I'm sitting in a bookstore, drinking coffee and reading "Friends On The Path" by Thich Nhat Hanh. Just this, already makes me very happy and content. But I ran across this recitation that Thay uses at Plum Village:
I am aware that the Three Gems are within my heart.
I vow to realize them.
I vow to practice mindful breathing and smiling,
looking deeply into things.
I vow to understand living beings and their suffering,
to cultivate compassion and loving kindness,
and to practice joy and equanimity.
I vow to offer to joy to one person in the morning
and to help relieve the grief of one person in the afternoon.
I vow to live simply and sanely,
content with just few possessions,
and to keep my body healthy.
I vow to let go of all worries and anxiety,
in order to be light and free.
How cool is that? Reading this, I felt it. It was like a very deep, but brief, meditation. A great addition to a practitioners day, and an all around great recipe for a good life. I love things like this where I feel like if anyone were to ask me what Buddhism is about I could tell them this and feel that I gave them a solid, clear answer.
_/\_
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