Last year in a meditation class someone gave me this quote from Thik Nhat Hanh on a piece of paper. I read it and put it away somewhere. One day last week it fell out of where ever I had stuffed it. I re-stuffed it into my bag after that thinking, “I should read that later.” Then I forgot about it. A few days later it fell out of my bag. I thought, “I should read that later.” I really felt like someone was trying to tell me something. When I finally did read it, I felt compelled to post it. Maybe someone else needs it too.
The quote is from the book:
Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
“We often ask, “What’s wrong?” Doing so, we invite painful seeds of sorrow to come up and manifest. We feel suffering, anger, and depression, and produce more such seeds. We would be much happier if we tried to stay in touch with the healthy, joyful seeds inside of us and around us. We should learn to ask, “What’s not wrong?” and be in touch with that. There are so many elements in the world and within our bodies, feelings, perceptions, and consciousness that are wholesome, refreshing, and healing. If we block ourselves, if we stay in the prison of our sorrow, we will not be in touch with these healing elements.Life is filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. Our breathing, for example, can be very enjoyable. I enjoy breathing every day. But many people appreciate the joy of breathing only when they have asthma or a stuffed-up nose. We don’t need to wait until we asthma to enjoy our breathing. Awareness of the precious elements of happiness is itself the practice of right mindfulness. Elements like these are within us an all around us. In each second of our lives we can enjoy them…
