thich nhat hanh, “our appointment with life” (on the bhaddekaratta sutra)

Friday 23 February 2007 | I like a cookie

Some days we may feel hollow, exhausted, and joyless, not really our true selves. On such days, even if we try to be in touch with others, our efforts will be in vain. The more we try, the more we fail. When this happens, we should stop trying to be in touch with what is outside of ourselves and come back to being in touch with ourselves, to “being alone.” We should close the door onto society, come back to ourselves, and practice conscious breathing, observing deeply what is going on inside and around us. We accept all the phenomena we observe, say “hello” to them, smile at them. We do well to do simple things, like walking or sitting meditation, washing our clothes, cleaning the floor, making tea, and cleaning the bathroom in mindfulness. If we do these things, we will restore the richness of our spiritual life.



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