Quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh

The Zen practitioner must . . . strive to liberate himself from his attachment to knowledge and to open the door of his being in order that truth might enter.

Deja marchar a tus vacas y sé una persona libre. Déjalas marchar para poder ser realmente feliz.

Tu verdadero hogar es aquello que el Buda llamó la isla interior, el lugar apacible que hay en tu interior. A menudo no te das cuenta de que está ahí, ni siquiera sabes dónde estás, porque hay un ambiente ruidoso tanto dentro como fuera de ti. Necesitas una cierta quietud para descubrir esa isla interior.

If one clings merely to a system of concepts, one only becomes stuck. The meditation on interdependence is to help one penetrate reality in order to be one with it, not to become caught up in philosophical opinion or meditation methods. The raft is used to cross the river. It isn't to be carried around on your shoulders. The finger which points at the moon isn't the moon itself.

I am here, available to life. And life is available to me.

All the elements for your happiness are already here. There's no need to run, strive, search or struggle. Just be.

Just as a monkey jumps from one tree to another, so people jump from one prison of sensual love to another

If, in your mind, you think, "I wish this fellow would quit talking, so I could concentrate," you have already lost your mindfulness. But if you think, instead, "If he wishes to talk, I will answer, but I will continue in mindfulness, aware of the fact that we are walking along this path together, aware of what we say, I can continue to watch my breath as well.

As the blade of a sword cannot cut itself, so a thought cannot see itself.

La práctica de la plena conciencia es muy sencilla. Te detienes, respiras y aquietas la mente. Vuelves a tu verdadero hogar para disfrutar del aquí y el ahora a cada momento.

The third nutriment is volition. This is your desire, your hope, your aspiration. It's the energy that keeps you alive. You want to be someone. You want to do something with your life. If you're motivated by compassion and love, your volition will give you the energy and direction to grow and become even more loving and compassionate.

Zen Master Lin Chi once said: If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. If you meet the Patriarch, kill the Patriarch. For the one who only has devotion, this declaration is terrible; it confuses him completely. But its effect depends on the mentality and capacity of the one who hears. If the man is strong, he truly will have the capacity to liberate himself from all authority, whatever it might be, and to accomplish in himself ultimate truth.

Te invito a que pienses profundamente en la práctica de la plena consciencia como una forma maravillosa de proporcionar alimento espiritual, tanto a tu comunidad como a ti mismo. Esa es una energía capaz de alimentar al mundo. Y cuando ves que esta práctica nutre al mundo, te sientes muy feliz porque estás conectado con la vida y sirviéndola de un modo muy real.

Imagine two hens about to be slaughtered, but they do not know it. One hen says to the other, "The rice is much tastier than the corn. The corn is slightly off." She is talking about relative joy. She does not realize that the real joy of this moment is the joy of not being slaughtered, the joy of being alive.

But the path back home is not long. Home is inside us. Going home requires only sitting down and being with yourself, accepting the situation as it is. Yes, it might be a mess in there, but we accept it because we know we have left home for a long time. So now we're home. With our in-breath and our out-breath, our mindful breathing, we begin to tidy up our homes.

Each of us needs a reserve of memories and experiences that are beautiful, healthy, and strong enough to help us during difficult moments. Sometimes when the pain in us is so big, we cannot truly touch life's wonders. We need help. But if we have a strong storehouse of happy memories and experiences, we can bring them to mind to help us embrace the block of pain inside.

We can put an end to our suffering just by realizing that our suffering is not worth suffering for! How

Both death and life are happening at every instant in the river of our physical body.

Truth is reality itself and not concepts. If we cling to a certain number of concepts and consider them as being reality, we lose reality.

we are very good at preparing to live but not very good at living. we can spend 10 yrs to get a diploma or a degree, car, job but have difficulty remembering that we are alive. every breathe we take can be filled with joy, peace, serenity. we only need to be awake and alive in the moment.

The way we live our daily lives is what most effects the situation of the world. If we can change our daily lives, then we can change our governments and… the world. Our president and governments are us. They reflect our lifestyle and our way of thinking

Todos tenemos en nuestro interior bloqueos procedentes de la energía de los hábitos. Esta clase de energía inconsciente nos hace repetir la misma conducta miles de veces. Nos empuja a correr de un lado a otro, a estar haciendo siempre alguna cosa, a dejarnos llevar por nuestros pensamientos sobre el pasado o el futuro y a culpar a los demás de nuestro sufrimiento. Bloquea nuestra capacidad de sentirnos serenos y felices en el momento presente.

While you are walking, smile and be in the here and now, and you will transform that place into paradise.

If you are a poet, you will clearly see a cloud floating on this sheet of paper. Thich Nhat Hanh