Quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh

The past is no longer a prison for me. The future is not a prison either. I am able to live in the here and now and

We have a seed of anger in us. We have a seed of compassion in us. The practice is to help the seed of compassion to grow and the seed of anger to shrink.

don't exercise to get fit or be healthier; I do it to enjoy being alive.

Nuestra vida debe tener sentido, y ese sentido consiste en aliviar el sufrimiento ajeno y ayudar a los demás a permanecer en contacto con la alegría de la vida.

a retreat. These exercises can be called the food of joy. In the Dhyana School, there is the expression "meditation as the food of joy," which means that the feeling of joy arising from the practice of meditation nourishes and sustains us.

la práctica espiritual consiste más en reflexionar sobre las preguntas que en hallar respuestas.

The Buddha said many times. My teaching is like a finger pointing to the moon. Do not mistake the finger for the Moon

At the moment of his awakening at the foot of the bodhi tree, the Buddha declared, How strange—all beings possess the capacity to be awakened, to understand, to love, and to be free, yet they don't know it and they allow themselves to be carried away on the ocean of suffering.

Sit in order to sit. Stand in order to stand. There is no goal or aim in sitting.

Thay encourages us to boldly reimagine an entirely new way of living and doing things, and to never be afraid to dream. And he reminds us, no matter what, to always work together, never alone.

If the human species has been able to make any progress, it is because of our heart of love and compassion. We need to learn from compassionate beings how to develop the practice of deep observation for the sake of others. Then others will be able to learn from us the way to live in the present and see the impermanent and selfless nature of all that is. This insight will lighten suffering.

As children, we were very vulnerable. We got hurt easily. This pain is still inside us. The wounded five-year-old child in us is still there and needs to be heard. If we want to be able to connect with others and understand them, we have to be able to do the same for ourselves first. We can practice getting in touch with our inner child, to recognize, embrace, and transform their pain.

Whenever we have fifteen free minutes, an hour or two, we have the habit of using our computers or cell phones, music, or conversations to forget and to run away from the reality of the elements that make up our beings.

When you're in bed and unable to sleep, the best thing to do is to go back to your breathing. Resting is almost as beneficial as sleeping, and you'll know that you're doing the best that you can. Bring peace to your breathing and your body so you can rest.

el hecho de reflexionar sobre una pregunta – explorar todas sus facetas a lo largo del tiempo – nos pone en contacto con el misterio de la vida. Reflexionar sobre las preguntas nos acostumbra a la naturaleza inabarcable de la vida y nos permite comprender las cosas desde diversos puntos de vista.

It is not impermamence that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permament when they are not.

Hãy Ä'i nh?ng bÆ°á»›c chân nhÆ° hôn vào m?t ??t Hãy Ä'i nh?ng bÆ°á»›c chân nhÆ° vá»— v? trái ??t

The Buddha also taught on many occasions that most of our perceptions are erroneous, and that most of our suffering comes from wrong perceptions.

If we want to reduce stress and tension, we need to be aware that we've been running a lot. True happiness isn't found in success, money, fame, or power. True happiness should be found in the here and now. With that kind of insight, you can truly relax.

About thirty years ago I was looking for an English word to describe our deep interconnection with everything else. I liked the word "togetherness," but I finally came up with the word "interbeing." The verb "to be" can be misleading, because we cannot be by ourselves, alone.

To me, the relationship between a teacher and a student is based on on the trust that the teacher has practiced and continues ti practice what he teachers

We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living! We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive.

We sit as if we are sitting on a lotus flower, not on a heap of burning charcoal.

Dear friends, I have seen deeply that nothing can be by itself alone, that everything has to inter-be with everything else. I have seen that all beings are endowed with the nature of awakening.