The Path to Emancipation - sharing the lessons learned

I went to a meditation class and was introduced to this book by the world famous Thich Nhat Hanh.  It is a transcript of the 21 day mindfulness retreat he held in 1998.  I found his words immediately enticing and I couldn't let go.  A few weeks after, I bought my own copy online.

Here is what the Dalai Lama had to say about the author:

"Thich Nhat Hanh shows us the connection between personal, inner peace and peace on earth."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in nominating Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize:

"Thich Nhat Hanh is a holy man, for he is humble and devout. He is [also] a scholar of immense intellectual capacity." 

I've only started the book, but I have already found some interesting points.  I'd like to share these with you on an ongoing basis.  For today, here's an excerpt worth pondering: 

"According to the teaching and the practice of the Buddha, life is available only in the present moment, in the here and the now.

The Buddha said that the past is already gone, and the future is not yet here. There is only one moment for us to live, and that is the present moment.
We have an appointment with life, and that appointment takes place in the present moment. If we miss the present moment, we miss our appointment with life, which is serious.

In our daily life, we have a tendency to think about the past, to get caught in the sorrow and regret concerning the past, and to get caught in the fear and uncertainty about the future, so our mind is not in the present moment.
That is why it is very important to learn how to go back to the present moment in order to become fully alive, fully present."

This section hit me hard.  I am exactly the type he describes.  Constantly thinking about the regrets of the past, the "I should have" or "Should I" moments, and lamenting about "What if shit happens" in the future.  What he states in this section is so true, so logical, and so simple...yet, it penetrates to the core.  I will share more as I read on.