Recently I came across a fascinating book entitled The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, by the late Thich Nhat Hanh, himself a fascinating character, a spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, known for his writings on mindfulness, peace and the teachings of the Buddha. Born in Vietnam he was surrounded by the suffering caused by the Vietnam War. For many years after that he lived in France in the community he created, Plum Village.

In this book the author explains in simple, concise and accessible language exactly what the Buddha was on about when he taught that our suffering can be transformed into peace, joy and liberation.

Now this might seem an impossible concept to believe to we Westerners as we sit watching stories of violence, corruption and catastrophic turmoil on our TVs, but when you consider it in the words of Thich Nhat Hanh it’s easy to realise that we tend to focus only on the negative and often fail to consider the wonderful things that happen all around us every day. Here’s an example from the book:

“The ocean of suffering is immense, but if you turn around you can see the land. The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don’t wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy. When one tree in the garden is sick, you have to care for it. But don’t overlook all the healthy trees. Even while you have pain in your heart you can enjoy the many wonders of life – the beautiful sunset, the smile of a child, the many flowers and trees. To suffer is not enough. Please don’t be imprisoned by your suffering.”

It’s obviously true that there are wonderful things happening all the time, it’s just that it’s too easy to let them go unnoticed.

Mindfulness is the key to liberation, according to the Buddha, for mindfulness can enable us to live fully in this present moment, and he prescribes many practises to enable us to reach that state – mostly based on various meditation techniques.

Reading this book I realise that the body of the Buddhas’ teachings demonstrates an amazing balance between intellectual and heart driven approaches – the middle way.

“I have seen that all beings are endowed with the nature of awakening,” said the Buddha. Hey, that means you and me, we have the potential to transcend our suffering, whatever that may be.