Quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh

I have arrived, I am home in the here, in the now. I am solid, I am free. In the ultimate I dwell.

To build community, it is important to accept the insight of interbeing, of interconnectedness. We must realize that happiness is not an individual matter. Finding happiness through our separate, individual self is impossible.

To practice as monks is to train ourselves in mindfulness and awakening, to first free ourselves from suffering and then to help others do the same.

True love doesn't contain suffering or attachment. It brings well-being to ourselves and others. True love is generated from within. With true love, you feel complete in yourself; you don't need something from outside. True love is like the sun, shining with its own light, and offering that light to everyone.

When you wake up in the morning, while you're still in bed, you can start the day with a mindful breath. Take that moment, first thing, to follow your breathing in and out and be aware that you have twenty-four brand-new hours to live. This is a gift of life!

The past is an object of our study, of our meditation, but the way to study it or meditate on it is by remaining anchored in the present moment.

Our practice for the new century should be to transform the notion that we are separate selves and to liberate ourselves from the prison of the individual. The most meaningful practice we have today is to learn how to live as a sangha.

When living in an era where there is no Buddha, taking care of one's parents is as virtuous and meritorious as taking care of the Buddha.

Practice looking at all beings with the eyes of compassion: this is the meditation called "the meditation on compassion.

If you are happy, all of us will profit from it. Society will profit from it. All living beings will profit from it.

Your mindful steps are not for you alone; they are for your partner and friends too, because the moment you stop suffering, others benefit.

Your good intentions are not enough; you have to be artful. We may be filled with goodwill; we may be motivated by the desire to make the other person happy; but out of our clumsiness, we make them unhappy. Walking, eating, breathing, talking, and working are all opportunities to practice creating happiness inside you and around you. Mindful living is an art, and each of us has to train to be an artist.

When you begin to practice mindfulness, you begin as a part-time Buddha. Slowly you become a full-time Buddha. Sometimes you are a Buddha; sometimes you fall back; and then, with steady practice, you become a Buddha once again. Buddhahood is within reach because, like the Buddha, you're a human being. You can become a Buddha whenever you like. Buddha is available in the here and now, anytime, anywhere.

After this interlude, invite again the muffled sound of the bell before enouncing the words of the next two lines with their key words. They will again be succeeded by a full sound of the bell, a silent period, and so on until the end of the exercise.

Nonaction is, in fact, also action.

The past is still here in the form of the present. We may think that there isn't anything we can do about the past anymore, but there is.

The fifth characteristic of manas is ignoring the law of moderation. Mind consciousness has to remind manas of the wisdom of moderation. With mindful breathing, we can help our mind consciousness to look deeply, to recognize manas with all its delusion, and to realize that there is the seed of wisdom in store consciousness

As we follow our breathing, we can say simply: Calming, Smiling, Present moment, Wonderful moment.

There's a tradition in Asia of treating your partner with the respect you would accord a guest. This is true even if you have been with your loved one for a long time. The other person always deserves your full respect.

we are joy, but we are also pain; we are understanding, but we are also ignorance

Transforming the past is possible, thanks to meditation practice.

As a tender baby, we have arms and feet, but we can't use them. We need someone to take care of us. With original fear comes original desire. There is the fear of being left alone and there is the desire to survive. Even when we've grown up to be an adult, the original fear and original desire are still there.

We need to practice resting even when we are not sick. Sitting meditation, walking meditation, and mindful eating are good opportunities for resting. When you feel agitated, if you are able to go to a park or a garden, it is an opportunity for rest. If you walk slowly and remember to take it easy, if you are able to sit and do nothing from time to time, you can rest deeply and enter a state of true ease.

Listening To The Bell With body, speech and mind in perfect oneness, I send my heart along with the sound of this bell. May the hearers awaken from forgetfulness, And transcend the path of anxiety and sorrow.