Path to Enlightenment

Path to Enlightenment

“Life is filled with suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders of life. They are within us and all around us, everywhere, any time” -Thich Nhat Hanh. Life is truly filled with suffering, but it is still good. For every bad thing, there are numerous other positive things in life. A fact I came to realize the last few days. I call this post Path to Enlightenment, because that is exactly what I am working towards. Eventually I hope to have this “Aha Moment” that everyone talks about. I wish to be able to finally figure everything out and make complete and total sense of everything.

I had a somewhat small “Aha Moment”, I picked up the book Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh, a well known Buddhist monk while up in Park City during the New Year’s weekend. I hadn’t had time to read it until late Sunday afternoon. The very first chapter of the book was incredible. The very first paragraph drew me in and refused to let me go. This is also where I had my first experience with meditation. The first chapter discusses sorrow and why it is important to life, but it also talks about how being happy is the most important thing in life. To get happiness, he writes a short poem on how to deal with sorrow. “Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment!” Man, this is such an awesome poem. How true this is is unbelievable. I had a change of mind over the weekend. Why would I think negatively and focus on all of the bad things when there are so many more positives? So, I changed my thinking and began meditating. It has worked wonders! I was dreading going into school Sunday morning, but I had my change of mind and began looking forward to it. Monday morning rolled around and I walked inside Alta with the biggest smile I’ve had in a long time. Nothing was going to bring me down! Someone told me that my “glow” had returned. I was determined to have the best day ever. Want to know a little secret? It was. It was the best day I had at school in a long time. I was actually excited for school on Tuesday. So far, Tuesday has been even better! I decided that 2012 is going to be my year. I was going to make every day count. This year is when I begin my path to enlightenment. Here’s to living life and enjoying every minute of it!

Life is Good. It will always be good. Yes, there is sorrow, but that will never bring us down if we focus on the bright side of things. Keep the head held high, even if you are extremely depressed; slap a smile on your face. It is shocking how your outward expression can affect your inner attitude. It worked for me, and it can work for you.

Life is Good,

Nicholas