“In order to come home to ourselves without fear of encountering the suffering, we must have a practice of mindfulness and concentration.” ~Thick Nhat Hanh
Meditation gives us many gifts, far too many to name them all. One that comes to mind at the present moment is the gift of arriving home. For many years of my life home was the place where I grew up...my parents house. I'd heard that old saying, "home is where the heart is", but it didn't really resonate with me. And I must admit there are still tugs when I am there; a longing to be young and carefree, the desire to be able to visit often...and the never ceasing "tear" as I leave from my quarterly visits. But home is no longer a place for me go and visit, it is not the physical space that houses my material possessions. Home has become the place I rest inside of myself...I carry my home with me where ever I go.
Thick Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, has a wonderful meditation on the breath called "Arriving Home." The intent of this practice is to allow us to arrive home into the presence of own selves. When we are there we know peace, we no longer look outside of ourselves for happiness...we yearn no more for memories of a life we chose to leave behind nor do we yearn for our identify to be defined or outlined by others. Some call it, "being comfortable in our skin." But even that line of thinking is a form of attachment. Life is about impermanence. Becoming whole is to become that person you were put here to be. Meditation allows us to stop looking outside of ourselves for answers. For we know at the very core of our beings what the answers are for us. The key that unlocks the door to your home...is the willingness to look deep within...past the darkness into the very core of your beings.
A simple meditative practice for "arriving home" is to find a quiet place free from distractions. Sit comfortably and relax. On the in breath mentally say to yourself "arriving". On the exhalation say to yourself "home".
