Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that “Every one of us has a seed of forgetfulness and a seed of mindfulness inside…”
Forgetfulness, he explains, is being pulled “away by the past, by the future, by your projects, by your anger, by your fear.” (Insert any other thing/issue/emotion that we might lose ourselves in or become overwhelmed by on any given day.)
Mindfulness on the other hand helps us stay in the present moment—the only place where life is actually happening. Right now. Practicing mindfulness helps us learn how to navigate challenges, how to pause before we react, how to choose our response and our actions, how to keep our hearts and minds open, how to notice what emotion we’re feeling and where we feel it in our bodies. It helps us learn “to handle our sadness or our anger, to listen with compassion, and to use loving speech.”
What I find so beautiful about Buddhism’s age-old perspective of mindfulness is that it can fit in within our daily life. This approach to mindfulness reminds us that in every moment, we have a choice to pay attention and be present.
He says, “With mindfulness you are more concentrated, and with that concentration you’ll see things more deeply and clearly. Any decision you make will be wiser, and everything you do will have a better quality….And with training in a daily practice of breathing, walking, and doing things with awareness, the seed of mindfulness in you can grow bigger every day.”
Practicing, cultivating, and building our capacity for mindfulness can be so simple. It can be as simple as a slow deep breath, noticing something beautiful outside my window, being present with the water flowing over my hands as I wash the dishes, being aware of what something tastes or feels like as I chew it, noticing whatever emotion that is rising up within me. “Anything touched by the energy of mindfulness, concentration, and insight becomes spiritual, including my body enjoying the tea.”
As we continue to navigate really challenging times at personal and collective levels, I hope we can remember and water—even if for only one breath a day to start—the seed of mindfulness within us. As we water it, it will grow.
