caused by your beloved. If someone else had done the same wrong to you, you would have suffered less. But this is the person you love the most, so you suffer deeply.

This IS the toughest suffering because of the emotional investment and the intimacy (whatever level it may be) of that particular relationship. My faith and trust in, and the personal security I feel with that person is shaken. It sometimes is devastating to me.

You prefer to go to your room and close the door and suffer alone.

Being very introverted, this IS the way I react. I do suffer alone, possibly because it's how I’ve done it my whole life. It also allows me to remove myself from the situation - the presence of the suffering. And it allows me to work out my feelings, usually by writing my thoughts.

When you love someone, you want to share everything with him or her.

I DO! When we are apart, and I see or experience something special, I wish she was there experiencing it with me, and I can’t wait to share it with her! Possibly that is because part of her is always with me?

So it is your duty to say, “I suffer and I want you to know” – and he will, she will appreciate it.

It is EXTREMELY difficult for me to admit I am suffering and need help. I always try to endure it and work through it myself.

This is the case of two people who love each other. Your beloved one.

I am SO blessed to have that SPECIAL one. Or at least I used to be. :(

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