Quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh

Even if two people have a baby together, they are still separate. Each of us remains in isolation. It's not by living together, or by having sexual relations, or even by having children together that we can dispel this feeling of isolation. We can only dispel our mutual isolation when we practice mindfulness and are able to truly come home to ourselves and each other.

Primarily, sitting is to enjoy the pleasure of sitting, being fully alive and in touch with the wonders of our working bodies, the cool air, the sounds of people and birds, and the changing colors of the sky.

We tend to think we can be happy only if we're number one. But if you want to be number one, you have to devote all your time and energy to your work.

Mu?n thÆ°Æ¡ng yêu ph?i hi?u bi?t.

The idea is that we try our best to protect life, knowing that we cannot be perfect. If we're doing our best, that's good enough.

May the sound of this bell penetrate deeply into the cosmos. In even the darkest places, may living beings hear it clearly so that understanding comes to their hearts, and without much hardship, they transcend the cycle of birth and death. or:

Al inhalar, contemplo cómo lo abandono. Al exhalar, siento la dicha de abandonarlo. (Contemplando cómo lo abandono. Dicha.)

The roots of discrimination, conflict, and war are not to be found outside us. They are within our own way of thinking and looking at the world. The real enemy is our ignorance, our attachment to views, and our wrong perceptions.

With concentration on nonself—the reality that we do not have a separate self—we become aware that suffering is there not only in us but also in the other person.

Cuando los animales del bosque caen heridos, siempre encuentran un lugar para tenderse y descansar totalmente durante muchos días. No piensan en comer ni en ninguna otra cosa. Se limitan a descansar y logran de ese modo la curación que tanto necesitan.

1963 when President Diêm passed a law prohibiting his people from celebrating the Buddhist national holiday, many Vietnamese have understandably associated Christianity with foreign attempts to establish political and cultural domination.

Touching the ultimate dimension is very important. The wave can live the life of a wave, but it can also do better. It can live every moment of its life deeply touching its nature of no-birth and no-death, that is, its nature as water. If the wave realizes that it is water, its fear disappears. It enjoys its rising and falling much more. Rising is joyful, and falling is, too.

Remember that there is only one important time and that is now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. The most important person is always the person you are with, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future?

If you have experienced hunger, you know that having food is a miracle. If you have suffered from the cold, you know the preciousness of warmth. When you have suffered, you know how to appreciate the elements of paradise that are present. If you dwell only in your suffering, you will miss paradise. Don't ignore your suffering, but don't forget to enjoy the wonders of life, for your sake and for the benefit of many beings.

NhiêÌ€u hoÌ£c gi? Ä'ã laÌ€m cho giáo pháp c?a BuÌ£t tr? nên ph?c taÌ£p vaÌ€ khó hi?u. NhÆ°ng nh?ng giÌ€ BuÌ£t daÌ£y thiÌ€ r?t Ä'Æ¡n gi?n vaÌ€ không keÌ£t vaÌ€o ngôn tÆ°Ì€.

Meditation is simply the practice of stopping and looking deeply. You do not need to sit to meditate. Anytime you are looking deeply—whether you are walking, chopping vegetables, brushing your teeth, or going to the bathroom—you can be meditating.

The Buddha said, "The past no longer exists, and the future is not yet here." There is only a single moment in which we can truly be alive, and that is the present moment

The well-being of your body is not possible without the well-being of the planet.

If we're aware of the habit energies in us and can become more intentional in our thoughts, speech, and actions, then we can transform not only ourselves, but also our ancestors who planted the seeds. If we're able to do that, it means our ancestors are also able to smile at what is provoking them. If one person keeps calm and smiles at a provocation, the whole world will have a better chance for peace.

The Essential Discipline for Daily Use," written by the Buddhist monk Doc The from Bao Son pagoda

All of us are buddhas to be. That is why when people meet each other in a practice center, they form a lotus with their palms and greet each other, bowing and saying: "A lotus for you, a buddha to be." Breathing in, saying "a lotus for you," and breathing out, smiling, saying "a buddha to be," they embody the freshness of a blooming flower.

We have to learn the art of stopping — stopping our thinking, our habit energies, our forgetfulness, the strong emotions that rule us.

When something is pleasant, lovely, and appealing, we're caught by it. But appealing appearances are deceptive. We get hooked by them and once we're caught, we suffer.

To love, in the true sense of the word, is to feel no discrimination. We should have the element of equanimity, so that we can love without boundaries. Equanimity is the absence of the three complexes—better, worse, and equal. We no longer discriminate. We are able to embrace everything and we no longer suffer. When there is love without discrimination, there is also an absence of suffering.