Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes
Do not lose yourself in the past. Do not lose yourself in the future. Do not get caught in your anger, worries, or fears. Come back to the present moment, and touch life deeply. This is mindfulness.
Ignorance is in each cell of our body and our consciousness. It's like a drop of ink diffused in a glass of water.
Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child - our own two eyes. All is a miracle.
Meditation is to be aware of what is going on: in your body, in your feelings, in your mind, and in the world.
People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.
No argument, no reasoning, no blame, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change.
Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.
Those who are without compassion cannot see what is seen with the eyes of compassion.
I would not look upon anger as something foreign to me that I have to fight... I have to deal with my anger with care, with love, with tenderness, with nonviolence.
New cells are born everyday and old cells die, but they have neither funerals nor birthdays.
If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.
Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity.
When you learn about the teaching and the practice of another tradition, you always have a chance to understand your own teaching and practice.
If you have mindfulness, if you feel safe, you recognize that you have plenty of conditions to be happy already, and that you don't need to run into the future in order to get a few more conditions.
The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.
If you're a politician, you might want to learn the Buddhist way of negotiation. Restoring communication and bringing back reconciliation is clear and concrete in Buddhism.
If I don't understand you, I may be angry at you, all the time. We are not capable of understanding each other, and that is the main source of human suffering.
The son needs the father to have access to his source, and the father needs the son to have access to the future and the infinite.
The third element of love is mudita, joy. True love always brings joy to ourselves and to the one we love. If our love does not bring joy to both of us, it is not true love.
Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.
People sacrifice the present for the future. But life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and the now.
Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
That is why I don't believe much in what Mr. Descartes said: "I think, therefore I am." I think, therefore I'm lost in my thinking. I'm not there.
Freedom is not given to us by anyone we have to cultivate it ourselves. It is a daily practice... No one can prevent you from being aware of each step you take or each breath in and breath out.
Sometimes it is better not to talk about art by using the word "art". If we just act with awareness and integrity, our art will flower, and we don't have to talk about it at all.
The best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment.
It is my conviction that there is no way to peace - peace is the way.
Mindfulness is like that—it is the miracle which can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life.
Treat your anger with the utmost respect and tenderness, for it is no other than yourself.
If we take something to be the truth, we may cling to it so much that when the truth comes and knocks on our door, we won't want to let it in.
Guarding knowledge is not a good way to understand. Understanding means to throw away your knowledge.
Letting go takes a lot of courage sometimes. But once you let go, happiness comes very quickly. You won't have to go around search for it.
The most basic precept of all is to be aware of what we do, what we are, each minute . Every other precept will follow from that.
When we recognise the virtues, the talent, the beauty of Mother Earth, something is born in us, some kind of connection, love is born.
The person who suffers most in this world is the person who has many wrong perceptions, and most of our perceptions are erroneous.
When we're inspired by the desire to practice and transform our suffering, the mind of the moment is very beautiful. Sometimes we call it the mind of love. It's because of love that we practice.
You know that your happiness and suffering depend on the happiness and suffering of others. That insight helps you not to do wrong things that will bring suffering to yourself and to other people.
If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.
Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.
You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life of peace, you inspire hope for a future of peace.
The present moment is the substance with which the future is made. Therefore, the best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment. What else can you do?
Love has no meaning without understanding
The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.
May we eat only foods that nourish us and prevent illnes.. May we accept this food for the realization of the way of understanding and love.
Birth is okay and death is okay, if we know that they are only concepts in our mind. Reality transcends both birth and death.
