What do you think of this quote?
“There are hundreds and thousands of stems linking us to everything in the cosmos, supporting us and making it possible for us to be. Do you see the link between you and me? If you are not there, I am not here”…. Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of Understanding (1988)
or this one?
” The entire world is inside an orange. Think about all the things that go into making an orange. The tree it grows on, the ground it grows on, the water that nourishes it, the sun that gives it energy to grow. If any of these things are removed, the orange won’t exist. Remember that everything is connected and that the whole world is inside us.”
and my favorite:
A student asked Thay, ‘There are so many urgent problems. What should I do?” They answered calmly, “Take one thing, and do it very deeply and carefully, and you will be doing everything at the same time.”
The whole book is full of such reflective and mesmerizing quotes. I wasn’t initially planning on doing a book review on this since it’s not directly related to sustainability, but I ended up enjoying and learning so much from the book that I felt I had to share the key points I got from it. Consider this more of a book summary than review..
Basic hypothesis:
We have to learn the art of stopping stopping our running so that we can be present for and embrace our habit energies of worry, blame, guilt, and fear, and calm the strong emotions that dictate us. We have to learn to live fully in the present moment. We need to practice breathing in and out with all our awareness. We have to learn to be mindful.
There are 4 noble truths of healthy weight:
First is that all of us have suffering in our lives
Second is that we can identify the causes of our suffering
Third, we can put an end to our suffering and that healing is possible.
Fourth, there are paths to free us from suffering. We can cultivate our well-being by concretely applying mindfulness to our daily living.
A teacher cannot give you the truth. The truth is already in you. A teacher can only offer you the chance to awaken your true self.
Often time when we indulge in mindless eating, we are using food to fill an emotional void, relive loneliness, or cope with anxiety, fears or stress.
We are more capable of helping ourselves if we treat ourselves with compassion and a loving heart.
Don’t deny your suffering caused by being overweight. Touch your suffering. Face it directly, and transformation from depression, fear, despair, or anger is within reach and into peace and joy.
The three means of achieving that are: Mindful breathing, mindful eating, and mindful walking.
These three comprise what’s called Mindful living..sense of being more centered, more joyful, more at peace with yourself.
Mindful Living plan:
Keep a mindful Living Log. I plan to use it..It looks very doable and gradual (refer to the below image).
Get a good night’s sleep
Get back to nature
Do something everyday to nurture yourself
Reach the point of No Failure- only awareness of what works and what doesn’t.
Practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings: They represent Buddha’s vision on spirituality and ethics
Reverence for life
True happiness no happiness at the cost of others
Practicing True love- non abusive and with continued future
Loving speech and deep listening think before speaking
Committed to cultivating good health: both physical and mental
Additional Resources:
1. Mindfulness Practice Centers 2. What to eat by Marion Nestle 3. Animal, vegetable, miracle by Barbara Kingsolver 4. Year of No Sugar by Eve Schaub 5. Savor the book..contains an amazing amount of additional resources and tips
#good food, #mindfulness, #Thich Nhat Hanh, #mindful eating, #mindful living