mindful monday

calligraphy by thich nhat hanh

bonjour dear readers and welcome to monday. we returned to the pink palace mid-afternoon saturday and i've already savored two fires and two soaks in the tub. thinking a mid-monday morning one may be in order, too. although i adored the adventures of the road, it always feels delightful to be home.

also, i can't emphasize this enough: a BIG thanks to all who followed our adventures, supported the tour in person or in spirit, and participated in the giveaway {winner *just* announced, congrats diana} revealed in last week's love note museletter. we'll be pulling together a google hangout and hosting an event at tranquil space to share stories and pics from the adventure plus posting tranquility tour trivia {how many tanks of gas, how many miles, etc} shortly. stay tuned for more on our "show and tell."

while revisiting summer's online book club choice, savor, last week at the beach, i cam across these five mindfulness trainings which "represent the Buddhist vision for a global spirituality and ethic. They are a concrete expression of the Buddha’s teachings on the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, the path of right understanding and true love, leading to healing, transformation, and happiness for ourselves and for the world. To practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings is to cultivate the insight of interbeing, or Right View, which can remove all discrimination, intolerance, anger, fear, and despair. If we live according to the Five Mindfulness Trainings, we are already on the path of a bodhisattva. Knowing we are on that path, we are not lost in confusion about our life in the present or in fears about the future."

the five mindfulness trainings are:

1. reverence for life

2. true happiness

3. true love

4. loving speech + deep listening

5. nourishment + healing

these five mindfulness trainings are chock-full with insightful advice encouraging compassion, mindful consumption, and love. here's a Q+A with thich nhat hanh on these trainings. i hope these resonate with you as much as they did with me and that they help launch a mindful, compassionate week. 

as the above image reminds us, peace begins within. what one small step will you take today to nurture your spirit in a way that helps contribute to a more peaceful society? bisous. x

to explore mindfulness further, join the "mindfulness: tranquility within" e-course.