my heart.
i’ve been attempting to string together words to express what my heart feels and wants to say. all words will fall short. in this moment, there is grief, there is gratitude, there is love. as i breathe in, i come home to this moment, to my grief, to my gratitude, to my love for Thay. breathing out, i smile with sadness, with gratitude, with love for Thay. this moment, this heart, this practice, this path, has the capacity to hold all.
dear, Thich Nhat Hanh has transitioned into the Great Beyond this day. he will be remembered for many things. He was many things – Zen Master, renowned mindfulness teacher, celebrated peace and climate change activist, founder of Engaged Buddhism, and prolific author. beyond all of this, or perhaps due to all of this, he was my gateway to this path and practice, my root teacher.
in Buddhism, a root teacher takes up residence in our hearts. it’s difficult to put into words the reverence and love i have for him. i can only say that when i first read his words, it felt like i had arrived at something fresh yet familiar, some truth that i had perhaps forgotten but remembered with the swell of my heart and clarity of mind. it felt like i had arrived home. a feeling that continues to touch each moment of my life. my alter space, my walls are filled with his presence. but mostly, his teachings on mindfulness, on tenderness, on open-heartedness, continue to be a companion on this path. for me, he is the embodiment of bodhisattva.
i’m sure i’ll post much in coming days, but for now i’ll turn to his translation and commentary of The Heart Sutra for some words (see below and also photos).

Gate Gate Pāragate Pārasamgate Bodhi Svāhā(Gone, gone, gone all the way over, everyone gone to the other shore, enlightenment, svaha!)
~j

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