Notes from talk by Thich Nhat Hahn, June 10, 2006:
The only way for a grain of salt to find out how salty is the ocean, is for the grain to jump in. Our practice is the contemplation of the body in the body, the feelings in the feelings, the mind in the mind, and the mind object in the mind object. The observer must be one with the observed.
This does not mean that you should become identified with the object of the mind.
Yet mind and matter are extensions of each other. Consider this quote from Albert Einstein:
"A human being is part of this whole, called by us the Universe -- a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desire, and to a passion for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
We have read from recent reports that Einstein was unable to apply his vision to his interactions with his own wife and son. This is because he did not have the practice that is available to us. Our practice helps us walk, and sit, and act, in the spirit of non-self.
Practice when you are driving your car. When you are drinking tea, know that you are drinking the clouds. When you wash dishes, do it as if you are giving the baby Buddha a bath.
Or because, brilliant or not, he was human like us. Thoughts are thoughts. Words are words. Actions are actions.
ps Great news on the Borat success; I just need to find time to see it to pad the returns even more.
Posted by: Tim | November 07, 2006 at 05:37 PM
That made very good reading.
Posted by: Divya | December 06, 2006 at 01:01 PM