By Thich Nhat HanhMindfulness is the kind of energy that allows us to recognise what is going on in the present moment. When you breathe in mindfully, you are aware of your in-breath. That is called mindfulness of breathing. When you hold your tea and drink your tea mindfully, you enjoy the present moment of drinking tea. That is mindfulness of drinking. And when you walk and become aware of every step you take, that is mindfulness of walking.Mindfulness is not something strange to us. Every human being has the capacity of being mindful. We all have the seed of mindfulness in us. And if we keep practising, the seed of mindfulness in us will grow into an important kind of energy. And any time we need the energy of mindfulness, it will be there for us.Suppose you are standing as a group and looking at a beautiful sunset. Those of you who are truly mindful can touch the beautiful sunset deeply. But there is someone whose mind is not concentrated, and he keeps thinking about other things. He could be drawn to the past, caught by the future, or by his projects. And he is not truly there. Then, the beautiful sunset is not for him.The energy of mindfulness brings along another kind of energy called the energy of concentration: samadhi. When you focus your attention on something, like a flower, you become aware of the presence of flower. And when you are aware, mindful of the flower, you are somehow concentrated on the flower. If you keep your concentration alive, you get in touch with the flower much more deeply.Mindfulness is also the energy that allows us to be fully alive. Because in our daily life, our body may be in a place, but our mind is elsewhere. Our mind may be caught by the past, or in future, in our worries, anger, or in our projects. Our mind is not with our body. We are not truly there. We are not present. We are not alive.But with one mindful in-breath, or a mindful step, you bring your mind back to your body. In a matter of seconds. When your mind is back to your body, you are truly there. That is what you call the ‘oneness of body and mind’. You have arrived in the here and in the now. You are fully present. You are fully alive. You are in a position to touch life deeply.And if you succeed in arriving, and then you smile – a smile of victory – and you take another step. Say this to yourself while you walk – I am home. I have arrived. My true home is in the here and in the now. I know that life is available only in the here and in the now. And I realise that my true home is not in the future, not in the past. My true home is in the present moment.Excerpt from ‘Touching the Footsteps of the Buddha: The India Teachings’ slated for Oct 11 release, at IIC, New Delhi to celebrate Thich Nhat Hanh’s birth centenary. For details, visit http://www.ahimsatrust.org
Disclaimer: Views expressed above are the author’s own.