Thich Nhat Hanh: Life is a Miracle

September 15, 2008

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Adapted from Attitudes of Gratitude," by M.J. (Conari Press, 1999).

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who now lies in exile

in France. While living in Vietnam he endured all kinds of hardships,

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 this:

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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 so much sorrow? It is natural - you

need to smile to your sorrow because you are more than your sorrow." "The Zen master Ling Chi said that the miracle is not to walk on

burning charcoal 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 you

are alive. You are still alive and you are walking on this beautiful

planet. . . The greatest of all miracles is to be alive."--Thich Nhat

Hanh

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