Being in a State of Mindfulness

We can be physically present in the most glorious sunset, but when the mind is wandering, we don't receive the beauty. When our cup is full of fear, preoccupation or concepts, there is little room for grace. [...]

Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist teacher and poet, presents a practical approach to emptying our cups of concepts and being open to grace using the Buddhist practice of mindfulness, or present-centered awareness.

He instructs us in opening the heart:

"I would like to offer one short poem you can recite from time to time, while breathing and smiling."

Breathing in, I calm body and mind
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is the only moment.

"Breathing in, I calm body and mind." This line is like drinking a glass of ice water- you feel the cold, the freshness, permeate your body. When I breathe in and recite this line, I actually feel the breathing calming my body and my mind.

"Breathing out, I smile." You know the effect of a smile. A smile can relax hundreds of muscles in your face, and relax your nervous system.

"Dwelling in the present moment." When I sit here, I don't think of somewhere else, of the future or of the past. I sit here, and know where I am. This is important...we tend to postpone being alive to the future, the distant future, we don't know when...Therefore the technique, is to be in the present moment, to be aware of the here and now...

"I know this is the only moment." This is the only moment that is real. To be here and now, and enjoy the present moment is our most important task.

Stop for a few minutes and try the techniques expressed in Thich Nhat Hanh's beautiful poem of mindfulness. Be present with each breath, each verse. This is a powerful technique, deceptive in its utter simplicity, and a great help to being present in the gift of grace. Like witnessing, it is a technique of centering. Cutting the cords that bind you to past and future, these two conscious, intentional breaths can restore you to the Self, to Now. Over time, this poem is like a portable Buddhist master. It teaches you to be mindful, nonjudgmentally present and aware of life. Alive again.

Namaste.

[Adapted from Guilt is the Teacher, Love is the Lesson, Joan Borysenko, Phd]