The Miracle of Mindfulness
Encyclopedia
The Miracle of Mindfulness is a book
by Thich Nhat Hanh translated into English by Mobi Ho. It is a manual
on meditation
.
In this book, the Vietnam
ese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh presents several methods for becoming liberated.
Hanh suggests that we treat each of our activities as an opportunity for being aware: Walking, we should be aware that we are walking; breathing, we should be aware of our breathing. We should not focus on anything other than the thing that we are doing. One of the key methods that Hanh presents is learning to be aware of breathing.
Aside from being aware of our physical selves, awareness requires an awareness of our mind. He suggests that we notice and acknowledge our thoughts but not allow them to influence us in any way. We should recognize our feelings, thoughts and ideas, but never judge them because they are us.
Hanh introduces the five aggregates as a method for realizing the interconnectedness and the changing nature of the self, as represented by the aggregates, and the outside world. Realizing interconnectedness and the changing nature of reality is a step toward liberation from the false view, which sees the world and the self as separate and unchanging entities. By realizing oneness with ourselves and the outside of ourselves, we experience liberation from the fear and anxiety of the discriminating view of the world, one that fractures reality into separate, unchanging units, brings. When we perceive the illusion of the isolated, unchanging self, we reach a level of wisdom the author calls "non-discrimination mind". This state of seeing shows us that there is nothing out there to get, nothing to strive for, nothing to fear, as all these are an illusion springing from a fractured perception of reality. Reality is already perfect, unified, and our struggle is to see that truth, and be liberated from our chains of false perception that fractures everything into separate units. There is, in other words, no difference between the perceiver and the object being perceived; there is no separation between the self and the world.
Hanh warns that meditation
should not be an escape from reality. On the contrary, it should lead to an increased awareness of reality.
Hanh summarizes the lessons by presenting a story about the three wondrous answers to the questions—What is the best time to do a thing? Who are the most important people to work with? and What is the most important thing to do at all times?
Exercises in mindfulness, and a selection of sutra
s round out this volume.
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
by Thich Nhat Hanh translated into English by Mobi Ho. It is a manual
User guide
A user guide or user's guide, also commonly known as a manual, is a technical communication document intended to give assistance to people using a particular system...
on meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
.
In this book, the Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh presents several methods for becoming liberated.
Hanh suggests that we treat each of our activities as an opportunity for being aware: Walking, we should be aware that we are walking; breathing, we should be aware of our breathing. We should not focus on anything other than the thing that we are doing. One of the key methods that Hanh presents is learning to be aware of breathing.
Aside from being aware of our physical selves, awareness requires an awareness of our mind. He suggests that we notice and acknowledge our thoughts but not allow them to influence us in any way. We should recognize our feelings, thoughts and ideas, but never judge them because they are us.
Hanh introduces the five aggregates as a method for realizing the interconnectedness and the changing nature of the self, as represented by the aggregates, and the outside world. Realizing interconnectedness and the changing nature of reality is a step toward liberation from the false view, which sees the world and the self as separate and unchanging entities. By realizing oneness with ourselves and the outside of ourselves, we experience liberation from the fear and anxiety of the discriminating view of the world, one that fractures reality into separate, unchanging units, brings. When we perceive the illusion of the isolated, unchanging self, we reach a level of wisdom the author calls "non-discrimination mind". This state of seeing shows us that there is nothing out there to get, nothing to strive for, nothing to fear, as all these are an illusion springing from a fractured perception of reality. Reality is already perfect, unified, and our struggle is to see that truth, and be liberated from our chains of false perception that fractures everything into separate units. There is, in other words, no difference between the perceiver and the object being perceived; there is no separation between the self and the world.
Hanh warns that meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
should not be an escape from reality. On the contrary, it should lead to an increased awareness of reality.
Hanh summarizes the lessons by presenting a story about the three wondrous answers to the questions—What is the best time to do a thing? Who are the most important people to work with? and What is the most important thing to do at all times?
Exercises in mindfulness, and a selection of sutra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
s round out this volume.