We inter-breath with the rain forests, we drink from the oceans. They are part of our own body.
Nhat HanhAnxiety, the illness of our time, comes primarily from our inability to dwell in the present moment.
Nhat HanhGuarding knowledge is not a good way to understand. Understanding means to throw away your knowledge. You have to be able to transcend your knowledge the way people climb a ladder. If you are on the fifth step of a ladder and think that you are very high, there is no hope for you to climb to the sixth.
Nhat HanhListening is a very deep practice. You have to empty yourself. You have to leave space in order to listen especially to people we think are our enemies - the ones we believe are making our situation worse. When you have shown your capacity for listening and understanding, the other person will begin to listen to you, and you have a change to tell him or her of your pain, and it's your turn to be healed. This is the practice of peace.
Nhat Hanh