Saturday 9 July 2011

Brilliant simplicity - Thich Nhat Hanh on true love, the benefits of suffering, and the insight that will set you free.



He says that he teaches original Buddhism with a Mahayana spirit. I say that noone else today presents the Buddha’s central teachings as clearly and powerfully. Melvin McLeod, Editor in Chief of the Shambhala Sun

Melvin McLeod: Why is mindfulness the key to happiness? — Melvin McLeod

Thich Nhat Hanh:

Mindfulness brings concentration. Concentration brings insight. Insight liberates you from your ignorance, your anger, your craving. When you are free from your afflictions, happiness becomes possible. How can you be happy when you are overloaded with anger, ignorance, and craving? That is why the insight that can liberate you from these afflictions is the key to happiness. There are many conditions of happiness that are present, but people don’t recognize them because they are not mindful.

When body and mind are together, you are fully present. You are fully alive and you can touch the wonders of life that are available in the here and the now. So you practice not only with your mind but with your body. Body and mind should be experienced as one thing, not two. On that ground, you see that everything you are looking for is already there. Whether it is enlightenment, nirvana, liberation, Buddha, dharma, sangha, or happiness, it is right there. In fact, that is the only place, the only moment, where you can find these things.

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