SOME PEOPLE LIVE as though they are already dead. There are people moving around us who are consumed by their past, terrified of their future, and stuck in their anger and jealousy. They are not alive; they are just walking corpses. If you look around yourself with mindfulness, you will see people going around like zombies. Have a great deal of compassion for the people around you who are living like this. They do not know that life is accessible only in the here and now.

We must practice resurrection, and this is an everyday practice. With an in-breath, you bring your mind back to your body. In this way you become alive in the here and now. Joy, peace, and happiness are possible. You have an appointment with life, an appointment that is in the here and now.

– Tich Nhat Hanh, Your One True Home

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    1 year ago

    Thank you for posting these. I find many of these short writings incredibly relevant to my own life. The ‘second arrow’ was a very profound idea. After reading that, I found myself pulling an imaginary arrow from my side whenever I catch myself dwelling on my personal shortcomings, which is often. This reminder to live in the here and now, and the fact that being aware enough to do so requires conscious practice is a good reminder to stay on this path.