Tag: The Heart of Understanding

“If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of
paper. Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow;
and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to
exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either. So we can
say that the cloud and the paper inter-are. “Interbeing” is a word that is not in the
dictionary yet, but if we combine the prefix “inter-” with the verb “to be,” we have
a new verb, inter-be.
The observation that we “inter-are”, while true and poetic is not really the most important
element of “Interbeing”. The important part is the realization that there is no independant self – that the
perception of self, of “me”, of “mine” is an illusion. Awareness that “I” am made of “non-I” elements
leads to the understanding of non-self and it is the realizaton of non-self that brings an end to
suffering.”

– Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of Understanding

NOTE: This month we celebrate my teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh who is now residing in his original temple, Tu Hieu in Vietnam. According to Plum Village sources, he plans to spend the rest of his days there, walking and visiting the resting place of his teacher.

My book, Mindfulness Breaks, Your Path to Awakening, celebrates Thich Nhat Hanh and one of my first teachers, Father Eli. The book is being released this month. Chick on the link below for more information.

Read More Mini Mindfulness Breaks