21-Day Blogging Marathon | Day 7: Post some words of wisdom that speak to you

One of my major goals this year is to read. While I’ve been an avid reader throughout my life, I feel like in the recent years, due to reasons such as lack of time and procrastination, I’ve constantly been putting off reading. Which is why, in 2019, I decided to pick up as many books as I could (thirteen in all). And in 2020, I’ve set quite an ambitious reading target for myself.

So far, I’ve been taking this target quite seriously, and I’ve picked up around twelve books this year (have not completed all of them). One of the most powerful books I’ve read this year is Silence, by Thich Nhat Hanh. The author of this book is a Vietnamese monk, a global spiritual leader and a peace activist. He has written over a hundred books, and I’ve had the pleasure of reading two of them in the past four months. The other book I’ve read is called The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings – I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about Buddhism and Buddhist teachings.

Okay, then. If it was not clear already, the words of wisdom I want to share today are from this author.

The reason these words have touched me so much is, because, before I picked up the book Silence, I was under the impression that outward silence is true silence. However, this book opened my mind in some ways. I am a person who is usually silent, and doesn’t talk unless absolutely necessary. Before reading this book, I used to pride myself on being a quiet person. However, now I feel that inner quietude is what matters more. Below are the words:

“Silence is essential. We need silence, just as much as we need air, just as much as plants need light. If our minds are crowded with words and thoughts, there is no space for us.”

“Silence is something that comes from your heart, not from outside. Silence doesn’t mean not talking and not doing things; it means that you are not disturbed inside. If you’re truly silent, then no matter what situation you find yourself in you can enjoy the silence.”

His words say something very powerful about being “disturbed inside”. While we might appear to be silent on the outside, there could be a torrential downpour of thoughts inside our heads. We ruminate on these thoughts repeatedly: the sadness of the past and the worries of the future, and often forget to live in the present.

This is mostly true for me. I’ve had my issues dealing with anxious and worrisome thoughts throughout my life. I always figured, that, since I don’t talk about these anxious thoughts with anyone out loud, they do not exist. False. They not only exist, in fact, they build a nest inside my head. Which is why it is highly essential to deal with these thoughts. Thich Nhat Hanh also talks about ways to deal with them through mindfulness. He suggests taking up small tasks such as conscious breathing, mindful walking in nature and gratitude, and recommends practicing them daily until they become a habit. I will share some more words below:

On breathing: “Breathing mindfully, you are already finding a refuge in your breath, and you become aware of what’s going on in your body, your feelings, your perceptions, your mental formations, and your consciousness.”

On mindful walking: “When we touch the ground with our foot, we should be able to feel our foot making contact with the ground. When we do this, we can feel a lot of joy in just being able to walk. When we walk, we can invest all our body and mind into our steps and be fully concentrated in each precious moment of life. In focusing on that contact with the earth, we stop being dragged around by our thoughts and begin to experience our body and our environment in a wholly different way. Our body is a wonder! Its functioning is the result of millions of processes. We can fully appreciate this only if we stop our constant thinking and have enough mindfulness and concentration to be in touch with the wonders of our body, the Earth, and the sky.”

On gratitude: “Waking up this morning I smile. Twenty-four brand-new hours are before me. I vow to live them deeply and learn to look at everything around me with the eyes of compassion.”

I feel that the blog I’ve written today is an important one – for any human feeling depressed, dealing with anxious thoughts or experiencing negative feelings. I hope these words of wisdom bring some joy to your life today!