Monday, May 19, 2008

The Miracle of Mindfulness

Wisdom is self-evident; perhaps it is analogous to love, you know it when you see it. And that is what I saw the moment I opened this book, and as I read each chapter, each page, until the very last page.

It is an experience to read something like this, not to mention life changing.

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk from Vietnam. His life long dedication to Buddhism and meditation has given him insights into some of the most difficult questions of human life. In this book, he tackles the practice of Mindfulness - how important it is, how it impacts our lives, and some practical advices on how to achieve Mindfulness each and every day.

In short, how to live in the moment.

I know, through my own life experiences, that this is no simple task. It is especially true living in today's ultra-fast culture and lifestyle. Everything is in a hurry; you are always trying to get to that next thing. Your life inevitably becomes a blur right in front of your eyes. Where is the meaning of this kind of living?

To use an example from the book - in order to drink tea you need to wash dishes. If when you wash the dishes all you can think about is preparing the tea and drinking the tea afterwards, then you are really not living in the moment. As a result, you are really not living. That is the unfortunate consequence of not living a mindful life.

And what happens next? When you drink the tea, you inevitably think about something else too - it is a chain reaction, and becomes a habit.

It is very easy to read this book and relate it to your life. The author does not preach, but the wisdom and truthfulness in what he writes come across easily and effortlessly. I suppose truth is self-evident as well. Deep down in the human heart it possesses the incredible ability to recognize it.

"Thich Nhat Hanh speaks with the voice of the Buddha," one critic claims. I suppose there is very little one needs to add to that.

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