The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive. It’s not a matter of faith; it’s a matter of practice.
— Thich Nhat Hanh
That’s one of my favorite quotes. But I burst out laughing when I read about Gerald May’s reaction to that point of view:
Thich, old buddy, you know how you’re always talking about “this moment, precious moment, only moment.” Well, Thich, some moments really suck.
—Gerald May to Thich Nhat Hanh
Yes, life is never perfect —- Bertand Russell says it is horrible, horrible, horrible — but that doesn’t mean we can’t decrease the number of sucky moments. Commitment and practice.
December 10, 2017
it’s like calling a spade a spade.
still. that old inclination to try and find at least something worthwhile in it.
I love that little monk. to create the most beautiful and valuable life in exile!
both he and the dalai lama … another favorite … are masters at it.
Commitment and practice and a sense of purpose/direction. It’s powerful stuff if we choose it.
Yes, some moments really suck.
I think it’s best to work your way through them
and then try not to dwell over it later.
I’m still having a hard time not dwelling over those moments.
But I’m working on it! Lol!
😉
Yes, letting go and moving on. That’s why having a sense of purpose and direction helps so much, in some circumstances. But when it comes to mourning, I guess just experiencing it deeply works best. I had trouble eating for at least six months after my mother died, and I’ve told Kaitlin if/when something happens to Andy I will be a basket case for at least a year. It’s just part of life.
yep, there are definitely “sucky moments” – sometimes they aren’t just “moment [s]” either but drag you down very mucky way.
Life isn’t always very nice! 🙁
The problem is not that there are moments that suck. The problem is in treating those moments as ‘bad’ and other moments as ‘good’. Eastern philosophies emphasise on equanimity. What this implies is that all events that take place are simply experiences to experience and move on knowing fully well that they are ephemeral.
And Buddha was trying to relieve suffering in the world by helping people become detached. Both were saying life sucks and were/are trying to help people escape. Not my style. I agree with the Dalai Lama, the purpose of human life is to be happy. I prefer joy to escape, hence my emphasis on learning and growing. If you have to go through the pain you might as well get something from it. It’s not for everyone, but it works for me.
Rummuser, your response is perfection! Here, from a Western perspective, we prefer to think about these uncomfortable events as ‘bad’. Then we rant and rail against them, saying they are unjust, and we should do all we can to mitigate them.But where does that get us? Nowhere…then we are right back where we started—experiencing them!
??? Not everyone does this.
I don’t see all “bad” events as bad or need to be wailed against…sometimes, as CM has said in reply to you – that you learn from them, and then move through them.
But it “sucks big time” about my best friend, who seems to be taking in her stride “skin cancer caused by too much sun, over the years” her comments are “well it is what it is…” and now she seems to be trying to help me “calm down”
Cathy,
It’s easier to be calm about our own problems than it is about our friends’. I admire your friend! I also admire my dad when he was dying of cirrhosis of the liver from a lifetime of drinking and said, “I did it. I can’t blame anyone else.” I did, and do, love that fellow! We don’t have to be perfect to be lovable.
Attitude is everything.
I once read something like the best and worst words of the world are “This too shall pass.”
If it’s a moment I don’t like I try to get something out of it for the future. It sometimes works amazingly well.
The miracle is to be aware of all the horrible things that go on the world and not be downcast by them but keep on doing whatever you can to make the world a better place.
That’s what I try to do, which is why I read the news every day. It’s a great way to practice.