You’ve probably heard of ‘mindfulness’ over the past few years. It’s become incredibly popular in the western world thanks to countless research studies showing its benefits.
For those of you who don’t know, mindfulness is simply paying attention to the present moment in a non-judgemental way. While it can certainly get more complex than that, if you focus on being present in the moment, you’ll be well on your way to reaching enlightenment according to Zen masters.
Here are 15 powerful mindfulness quotes that will inspire you to make the most of every second:
1) “This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.” – Alan Watts
2) “The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at this moment. That’s all there ever is.” – Eckhart Tolle
3) “Wherever you are, be there totally.” – Eckhart Tolle
4) “I’m here to tell you that the path to peace is right there, when you want to get away.” – Pema Chödrön
5) “The intuitive recognition of the instant, thus reality… is the highest act of wisdom.” – D.T. Suzuki
6) “If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life. That is very serious!” – Thich Nhat Hanh
7) “Practice is this life, and realization is this life, and this life is revealed right here and now.” – Maezumi Roshi
8) “If you want to change the world, start with the next person who comes to you in need.” – B. D. Schiers
9) “My experience is that the teachers we need most are the people we’re living with right now.” – Byron Katie
10) “Guilt, regret, resentment, sadness & all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past & not enough presence.” – Eckhart Tolle
11) “Awareness is the greatest agent for change.” – Eckhart Tolle
12) “When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.” – Shunryu Suzuki
13) “The art of living… is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.” – Alan Watts
14) “When you are present, you can allow the mind to be as it is without getting entangled in it.” – Eckhart Tolle
15) “Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
16) “Wanting to reform the world without discovering one’s true self is like trying to cover the world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns. It is much simpler to wear shoes.” – Ramana Maharshi
17) “The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.” – Pema Chodran
18) “You have a treasure within you that is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer.” – Eckhart Tolle
19) “Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn’t more complicated than that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.” – Sylvia Boorstein
20) “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein
Originally published on The Power of Ideas
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