“Smile Breathe & Go Slowly” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
I have sat for many hours in my Meditation Chair , sipping my tea and finding comfort in the many books & Teachings from the great Mindfulness Teacher, Thich That Hanh, who passed today.
His simple yet powerful teachings about “life” has changed the lives of millions of people around the world.
Below is a small collection of just some of the Zen Stories of Thich Nhat Hanh we have shared over the years , along with just a few readings from the many ear tagged pages I have of his books . This little Monk from Plumb village has certainly helped bring peace to the world . His Teachings have had a ripple effect to many including our Yoga NRG Community through sharing his Zen Stories at our General Yoga Classes at Moffat Beach & Mindfulness and Yoga Teacher Trainings.
Over the years we have shared many readings & Zen stories including this one that has the Answers to Three Great Questions:
What is the best time to do each thing?
Who are the most important people to work with ?
What is the most important thing to do at all times?
A favourite of many who has heard this Zen story after Silent Lead practices & Long Slow Deep Yoga sessions is the Story of the Coconut Monk which I have shared at the end of this blog.
Here are a few of some contemplations for your Meditation in honour of Thich Nhat Hanh
ON CONNECTION
* “If we want to be more connected to others , we don’t need to text them more, we need to listen to them more”
ON SILENCE
During our Mindfulness Teacher Trainings & at times our NRG for Soul Retreats we have periods of Silence and the passage below is a beautiful reminder of the importance of this and why :
“Most of the time our head is so full of thoughts that we have no space to listen to ourselves or anyone else. We have learnt from our parents & school that we have to remember lots of things, we have to retain lots of words, notions and concepts; and we think that this mental stockpile is useful for our life. But then we try to have a genuine conversation with someone , we find it difficult to really hear and understand the other person. Silence allows for deep listening and a mindful response, the keys to full and honest communication.”
Realise Silence comes from your heart, and not the absence of talk.
ON FEAR
We worry about our safety , our job and our family.
We worry about external threats
Even when nothing is happening , that doesn’t prevent us from feeling fear.
In addition to getting caught dwelling on events of the past , we often worry what will happen in the future. One way to help is to look deeply into the roots of the fear….
ON NATURE & SERVICE ~ A reminder we are nature
A flower does not have to do anything to be of service.
It only has to be a flower, that is enough.
A human being , a true human ‘being’
is enough to make the whole world rejoice
I don’t know about you , but I am familiar with ‘running’ I became more present to this during the pandemic when we could not travel. Even though a lot of the time I was travelling far and wide to learn from great teachers , I was at times missing some of the beautiful simple teachings in my own back yard .
During this time , yet again I found comfort , although truth can be confronting , it is comforting all the same.
ON STILLNESS – We do not need to run, we do not need to go anywhere
We don’t have to go anywhere to obtain the truth.
We only need to be still
Things will reveal themselves in the clear water of our heart.
Planting a seed
Washing a dish
And cutting the grass
Are as eternal
As beautiful
As writing a poem
I do not understand how a poem can be better than a peppermint plant
And in closing here is
THE STORY OF THE COCONUT MONK
There was a coconut monk in Viietnam who liked to climb up coconut trees where he would practice his meditation as it was cooler up there. He had studied in France to become an engineer , however when he returned home to Vietnam the war was raging everywhere, he no longer wanted to be an engineer he wanted to be a monk.
The coconut monk did many things to teach Peace. He would organise practices and invite many along to sit in meditation with him. He would spend his days collecting all the bullets and bomb fragments from all around the area.
Everyone around wondered what he was doing.
He wrote this poem:
Dear bullets , Dear Bombs I have helped you come together in order to practice.
In your former life you have destroyed , you have killed
But in this life you are calling out to people to
Wake Up
People gathered to meditate and then they heard the sound of the Bell – the bell , of which was made out of all of the bullets and left over shrapnel from the bombs
The bells very existence was a symbol of how transformation is possible
May you Rest In Peace Thicht Nhat Hanh
Thankyou for helping us all remember “Mindfulness” and that pain can be transformed into Peace.
Namaste
Tammy
(Founder of Yoga NRG & Mindfulness Teacher Training Australia) and
Trauma Aware Mindfulness Mentoring + Yoga Therapy Programs
