I have arrived; I am home
in the here; in the now.
I am solid; I am free.
In the Ultimate I dwell.
Thich Nhat Hanh, peace is every breath, pg 30.
This wonderful teacher offers these words to those seeking mindfulnes through walking meditation in his lovely little book, peace is every breath. With these words in mind, we can notice, allow and sink into the present moment with every step we take; with every breath we take.
What does it mean?
Breathing in, stepping down: I have arrived...
The goal of mindfulness...and the goal of Life... is to be in the moment...to be.
Being is not about going anywhere or getting anywhere but in order to conceptualize what being is to a mind that is always trying to get somewhere...we can tell ourselves we have already arrived. In truth ...we never left anywhere to get to this place. We were already here. At least when we say those words:"I have arived"...they help to put the mind's seeking tendency and the need to go somewhere to sleep.
Breathing out, stepping down: I am home
This present moment is our home. It is what we are truly seeking whether we know it or not. When we recite "I am" we are focusing on everything we are and everything we need at the deepest level. We bring ourselves out of mental places and into the experience of being. Home is peace and reconnection to that deeper level of Self, of being...what we are.
Breathing in, stepping down: in the here
Right here...not 'out there' somewhere...not in the mind or some idea we have of where we ''should be"...in this step, this inhale, this place, this circumstance...no matter what it offers, on this part of the path...this place we are planting our foot down ...is the only place we can be. Here!
Breathing out, stepping down: in the now
Right now...not in some moment up ahead or in some moment we lived before...both of which are only mental concepts ...but in this moment right now, which is really the only time there is...we step down into Life.
Breathing in, stepping down: I am solid
In this moment we recognize our physical form ...we see there is a part of us that is physical...that is solid...our body, our thoughts, our circumstances etc. We accept this as we place our physical foot down onto the physical path.
Breathing out, stepping down: I am free
Here we acknowledge what we are beyond form; who we are beneath the body and the ego...We are Spirit...and Spirit, the formless essence, cannot be contained or limited by form. It is free...we are free.
Breathing in and stepping down; breathing out and stepping down : In the Ultimate I dwell
Here we acknowledge our unity with all that is...with this Ultimate Source of everything, with God and we dwell here...we live in this moment here. We are truly present.
Hmmm! Again my intrepretation. You decide what those words might mean to you.
Thich Nhat Hanh (2011) peace is every breath. Harper One: New York
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