The way…

There is no way…

…to joy, liberation, peace and happiness; joy, peace and happiness, are themselves the way.

A Buda teaching that reminds us to stay in the present, and it is mindfulness and gratitude that lead to the ultimate freedom of the highest order. Nirvana, then, is not a distant place only attainable by the select few who live in monasteries.  Nor does it conflict with the Western notion of Heaven.  It is the state of fully living . . . and fully living is fully being.  What a gift to have complete spiritual liberation available to us each and every day when we simply decide to touch the present moment.