The book I read this week is “Peace is every Step: the Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life” by Thích Nhất Hạnh, a Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk born in 1926. I also read other books written by him, like No Mud, No Lotus.
The book consists of 3 parts: the first one is about mindful breathing and meditation; the second one is about transformation and healing; the last one is about peace. Following, some points I really enjoy and that make me think more about our lives.
A few takeaways
- We are very good at preparing to plan and face life, but not to live. However, projects are made in the present, do not seek or wait for peace, think and live your present.
- Hang an inspirational phrase at the beginning to start the morning smiling, then it will become automatic with every ray of sunshine and every chirp.
- Everything that surrounds us keeps our smiles.
- Mindful breathing is a bridge that connects mind and body; breathing helps us against overthinking.
- Some people always keep their windows open, always letting in cold and external stimuli. Like those who constantly keep TV (and social media, that book is from the 1990s) open, built by those who speculate on often negative emotions, allowing others to shape and destroy us
- Meditation is not meant to be used to escape from problems like just taking a break; seated meditation does not have to be torture: change position if the body signals discomfort.
- Find an “awareness bell”: you can use any audio or visual cues to pause and remind yourself to breathe
- When you eat a mandarin, think calmly about how it is created, from the farmer care to the effects of Mother Earth, and how it came to you.
- While walking, don’t think that objects and people on the street are just obstacles to be overcome as soon as possible; while driving, take advantage of the red stops (instead of put your finger in your nose or swearing to other drivers, you can meditate and even enjoy the landscape (but keep an eye on the road!) – my note: remember that you can listen to podcasts and audiobooks and, above all, get out on time, to avoid rushing for being late.
- We all have seeds that are within us, for example, handed down from our ancestors, or even acquired by friends and society; often they are bad seeds, it is up to us not to cultivate the bad ones and cultivate the good ones.
- Awareness can break the chain of hate seeds.
- If you do miss a friend, you can always imagine he is next to you meditating, but if the memory of him fades, grab a ticket and go visit him, but with an open and serene mind, so as to deposit seeds for the next time
- The roots of anger are within us, we work on those and try to understand others.
- After seeing, you have to act.
- All the elements inter-exist, everything is made of each other (my note: everything is just transformed, according to Antoine Lavoisier).
- We are closely linked with the others, including people living in the poor countries.
- When you hear about a cruel story of a little girl raped by a Somali pirate, it’s easy to take the side of the little girl and want to kill the rapist pirate: of course you can doom the pirate, but take a moment to think about his context and the fact that he was born and raised in that area; be also thankful for not being there and appreciate where and how you live.
Final part, 14 points of inter-being
- Do not blindly adhere to doctrine/religions, they are just points of reference;
- Don’t get stuck to your knowledge and opinions; learn from life, not only theory;
- Overcome fanaticism;
- Don’t turn away from suffering;
- Wealth is not life’s purpose;
- Recognize anger and hatred, just breathe;
- Avoid distractions from the “outside” world;
- Try to resolve conflicts;
- Don’t spread hate, don’t condemn;
- Do not transform religion into politics, don’t use it for personal goals;
- Do not invest nor work against the environment and the others;
- Don’t kill;
- Do not steal or exploit;
- Do not harm others and do not practice meaningless sex.
Final words
This book, like others from Thich Nhat Hanh, should be a must for everyone, especially for those thinking they need/deserve more and for all the people looking at the number of things they do, instead of enjoying little tasks often considered unpleasant like washing dishes.
Instead of always being in a rush and feeling worried about the future, calm down and breathe: profit of every step you take to imagine you’re kissing the earth with four feet. Look at the beauty that surrounds you, listen to your and others’ feelings. The closer we are to the earth and to our real selves, the happier we become.
If you’re interested in my books list for 2021 updated to this week, just click here!
