The Zen master Ling Chi said that a miracle is not to walk on burning coal, or in the thin air, or on the water; the miracle is just to walk on earth. You breathe in. You become aware of the fact that you are alive. You are still alive and you are still walking on this beautiful planet...The greatest of all miracles is to be alive." - Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk who now lives in exile in France. While living in Vietnam, he endured all kinds of hardships, including the killings of family members and friends. An orphanage that he started was bombed. And yet he is a walking example of Joy and Gratitude. When asked how he survived such difficulties with such peace and love in his heart, he replied that every morning he used to ask himself what he could count on that day; sometimes it was only the blue sky and the brown earth, and the fact that he was still breathing in and out. But in counting his blessings, so to speak, he reconnected to the miracle that he was, at least for the present moment, still alive in this beautiful world. "Suffering is not enough. Life is both dreadful and wonderful," he reminds us. "How can I smile when I am filled with such sorrow? It is natural - you need to smile to your sorrow because you are more than your sorrow."
Buddhist and Sufi teachers spend a lot of time talking about "waking up", by which they mean, I believe, living life to its fullest because we are aware of living it moment to moment. Aware of breathing in, aware of breathing out; aware of chewing and swallowing our food; aware of placing one foot in front of the other when walking. Aware of seeing your infant son, of the effect of your words on your co-worker, of the fact that your one foot is resting on top of the other.
Spiritual leaders teach that waking up is a process, that it doesn't just happen once and for all, but must occur again and again when we realize we have forgotten the miracle of being alive, and in recognizing our forgetfulness, we wake to the miracle again. In the moments we are awake to the wonder of simply being alive, gratitude flows, no matter our circumstances.
When times have been tough for me, I have done a similar practice. Before getting up in the morning, I have asked myself what I could count on that day, both externally - that I still had a place to live and food on the table, and internally - the deep love and trust, for example, that I feel for my friends.
tox nedrub saying that it's a wonderful antidote and opens you to gratitude, provided that you stick to what you can count on today. Sometimes, I would find myself, for instance, when I thought about the fact that I had a home, saying "Yes, but I don't know if I can afford it tomorrow and what if an earthquake strikes, and..." Then I would choose to stop and say, "This is just for today. What can you count on today?" As we learn how to appreciate the miracle of being alive, we will find the peace and the strength to face life's challenges as they come.
