"At the foot of the Bodhi tree,
beautifully seated, peaceful, and smiling,
the living source of understanding and compassion,
to the Buddha I go for refuge.
The path of mindful living,
leading to healing, joy, and enlightenment,
the way of peace,
to the Dharma I go for refuge.
The loving and supportive community of practice,
realizing harmony, awareness, and liberation,
to the Sangha I go for refuge.
I am aware that the Three Gems are within my heart.
I vow to realize them.
I vow to practice mindful breathing and smiling,
looking deeply into things.
I vow to understand living beings and their suffering,
to cultivate compassion and loving kindness,
and to practice joy and equanimity.
I vow to offer joy to one person in the morning
and to help relieve the grief of one person in the afternoon.
I vow to live simply and sanely,
content with just a few possessions,
and to keep my body healthy.
I vow to let go of all worry and anxiety in order to be light and free.
I am aware that I owe so much to may parents, teachers, friends, and all beings.
I vow to be worthy of their trust,
to practice wholeheartedly,
so that understanding and compassion will flower,
and I can help living beings
be free from their suffering.
May the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha support my efforts."
Thich Nhat Hanh
This prayer can be found at Interlude Retreat Prayers For All.
Check out Thich Nhat Hanh's book Peace Is Every Step at Amazon.
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On further reflection I wonder if I should have titled this post - Can you have it both ways?
I'm afraid I'm mixing messages; with Thich Nhat Hanh's message of a simple life combined with a ton of ads on this page.
I suppose it's a matter of balance. I like to look at nice things and have some nice things, but not be overly attached to material possessions.
I appreciate Thich Nhat Hanh's writing and try to learn what I can from it, but I am who I am.
It's interesting to think about holding things in tension to achieve balance. A tension between consumerism/affluenza and giving up all your worldly possessions and taking up an alms bowl maybe isn't such a bad thing.
