Spiritual Bliss

By Margaret Shrum

Healing energy can be sacred and uplifting. I recently saw Thich Nhat Hahn, also known as Ti, a well-known Buddhist monk, speak at Deepak Chopra’s Home base, located at ABC Home in NYC. His words were powerful yet gentle and kind. He spoke of compassion, mindfulness, peace, love and joy. We were also honored to witness 88 monks singing, chanting and playing instruments for us. The gathering was for the opening of Thich Nhat Hahn’s legacy calligraphy exhibit that will be on display at ABC Home until the end of the year. Proceeds from the exhibit will help support his monastery. Each calligraphy piece were made up of words and phrases that made one feel good, happy and loved after reading it. They were simple yet profound. Ti invited us all to do a walking meditation as we viewed each piece, to take in the words, breath and be present. There was a feeling of magic in the air, being in the presence of Thich Nhat Hahn was unforgettable. All the guests were in a state of spiritual bliss, even though many were not Buddhists.

One of my favorite pieces said ” No Mud No Lotus”, which means that the lotus cannot be there without the mud, in fact the beauty of the lotus actually gives value to the mud. Or another interpretation is that happiness cannot be there without suffering. I think this resonates with most people at some point in our lives.

Another one of my favorites is “Be Beautiful Be Yourself”, this can be a helpful mantra to remind ourselves how beautiful we are without having to change or alter ourselves.

Thich Nhat Hahn encouraged us all to enjoy his calligraphy and to even create our own work with our words. In his own words:

“If we just act with awareness and integrity, our art will flower, and we don’t have to talk about it at all. When we know how to be in peace, we find that art is a wonderful way to share our peacefulness.  Artistic expression will take place in one way or another, but the being is essential. So we must go back to ourselves, and when we have joy and peace in ourselves, our creations of art will be quite natural, and they will serve the world in a positive way.”

If you are in NYC, try to stop by and enjoy a calligraphic meditation: the mindful art of zen master thich nhat hanh
and take in the words, let them resonate and expand your joy.