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

In Sanskrit this is called samsara, the habitual continuation of negative or destructive behavior.

Buddha is not the name of a particular person; buddha is just a common name to designate anyone who has a high degree of peace and who has a high degree of understanding and compassion. All of us are capable of being called by this name.

We need to know this, and to be in touch with the reality that we are living the life of no birth and no death. The word know here is very important. To know is to realize. Realization is mindfulness. All the work of meditation is aimed at awakening us in order to know one thing: that birth and death can never touch us in any way whatsoever.

When I am healthy, I like to jog at least twice a day. I practice mindful jogging and mindful raking.

If we only rely on external conditions, we will get lost. We need a refuge we can always rely on, and that is the island of self. Firmly established on our inner island, we’re very safe.

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?

The suffering we touched doing this kind of work was so deep that if we did not have a reservoir of spiritual strength, we would not have been able to continue. During those days, we practiced sitting and walking meditation, and eating our meals in silence in a very concentrated way. We knew that without this kind of discipline, we would fail in ou

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.”

Each of us needs a reserve of memories and experiences that are beautiful, healthy, and strong enough to help us during difficult moments. Sometimes when the pain in us is so big, we cannot truly touch life’s wonders. We need help. But if we have a strong storehouse of happy memories and experiences, we can bring them to mind to help us embrace the

Sometimes when I practice calligraphy, I invite my mother, my father, or my teacher to draw the circle with me. Drawing the circle together, I touch the insight of no self, and it becomes a deep practice of meditation. The meditation, work, joy, and life become one.