I have arrived. I am home.
7 replies
anlgpNew MemberOPsome of you may or may not be wondering what the quote in my signature means. it is a saying by (not sure if it originated from) thich nhat hahn. you can find his wikipedia here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thich_Nhat_Hahn . i originally read the saying in this book
Amazon.com: Fragrant Palm Leaves: Journals, 1962-1966 (9781573227964): Thich Nhat Hanh: Books
or this book
Amazon.com: No Death, No Fear (9781573223331): Thich Nhat Hanh: Books
i can't remember which.
he is considered to be an influential figure in bringing buddhism to modern day western society. here is a quote published in an article..
http://www.explorefaith.org/body/tnh_intro.html
"I have arrived. I am home. In the here. In the now. I am solid. I am free. In the ultimate I dwell." Four lines guiding us in our practice of walking meditation. Let us practice together as a Sangha, as a community. Let us flow like a river, generating peace with every step we make. There is no walk for peace; peace is the walk. By walking, we generate peace within our body, our consciousness. We embrace and heal the pain, the sorrow, the fear in us, and that is the ground for helping peace to be a reality in the world. Let us sing these lines together in order to help memorize the four lines of the song: "I have arrived. I am home. In the here and in the now. I am solid. I am free. In the ultimate I dwell."
what you can't see in the signature is that each line has an added bit to it. the lines are there to shorten it up that way memorizing the other parts to it is a lot easier.
When I begin, I make two or three steps and I practice arriving. "I have arrived. I am home." It means, I don't want to run anymore, because I know that conditions for my happiness are already here in the present moment. Sometimes we believe that happiness is not possible in the here and the now; we need a few more conditions to be happy.
at any rate i wanted to open this up for discussion. people think you have to be sitting down in a half lotus or full lotus position to meditate.. they think you have to be surrounded by peace and quiet.. and these are simply not true. you can meditate while walking. you can meditate in the midst of chaos. meditating is simply cultivating positive habits and living mindfully in the here and now. meditation and this particular saying are non-denominational. of course he mentions buddha as he is a buddhist, but largely the teachings he brings forth can be put into most if not any denomination to aid in practice.
"A man's suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus, suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering great or little. Therefore, the "size" of human suffering is absolutely relative." - Viktor Frankl
Dol-Fan DupreeForum VeteranMeditation is a way of being.
Sitting down in the lotus position in quiet is just a practice.
Holland is a huge upgrade over McCain
I want to be alive, I am alive! Alive, I tell you! Mother, I love you, those are no longer just words. I want to hold you, I want to run in a stream, I want to taste ice cream but not just put it in my mouth and let it slide down my throat but really eat it. - Robot Morty
HardKoreXXXNew MemberWere I to take up any organized religion, it would be Buddhism. Although, that may just be because of my love for Kung Fu movies.
"Making people on the Internet feel better about their own lives since 2004"
OhiophinphanStaffThanks for the post. I have always had trouble with personal, contemplative spirituality. It is difficult for an extreme extrvert, high type A personality. Yet I have recently starting visiting a prayer labyrinth and found it helpful.
Best wishes!
OHIOPHINPHAN
Witness to the first ever practice of the Miami Dolphins, 1966.
gunn34New Member"HardKoreXXX wrote:
Were I to take up any organized religion, it would be Buddhism. Although, that may just be because of my love for Kung Fu movies.
Look into Taoism. It's basically everything the Kung Fu series said and did.
I've read "Living Buddha, Living Christ".
It was a beautiful read.
anlgpNew MemberI love me.
I was looking for this and googled it, and this thread came up.
Yay for breadcrumbs!
"A man's suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus, suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering great or little. Therefore, the "size" of human suffering is absolutely relative." - Viktor Frankl