"No mud, No Lotus"

Thich Naht Hahn has four words "No mud - No lotus" for his teaching on suffering. Thay explains:“It’s like growing lotus flowers. You cannot grow lotus flowers on marble. You have to grow them on the mud. Without mud, you cannot have a lotus flower. Without suffering, you have no ways in order to learn how to be understanding and compassionate.... Happiness is the lotus flower, and the suffering is the mud. So the practice is how to make use of the suffering, make use of the mud, to create the flower, the happiness, and this is something possible."- Thich Nhat Hanh

BREATHE

Breathe and you know…that you are alive.
Breathe and you know…that all is helping you.
Breathe and you know…that you are the world.
Breathe and you know…that the flower is breathing too.
Breathe for yourself…and you breathe for the world.
Breathe in compassion…and breathe out joy.
Breathe and be one…with the air that you breathe.
Breathe and be one…with the earth that you tread.
Breathe and be one …with the fire that glows.
Breathe and you breathe…the thought of birth and death.
Breathe and you see…impermanence is life.
Breathe for your joy...and to be steady and calm.
Breathe for your sorrow…to flow away.
Breathe to renew…every cell in your blood.
Breathe to renew…the depth of consciousness.
Breathe and you dwell…in the here and now.
Breathe and all you touch…is new and real.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

REFUGE PRAYER

At the foot of the Bodhi Tree,
Beautifully seated, peaceful and smiling,
The living source of understanding and compassion,
To the Buddha I go for refuge.
The path of mindful living,
Leading to healing, joy, and enlightenment,
The way of peace,
To the Dharma I go for refuge.
The loving and supportive community of practice,
Realizing harmoney, awareness and liberation,
To the Sangha I go for refuge.
I am aware that the Three Gems are within my heart.
I vow to realize them.
I vow to practice mindful breathing and smiling,
Looking deeply into things.
I vow to understand living beings and their suffering,
To cultivate compassion and loving kindness,
And to practice joy and equanimity.
I vow to offer joy to one person in the morning
And to help relieve the grief of one person in the afternoon.
I vow to live simply and sanely,
Content with just a few possessions,
And to keep my body healthy.
I vow to let go of all worry and anxiety
In order to be light and free.
I am aware that I owe so much to my parents, teachers, friends and all beings.
I vow to be worthy of their trust,
To practice wholeheartedly,
So that understanding and compassion will flower,
And I can help living beings
Be free of their suffering.
May the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha support my efforts..

-- Thich Nhat Hanh --

THE THREE JEWELS

I take refuge in the Buddha,
The one who shows me the way in this life.

I take refuge in the Dharma,
The way of understanding and love.

I take refuge in the Sangha,
The community that lives in harmony and awareness.

- Thich Nhat Hanh -

 

TWENTY-FOUR BRAND NEW HOURS

Waking up this morning, I see the blue sky.
I join my hands in thanks for the many wonders of life;
For having twenty-four brand new hours before me.
The sun is rising.
The forest becomes my awareness bathed in sunshine.
I walk across a field of sunflowers.
Tens of thousands of flowers are turned toward the bright east.
My awareness is like the sun.
My hands are sowing seeds for the next harvest.
My ear is filled with the sound of the rising tide.
In the magnificent sky, clouds are approaching with joy from many directions.
I can see the fragrant lotus ponds of my homeland.
I can see coconut trees along the rivers.
I can see rice fields stretching, stretching, laughing at the sun and rain.
Mother Earth gives us coriander, basil, celery and mint.
Tomorrow the hills and mountains of the country will be green again.
Tomorrow the buds of life will spring up quickly.
-- Thich Nhat Hanh --