Buddhism has to do with your daily life, with your suffering and with the suffering of the people around you.

I would not be happy if I could not become a monk. They call it the beginner's mind - the deep intention, the deepest desire that a person may have. And I can say that until this day, this beginner's mind is still alive in me.

To make peace, our hearts must be at peace with the world.

With mindfulness - the practice of peace - we can begin by working to transform the wars in ourselves. Conscious breathing helps us do this.

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle.

People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?

With mindfulness, you can establish yourself in the present in order to touch the wonders of life that are available in that moment.