Quotes from Thích Nh?t H?nh

We have created a society in which the rich become richer and the poor become poorer, and in which we are so caught up in our own immediate problems that we cannot afford to be aware of what is going on with the rest of the human family or our planet Earth. In my mind I see a group of chickens in a cage disputing over a few seeds of grain, unaware that in a few hours they will all be killed.

He saw the oneness of body and mind, that each and every cell of the body contained all the wisdom of the universe.

When we learn to love and understand ourselves and have true compassion for ourselves, then we can truly love and understand another person.

Meditation is to be aware of what is going on: in your body, in your feelings, in your mind, and in the world.

The instant you sit down to meditate, begin watching your breath. At first breathe normally, gradually letting your breathing slow down until it is quiet, even, and the lengths of the breaths are fairly long. From the moment you sit down to the moment your breathing has become deep and silent, be conscious of everything

Everyone knows that blaming and arguing never help; but we forget.

But work is life only when done in mindfulness. otherwise, one becomes life the person who lives as though dead. We need to light our own torch in order to carry on. But the life of each one of us is connected with the life of those around us. If we know how to live in mindfulness, if we know how to preserve and care for our own mind and heart then thanks to that our brothers and sisters will also know how to live in mindfulness.

We are related to each other. By taking care of you, I take care of myself. By taking care of myself, I take care of you. Happiness and safety are not individual matters.

Life is illuminated by right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

Hatred cannot be stopped by hatred. Violence should not be responded to with violence. The only way out of violence and conflict is for us to embrace the practice of peace, to think and act with compassion, love, and understanding.

Saint Macarius said, "It is not necessary to use many words. Only stretch out your arms and say, 'Lord, have pity on me as you desire and as you well know how.

Find joy in the extinction of desires.

Whoever moves from carelessness to vigilance, whoever overcomes his unwholesome deeds with wholesome actions, lights up the world, like the moon that merges from a cloud.

the essential discipline of following one's breath to nourish and maintain calm mindfulness, even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances.

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.

Being in touch with oneself is the meaning of meditation, to be aware of what is going on in your body, in your feelings, in your mind.

We have to be in the present time, because only the present is real, only in the present can we be alive. We do not practice for the sake of the future, to be reborn in a paradise, but to be peace, to be compassion, to be joy right now.

If you have a gun, you can shoot one, two, three, five people; but if you have an ideology and stick to it, thinking it is the absolute truth, you can kill millions.

One of the most significant negative habits we should be aware of is that of constantly allowing our mind to run off into the future. Perhaps we got this from our parents. Carried away by our worries, we're unable to live fully and happily in the present. Deep down, we believe we can't really be happy just yet—that we still have a few more boxes to be checked off before we can really enjoy life.

Poison cannot penetrate the hand that is free of wounds.

The same is true when you drink a cup of tea: if you're concentrated and you focus your attention on the cup of tea, then the cup of tea becomes a great joy.

Peace is all around us and within us.

Views, knowledge, and even wisdom are solid, and can block the way of understanding.

We should treat our anxiety, our pain, our hatred and passion gently, respectfully, not resisting it, but living with it, making peace with it, penetrating into its nature by