Peace is Every Step

Peace is every step,
The shining red sun is my heart,
Each flower smiles with me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step.
It turns the endless path to joy.
– Thich Nhat Hanh

Here Thich Nhat Hanh guides us to the practice of finding peace. He tells us it is in the shining sun, in the beauty of a flower, in the green, freshness of all that grows, and the cool of the breeze. These things we see from day to day and quite often take for granted. How often do we slow down enough to pay attention to their beauty and awe and be grateful for their presence in our lives.

To attain peace, we therefore need to be present and aware; we need to delve a little deeper. This kind of awareness is what the Buddhists call mindfulness. So it is in every step of mindfulness that we realise an inter-connection with the world around us, a universal peace and that path then leads us to re-connect with our natural state of joy. Peace is within each and every one of us, so every small step we make to be more mindful impacts the whole.

When was the last time that you left your ear phones behind on a walk so that you could listen to the natural noises around you?  When we are open to nature in this way we can hear the rustle and catch a glimpse of the lizard run under cover or the bird on a lake feed its baby the reed that it pulled out of the muddy depths.

Quotes

• "Peace is not external or to be sort after or attained. Living mindfully, slowing down and enjoying each step and each breath is enough. Peace is already present in each step, and if we walk in this way, a flower will bloom under our feet with every step. In fact the flowers will smile at us and wish us well on our way.“ ~ Arnold Kotler (editor of Peace is Every Step – The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life.
• If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other”. ~ Mother Teresa. Also…“ Peace begins with a smile.”
• "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." ~ Buddha
• "Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no trouble, noise, or hardwork. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." ~ Unknown.
• "There is no path to piece. Piece is the path. ~ Gandhi. 
• "Piece cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding." ~ Albert Einstein.