Going Home to Yourself

I had a student, Sister Tri Hai, who graduated in English literature from Indiana University in Bloomington. She had been ordained as a nun. She was caught, arrested, and put into prison for working for peace and human rights. When she was in prison, she practiced walking meditation in her small cell, which she shared with several other women. In order to keep her courage up to survive, she had to practice walking meditation. She was able to help many people in prison. In a situation like that, you survive through your spiritual life; otherwise, you will go insane. You have no hope, you are frustrated, and you suffer so much. That is why the spiritual dimension of your life is so important. If you are overwhelmed by anger, despair, and fear and you are suffering a lot, you cannot help yourself – so how can you help other people? Anger is fire, and it will continue to burn you. We have gone through the fire and we know how hot it is.

Sister Tri Hai practiced walking meditation all night so she could be herself and not go insane. She went back to her true home within herself. Her true home is not in Paris, London, or Tra Loc, because that home can be bombarded and taken away. Your true home is within yourself, and nobody can take it away from you. The Buddha said, “Go home to the island within yourself. There is a safe island of self inside. Every time you suffer, every time you are lost, go back to your true home. Nobody can take that true home away from you...”

From Peace Begins Here: Palestinians and Israelis Listening to Each Other by Thich Nhat Hanh. Parallax Press, 2004  www.parallax.org. Reprinted with permission.

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