At Home In The World: Stories and Essential Teachings From A Monk's Life

You may wonder if the most wonderful moments of your life are already behind you. Or you may think the happiest moment of your life is still to come. But this is the moment we have been waiting for. The Buddha said, “You have to make the present moment into the most wonderful moment of your life.”

Time is no longer money. Time is peace; time is life.

“Let’s say that I imitate the apple juice when I sit; that is closer to the truth.”

Are you planting seeds of joy and peace? I try to do exactly that with every step. Peace is every step. Shall we continue our journey?

We need to expand our definition of family to include not only our friends and community, but also the sun, the sky, the trees, the birds, and the hills around us. Practicing mindfulness is much easier when we do it together.

Thanks to the wisdom of nondiscrimination, called upeksha in Sanskrit, we do not fight, quarrel, or compete with one another.

We can remind ourselves every day that the practice isn’t about getting somewhere or achieving something. The practice itself is the very joy and peace we are seeking. The practice is the destination.

If we live near a park or a riverbank, we can enjoy walking meditation there, and the park or river becomes part of our community.

Even very simple things, like drinking tea with mindfulness can be a deeply spiritual experience, which can enrich our lives.

it. So I lay in bed, and just breathed in and out, becoming the cedars and my breath. I felt much better, but I still couldn’t sleep. Finally I imagined a delightful Vietnamese child nicknamed Little Bamboo. She came to Plum Village when she was two years old, and she was so cute that everyone wanted to hold her in their arms, especially the childr