gathas

from

PRESENT MOMENT WONDERFUL MOMENT

MINDFULNESS VERSES FOR DAILY LIVING

THICH NHAT HANH

1. Waking Up
Waking up this morning, I smile.
Twenty-four brand new hours are before me.
I vow to live fully in each moment
and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.

2. Taking the First Step of the Day
Walking on the Earth
is a miracle!
Each mindful step
reveals the wondrous Dharmakaya.

3. Opening the Window
Opening the window,
I look out onto the Dharmakaya.
How wondrous is life!
Attentive to each moment,
my mind is clear like a calm river.

4. Turning on the Light
Forgetfulness is the darkness,
mindfulness is the light.
I bring awareness
to shine upon all life.

5. Turning on the Water
Water flows from high mountain sources.
Water runs deep in the Earth.
Miraculously, water comes to us,
and sustains all life.

6. Brushing Your Teeth
Brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth,
I vow to speak purely and lovingly.
When my mouth is fragrant with right speech,
a flower blooms in the garden of my heart.

7. Looking in the Mirror
Awareness is a mirror
reflecting the four elements.
Beauty is a heart that generates love
and a mind that is open.

8. Using the Toilet
Defiled or immaculate,
increasing or decreasing--
these concepts exist only in our minds.
The reality of interbeing is unsurpassed.

9. Washing Your Hands
Water flows over these hands.
May I use them skillfully
to preserve our precious planet.

10. Bathing
Unborn and indestructible,
beyond time and space--
Both transmission and inheritance
lie in the wonderful nature of the Dharmadhatu.

11. Washing Your Body
Rinsing my body,
my heart is cleansed.
The universe is perfumed with flowers.
Actions of body, speech, and mind are calmed.

12. Getting Dressed
Putting on these clothes,
I am grateful to those who made them
and to the materials from which they were made.
I wish everyone could have enough to wear.

13. Greeting Someone
A lotus for you,
a Buddha to be.