Following a path: taking the long view

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

I admire Thich Nhat Hanh for his perseverance from a young age in Viet Nam to his current devotion to the path of Buddhism. He says that there may be obstacles to traveling to understanding truth, and don’t think that you will get it down pat anyway.

He has been quoted saying:

“We must not be attached to a view or a doctrine, even a Buddhist one. The Buddha said that if in a certain moment or place you adopt something as the absolute truth, and you attach to that, then you will no longer have any chance to reach the truth. Even when the truth comes and knocks on your door, and asks you to open the door, you won’t recognize it. So you must not be too attached to dogma–to what you believe, and to what you perceive.” [in an interview with Diane Wolkstein featured in Parabola Vol 30 No 4]. More from Wolkstein.

Traveling a Buddhist path can seem like a riddle at times, but the more you settle into the study and listen to those who provide insights the more you start to understand. Learn more abut Thich Nhat Hanh.