Not Quite Nirvana: A Skeptic's Journey to Mindfulness

The reason my life has seemed to speed up as I’ve gotten older is that there were more and more moments when I wasn’t available. Enough moments like that in a day and the day is over, without any new thing to remember. Enough days like that, and the week has gone by, then the month, then my life.

I sometimes think, “I’ll be present later” because right now I just have too much else to do.

I’m using the moment to transition from one moment to an imagined future moment and this current moment is just in my way.

Thich Nhat Hanh in a Dharma talk given 7 July, 1996.

these mung beans and awareness is the water. The practice is to bring your mind gently back to the present moment with your body and unify body and mind. The tension will slowly dissipate, your awareness will grow, and you can see things in a clearer way.”

“The difference,” she continued, “is not that decision making is easier. It’s not. But even if it’s messy, we try to find ways to enjoy doing it. The decision making together and with joy is the point, not the final decision.”

When I’m not being mindful, almost all of life can seem like a series of interruptions of what I thought was important.

When you have an eye in your hand, you will know how to practice true nonviolence.

There is always some element of choice in what I’m doing and if I consciously make that choice, I spend less energy thinking of what’s wrong with the other person for interrupting me and more energy enjoying the moment in front of me.