Thich Nhat Hanh In Ireland
Thich Nhat Hanh
“Each moment is a chance for us to make peace with the world, to make peace possible for the world, to make happiness possible for the world.” Thich Nhat Hanh Teachings on Love
This time last year, we had the Dalai Lama visit us in Ireland, and now we are privileged to receive a visit from Thich Nhat Hanh, the well-known and highly respected, Vietnamese Buddhist monk.
I have loved the words and works of this teacher ever since the day I heard his gentle voice on a recording talking about how to find peace in our lives and our world, and his little book Peace is Every Step, The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life is one I have read many times over.
This evening up to 2,000 people from all over Ireland are expected to gather in the Convention Centre in Dublin to listen to Thay – (which means teacher in Vietnamese) as his followers lovingly refer to him, – call us back to transform our lives through small acts of daily mindfulness.
His message is simple yet profound. Through awareness of our breath and the small acts of daily life, we can transform and heal our lives and reach out to others in love and compassion.
In one of his best known books, The Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh writes about how mindfulness saved his life during a period of severe depression after his mother’s death. (I need to dig out that book again!)
Sister Stanislaus Kennedy, founder of the Sanctuary and Focus Ireland, describes him as the “father of mindfulness”. One of my favorite quotes from Peace Is Every Step, was one I reminded myself of at the weekend, when I felt stressed and under pressure,
Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.
What a wonderful lesson for today..and everyday.
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For those of us not lucky enough to have a ticket to this evening’s talk, the good news is that it will be live-streamed via http://www.livestream.com/plumvillage
You can find more details on the Mindfulness Ireland website.
Must try and remember to listen in on this
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Thanks for letting us know about the live streaming Marie – will be sure to check it out later this evening
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Nice post, Marie! I never heard of this gentleman before, but I am planning to purchase his book. Mindfulness. A very important concept. I’m so proud of you for blogging each day. It takes a lot of dedication and perseverance to do that!
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Like Beth, I’ve never heard of this gentleman before. His words ring so true. I just dodged another bullet with some chest pain I’ve been experiencing for two weeks. Today, finally, I had it checked out. While I waited for the results (which were reassuring and just what I wanted), I did that very breathing exercise he mentions. It calmed me almost to the point of nirvana. Thanks so much for enlightening us. xx
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The concept of mindfulness has been a part of the formal trauma recovery groups that I have been a part of over the past 2 years. I have a calendar on my office wall with quotes from his work. I’m still trying to fully understand and incorporate mindfulness into my life. It seems a lot like resilience, hard to grasp. Though like all new conceptual language, I’m sure I’ll ‘get’ it in time.
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I struggle with it too Maura..but I believe if we can master it, it will be worth the effort…the beauty that mindful masters teach is that we can begin again with each new breath.
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I caught the livestreaming – it was wonderful!
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It has been awhile since I have read any of his words. I saw your post, then tuned in and caught the last 10 minutes, when he was taking and answering questions. He said so many profound things — so much so that I started taking notes. This really struck a chord with me: “If you want to understand suffering of another, understand your own [suffering] first — then allow understanding to arise from that. We always want to help and change, but change should take place in ourselves first.”
WOW. So very true.
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