Recollection of the Buddha by Thich Nhat Hanh

The practice I would like to show you is called Recollection of the Buddha and it is taught in every school of Buddhism.

Sit down quietly, breathe in and out for a few minutes to calm yourself, and then ask,

"Little Buddha, are you there?"

Ask the question very deeply and quietly. In the beginning you may not hear an answer.  There is always an answer, but if you are not calm enough, you won't hear it.

"Little Buddha, are you there?"

And then one day you will the voice of your little Buddha answering,

"Yes, my dear, of course. I am always here for you."

Hearing this you smile. "I know, little Buddha,  you are my calm. I know you are always there, and I need you to help me be calm... I shout and act as if I don't have A Buddha in me. Thankyou little Buddha I need you to be there."

The little Buddha says, "Of course I'll be here for you all the time. Just come iniside and visit me when you need to."

That is the practice of touching the Buddha inside. It's a very important practice for all of us.

If you lose your peace and joy, remember if you touch the Buddha inside you, you will continue to grow.

You can say to the Buddha inside of you, "Dear Little Buddha, you are my freshness, thankyou for being there.

Dear Little Buddha, you are my tenderness, thankyou for being there.

Dear Little Buddha, you are my mindfulness."

Everytime you visit the Buddha, the Buddha in you will grow stronger.

Everytime your practice touching the Buddha, you bring in a lot of space and air, and the Buddha within you has a chance to grow.  

It's very important. If you practice touching these qualities of the Buddha in you,

you are touching the real Buddha.

--Thich Nhat Hanh--