Before practicing meditation, we see that mountains are mountains. When we start to practice, we see that mountains are no longer mountains. After practicing a while, we see that mountains are again mountains. Now the mountains are very free. Our mind is still with the mountains, but it is no longer bound to anything.
Nhat HanhWe need to be aware of the suffering, but retain our clarity, calmness and strength so we can help transform the situation.
Nhat HanhTo abandon the present in order to look for things in the future is to throw away the substance and hold onto the shadow.
Nhat HanhThe most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.
Nhat HanhOften, we feel that we need a leader outside of ourselves -a Buddha, a Gandhi, or a Martin Luther King, Jr.- to show the way. But we have the Buddha inside of us. We have Gandhi and King inside of us as well. We are interconnected. We don't need to wait for some other person to be the change we want to see in the world
Nhat Hanh