Recently I attended Thay’s retreat at Blue Cliff Monastery.  It felt wonderful to be together with Thay and the mindfulness community once again.  An acute awareness flows through me in this space. I feel joyful, more awake and free from the stress and worries of everyday life. Every time I leave a retreat, I bring this level of steadiness home with me – it's like getting a mindfulness booster shot.

Today I was looking back to one of my favorite Q & A sessions from the retreat. The passage below reminded me that the Awakened One, the teachings, our mindfulness community, and Thay are always available to me. Though I can’t always sit down with my friends, I can look to the sun and remember their love, embrace and smile.

When you’re feeling disconnected & alone, remember- the Awakened One or the Buddha is always available to you.

“The Buddha is not only a person- he can be a mountain, a river or a star.

“There is a well-known Buddha, his name means infinite light- infinite longevity. And when we look at the sun we know it is a Buddha because it shines infinite light.

“The sun is a true Buddha- if you want to see the Buddha- just look up.

“The Buddha sun is shining day and night- we are all daughters & sons of that Buddha and he is not only in the sky, he is within us. We cannot remove him from our body. Buddha is outside, Buddha is inside.

“Breathing in I know that a little Buddha is up there and in myself. 
Breathing out I smile to the Buddha”

-  Thich Nhat Hanh

The above passage is fom Thay's Q & A: How can I not suffer when people are not being good to this world?
Photo by Averain.