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.

Our happiness resides in this moment. Please enjoy these words of advice from the Buddha about alleviating your suffering by living in the present:

Perceive things as they truly are

To live here and now, you must train yourself:

In the seen, there will be just the seen.

In the heard, just the heard.

In the sensed, just the sensed.

In the thought, just the thought.

That is the end of sorrow.

-The Buddha

Buddha is a Sanskrit word for the one who is awake. 

Anyone can become a Buddha, as Thich Nhat Hanh says:

"When you begin to practice Buddhism you begin as a part-time buddha and slowly you become a full-time buddha. Sometimes you fall back and become a part-time buddha again, but with steady practice you become a full-time buddha again. Buddhahood is within reach because, like the Buddha, you’re a human being. You can become a buddha whenever you like; the Buddha is available in the here and now, anytime, anywhere."