Whew!! YOU MADE IT HERE!

Overwhelmed by responsibilities?  Breathlessly rushing to complete deadlines?  Disturbed by the latest news?  A special relationship stressing you out?  Forgetting to breathe deeply and be deeply grateful for all the Miracles in your life?

Grace yourself with 7 exquisite minutes of peace transmitted by Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh

“This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home”.

Homage to Avalokiteswara, Embodiment of Compassion

(If you want to both listen and follow the words- go to the next page)

May the sound of the bell penetrate deep into the cosmos

even in the darkest places,

living beings are able to hear it clearly

so that all suffering in them cease,

and understanding comes to their hearts

and they transcend the path of suffering (sorrow) and death.

The Universal Dharma door is already open.

The sound of the rising tide is heard clearly

And a miracle happens

A beautiful child appears in the heart of a lotus flower

one single drop of this compassionate water

Is enough to bring back the refreshing spring to our mountains and rivers.

Listening to the sound of the bell

I feel the afflictions in me begin to dissolve

My mind becomes calm, my body relaxed

a smile is born on my lips.

Following the sound of the bell

my breath guides me back to the safe island of mindfulness.

In the garden of my heart the flowers of peace bloom beautifully

Without computer resources and not knowing how to find meditation instruction, I looked up “Meditation” in the Baltimore, Maryland yellow pages.  There was a listing for Transcendental Meditation with a phone number to call in Washington D.C.  Not to be daunted by a small bit of travel, I telephoned Washington D.C. to hear a recording about receiving a refuge name and submitting $300.00 for that process.  Being a person recently separated, and anticipating returning to single-income status, I decided against this.

There was one other listing in the yellow pages for the Dharmadhatu Study Center in Baltimore.  But what was ”Dharmadhatu” and did they teach meditation?  With much apprehension, I learned the schedule of meditation sessions and arrived – not 5 blocks from where I was living! – at the Dharmadhatu Study Center one morning.  Yes – they taught meditation but it might NOT lead to the serene and calm state I was so desperately seeking.  In fact, my state of mind might become even more agitated for a period of time.  Uh oh!

Follow your breath and observe your mind without getting “caught”.  Oh my gosh!  There immediately were all the “operas” of my mind – onstage, costumed, lit and progressing through my lifetime experiences.  Only come back to the breath…  Only come back to the breath…  Was it true?  Was there an awareness existing apart from these operas?????  What a revelation for me.

Since that time in the early 90’s, I have discovered the GRACE of a Buddhist path of study, practice and contemplation, truly not knowing any of this connection at the time of my initial arrival.  GRACE?  Most definitely.  Since my teens, I had not been, nor am I now, an easily “religious” person.  To have found a view of the Universe that was even remotely acceptable to me was indeed a miracle.

My sleep?  Well, it remains a night to night campaign.  My long-term peace of mind?  Much improved!

Gratefully submitted,

Susan-East Lansing, Michigan

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Miracles and Grace happen everywhere, everyday. The point is Awareness.  I feel this idea has significance in today’s human world.  Many people are feeling it, without narrow religious theories.  For example:  through music, like me.

Today I walked around the town in the evening light, musing.  When I raised my face, I found a truck painted with “幸運 (good luck)” character on the road.  Is it a Miracle or not?”
“Yota”–Tokyo, Japan

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