Table of Contents
Foreword 12
Part 1 "Go Slowly"
Artist's Introduction Rashani Réa 18
The Art Within the Art Nel Houtman 33
Note to the Reader 35
Mindfulness is the basis of happiness. 37
The planet Earth is a realized bodhisattva. 39
Understanding is the fruit of looking deeply. 41
No mud, no lotus. 43
The real miracle is to walk on earth. 45
There is no way to enlightenment. Enlightenment is the way. 47
The flower, the sky, your beloved can only be found in the present moment. 49
If you touch one thing with deep awareness, you touch everything. 51
We meet today, we will meet tomorrow. 53
For things to reveal themselves, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them. 55
Reconciliation takes place within ourselves. 57
Each time we come back to the present moment, we are making ourselves available. 59
My actions are my only true belongings. 61
You can't calm the storm. What you can do is calm yourself. 63
Part 2 "Breathe"
Go Slowly, Breathe and Create Mobi Warren 66
Be part of the miraculous moment. 75
Go slowly. Breathe and smile. 77
I hold my face in my two hands. 79
Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness. 81
Our true nature is the nature of no birth and no death. 83
On the long, rough road both sun and moon will shine, lighting my way. 85
When mindfulness is present, the Buddha and the Holy Spirit are already there. 87
Love live impermanence. 89
Suffering is not enough. 91
There is no enlightenment outside of daily life. 93
I have come to rebuild love. 95
Please call me by my true names. 97
How may I best love you? 99
To see that we are loved by the whole cosmos is important. 101
Selflessness is the interdependent nature of all things. 103
Part 3 "And Smile"
The Unbroken Rashani Réa 106
The energy of love is abundant. 113
To love is to understand. 115
You are me and I am you. It is obvious that we inter-are. 117
The practice of peace is the practice of joy. 119
A smile can change the situation of the world. 121
Let us make today the happiest day of our life. 123
We practice in order to nourish the flower in us. 125
With mindfulness, each moment of your life is a jewel. 127
I walk for you. You smile for me. We awaken together. 129
Happiness is not an individual matter. 131
If we transform the present, we transform the past. 133
Just as a flower is made of non-flower elements, Buddhism is made of non-Buddhist elements. 135
Smiling is very important. 137
The tears I shed yesterday have become rain. 139
Be beautiful. Be yourself. 141
Afterword-Rare Flowers of the Country 142
P.S. 147
About Rashani Réa 155
About Thich Nhat Hanh 157