At Home in the World by Thich Nhat Hanh

Author:Thich Nhat Hanh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Parallax Press
Published: 2016-12-05T16:00:00+00:00

The loss of a friend like Mr. Mounet was so painful. I had to deliver a talk the next morning. I wanted to sleep but I coudn’t, so I practiced breathing. It was a cold winter night, and I lay in bed visualizing the beautiful trees in the yard of my hermitage.

Years before, I had planted three beautiful cedars, a variety from the Himalayas. The trees are now very big, and during walking meditation, I used to stop and hug these beautiful cedars, breathing in and out. The cedars always responded to my hugging, I am sure of it. So I lay in bed, and just breathed in and out, becoming the cedars and my breath. I felt much better, but I still couldn’t sleep.

Finally I imagined a delightful Vietnamese child nicknamed Little Bamboo. She came to Plum Village when she was two years old, and she was so cute that everyone wanted to hold her in their arms, especially the children. They barely let Little Bamboo walk on the ground! She was now six years old. I practiced breathing and smiling with her image. In just a few moments, I fell sound asleep.

Each of us needs a reserve of memories and experiences that are beautiful, healthy, and strong enough to help us during difficult moments. Sometimes when the pain in us is so big, we cannot truly touch life’s wonders. We need help. But if we have a strong storehouse of happy memories and experiences, we can bring them to mind to help us embrace the block of pain inside.

You may have a friend who is very close to you and who understands you deeply. Just being with them, without saying anything is already a great comfort. In difficult moments you can invite the image of your friend to come up into your consciousness, and the two of you can breathe together. You will feel better right away.

Whenever you are with your friend, you are able to reestablish the balance within you. That is why when you are sitting or walking with them, you need to practice mindfulness so that you experience their presence deeply. This will help you to find your inner strength in order to feel solid when you are alone again. But if you just use your friend’s presence to ease your suffering, the memory of them will not be strong enough to sustain you when you return home. Every positive experience we live deeply, in full awareness, is like a wholesome seed planted in our consciousness. We need to practice mindfulness all the time so that we can plant healing, positive seeds in ourselves. Then, when we need them, they will be able to take care of us.

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