DESCARTES SAID, “I think, therefore I am.” In light of the Buddha’s teaching, you might say, “I think, therefore I am . . . not here.” You are lost in your thinking, so you are really not here. For you to truly be here, thinking has to stop. As you are practicing mindfulness of the breath, the object of your attention is simply the breath. You stop thinking about the past, the future, your pain, your plans, and so forth, and you start to be really here, body and mind united.
Hanh, Thich Nhat. Your True Home (p. 149). Shambhala. Kindle Edition.
