"People sacrifice the present for the future. But life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and the now." -Thich Nhat Hanh

To our Dear Beloved Friends,

With a deep mindful breath we announce to the world the news that yesterday, the 11th of November 2014, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, experienced a severe brain hemorrhage. Thich Nhat Hanh is receiving 24 hour intensive care from specialist doctors, nurses and from his monastic disciples.

At present, Thich Nhat Hanh is still very responsive and shows every indication of being aware of the presence of those around him. He is able to move his feet, hands and eyes. There are signs that a full recovery may be possible.

For the last two months, Thich Nhat Hanh’s health had already been fragile due to his advance age. He was hospitalized in Bordeaux on the 1st of November.

Unto everything there is a solution. This doesn’t mean you have to be the solver. You do not have to wrack your brains for the solution. The solution is inherent in that which you see as a difficulty. With or without you, a solution appears. You may have only to nod your head. You don’t have to pounce on a solution. Odds are, there is more than one solution. Perhaps you have only to allow a solution.
 
This does not mean that every solution is the one you would like to claim.
 
You can desire a certain outcome, yet another outcome prevails. You are the one who decides that an outcome is good or bad. You do not know what life holds in store for you. An unwelcome outcome may turn into a treasure. The outcome you so fervently desire might not serve you well. Think not so much about right and wrong.
 
So, with life, sometimes it is hands off. You don’t have to win, as you see winning. Life has its own ideas. Sometimes you have to bow to life. Would life be so hard if you didn’t believe you have to fight it so much? You don’t have to resist life as much as you seem to think. Life is not such a problem as you may think it is.
 
Yes, desire, yet don’t always boss life around. Admit. You simply don’t know enough. You do not see that far ahead. The past is not to tell your fortune. Don’t go by it. We can say that from your view, life is a gamble. Indeed! If gambles were sure things, everyone would be wealthy. How much and for how long can you dispute life? Life will have its say.
 

Every day I see numerous posts online in which people express the unfair treatment they receive from those to whom they have given their time unconditionally, opened their hearts and sometimes the doors to their homes. It is a sad reality, but one that we can change with time, love and patience.

There are two truths that we have to come to terms with. One, that our good deeds are not always reciprocated by those who benefit directly from our efforts. When this happens, the next step we should take is to let them go as soon as we can. 'Letting Go Of Toxic Relationships' is essential to have a healthy and happy life. Kindness is too often confused with weakness, and by keeping a firm position we show others that kindness is actually a sign of strength.

Ida Lawrence, Contributor
Waking Times

“Every path comes with a price.” I read that statement somewhere and decided to write it down and think about it. Life is a journey, for everyone, and journeys are taken on paths. But the “every path comes with a price” statement sounds a bit intimidating or threatening. So, what ‘price’ are we talking about here?

When we grow up under the ‘eternal damnation if you do it wrong’ threat, we can get a little wary or even fearful of taking the wrong path. Let’s start out by eliminating the threatening feeling of the word ‘price’. If by price we mean effort, well of course… every single life requires effort. If the price we’re talking about is karma, that could be experienced as enjoyable or difficult.

If the price is pain, yes, it could be karma, something we invited or didn’t invite but it did happen, or the emotional pain we feel when life contradicts our opinion. Hopefully we can learn and turn things around by asking ‘why this pain’.

But I don’t think it’s pain or karma or effort that the statement refers to. I think it is this: you give up something to get something. When considering my own life, that does have the ring of truth. We need to be willing to give something up, and if you let your imagination loose as to what people give up in order to get something, it can make you shudder on one hand… or bow your head in gratitude on the other.

HJ: Relationships are only as deep and nourishing as the people that enter into them.  Like anything in life, as within, so without.  Improving the quality of your relationships is all about YOU showing up more fully and authentically, grounded in self love — as you cannot give what you do not have.  Relationships can also serve a dual purpose as an amazing tool for self growth as the level of intimacy and vulnerability we experience can offer us a unique space/container for growth that can be hard to find in the world.

- Truth

4 Ways to Have More Affectionate, Loving Relationships

By Elizabeth Stone | Tiny Buddha | Why Men Leave

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“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” –

The will to live is not driven by some external force, it has always been within. Before you arrived, you made the decision to make as much as you could of your Earth-plane existence and, with that Divine Spark firmly in place, began your journey. ~ Creator

“There is no such thing as maturity. There is instead an ever-evolving process of maturity, because when there is a maturity there is a conclusion and cessation. That’s the end. That’s when the coffin is closed. You might be deteriorating physically in the long process of aging, but your personal process of daily discovery is ongoing. You continue to learn more and more about yourself everyday.” – Bruce Lee

The process of emotional evolution and self-discovery is one that should last our entire lives. If we are the same person that we were 10 years ago, emotionally, it would be safe to say that we have become stagnant emotionally, consciously, and spiritually. When we really sit and think about it, the task of progressing as a person is really our only task while we are here on this earth.