Impermanence is very important, crucial for life. That is why instead of complaining about impermanence you have to say "Long live impermanence!"
Nhat HanhThey criticize the silent ones. They criticize the talkative ones. They criticize the moderate ones. There is no one in the world who escapes criticism.
Nhat HanhDeep listening is the kind of listening that can help relieve the suffering of another person. You can call it compassionate listening. You listen with only one purpose: to help him or her to empty his heart. Even if he says things that are full of wrong perceptions, full of bitterness, you are still capable of continuing to listen with compassion. Because you know that listening like that, you give that person a chance to suffer less.
Nhat HanhWhen we speak, we want to say something sweet, but we don't say something sweet because something is ordering us from deep down to say something unkind. We want to open our hearts to people, but we can't do it, because we are being ordered around by the sufferings we have concealed deep in our consciousness.
Nhat HanhWherever we are we have the capacity to enjoy the sunshine, the presence of each other and the wonder of our breathing.
Nhat HanhSilence is something that comes from your heart, not from outside. Silence doesn't mean not talking and not doing things; it means that you are not disturbed inside. If you're truly silent, then no matter what situation you find yourself in you can enjoy the silence.
Nhat HanhIf you love someone but rarely make yourself available to him or her, that is not true love.
Nhat HanhThe Buddha also counseled the monks and nuns to avoid wasting any precious time by engaging in idle conversation, oversleeping, pursuing fame and recognition, chasing after desires, spending time with people of poor character, and being satisfied with only a shallow understanding of the teaching.
Nhat HanhThe healing of ourselves is the healing of the whole nation. Society is only a manifestation of our collective consciousness and our collective consciousness has a lot of fear, violence and hatred in it. ... It is possible to transform our heart...Not much time is needed...(the transformation can be born) the moment you vow to go in the direction of peace and service.
Nhat HanhAt first glance, that might seem a little silly: why put so much stress on a simple thing? But that's precisely the point.
Nhat HanhThe moment you understand the importance of loving yourself, you will stop hurting others.
Nhat HanhHuman beings are innately loving beings. When we fail to love, it is because an element of ignorance has intruded into our experience, submerging our natural impulse to love.
Nhat HanhWe are determined not to take as the aim of our life fame, profit, wealth, or sensual pleasure, nor to accumulate wealth while millions are hungry and dying. We are committed to living simply and sharing our time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need.
Nhat HanhAction is called karma. And that's your continuation. When this body disintegrates, you continue on with your actions. It's like the cloud in the sky. When the cloud is no longer in the sky, it hasn't died. The cloud is continued in other forms like rain or snow or ice.
Nhat HanhBreathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body. Then look at, or think of, the person triggering this emotion: With mindfulness, you can see that she is unhappy, that she is suffering. You can see her wrong perceptions. You can see that she is not beautiful when she says things that are unkind.
Nhat HanhIf you are capable of brushing your teeth in mindfulness, then you will be able to enjoy the time when you take a shower, cook your breakfast, sip your tea.
Nhat HanhA real love letter is made of insight, understanding, and compassion. Otherwise it's not a love letter. A true love letter can produce a transformation in the other person, and therefore in the world. But before it produces a transformation in the other person, it has to produce a transformation within us. Some letters may take the whole of our lifetime to write.
Nhat HanhReality is reality. It transcends every concept. There is no concept which can adequately describe it, not even the concept of interdependence.
Nhat HanhWhen reality is perceived in its nature of ultimate perfection, the practitioner has reached a level of wisdom called non-discrimination mind - a wondrous communion in which there is no longer any distinction made between subject and object.
Nhat HanhBreathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.
Nhat HanhTo think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is. A pessimistic attitude can never create the calm and serene smile which blossoms on the lips of Bodhisattvas and all those who obtain the way.
Nhat HanhThe moment you wake up, right away, you can smile... You are aware that a new day is beginning, that life is offering you twenty-four brand new hours to live, and that that's the most precious of gifts.
Nhat Hanh"I am breathing in and liberating my mind. I am breathing out and liberating my mind." One practices like this.
Nhat HanhTo take good care of yourself and to take good care of living beings and of the environment is the best way to love God.
Nhat HanhThe roots of war are in the way we live our daily lives -- the way we develop our industries, build up our society, and consume goods.
Nhat HanhBuddhism has to do with your daily life, with your suffering and with the suffering of the people around you.
Nhat HanhI will practice coming back to the present moment...not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past or letting anxieties, fears, or cravings pull me out.
Nhat HanhWe all need a place that is safe and wholesome enough for us to return for refuge. In Buddhism, that refuge is mindfulness.
Nhat HanhIf I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have dessert, I will be equally incapable of enjoying my dessert. With the fork in my hand, I will be thinking about what to do next, and the texture and flavor of the dessert, together with the pleasure of eating it, will be lost. I will always be dragged into the future, never able to live in the present moment.
Nhat HanhDeep listening is the kind of listening that can help relieve the suffering of another person. You can call it compassionate listening. You listen with only one purpose: to help him or her to empty his heart.
Nhat HanhDoubt in my tradition is something that is very helpful. Because of doubt, you can thirst more and you will get a higher kind of proof.
Nhat HanhLoving ourselves means loving our community. When we are capable of loving ourselves, nourishing ourselves properly, not intoxicating ourselves, we are already protecting and nourishing society.
Nhat HanhWe try many ways to be awake, but our society still keeps us forgetful. Meditation is to help us remember.
Nhat HanhThrough your love for each other, through learning the art of making one person happy, you learn to express your love for the whole of humanity and all beings. Please help us develop the curriculum for the Institute for the Happiness of One Person. Don't wait until we open the school. You can begin practicing right away.
Nhat HanhAwareness is a mirror reflecting the four elements. Beauty is a heart that generates love and a mind that is open.
Nhat HanhNonviolent action, born of the awareness of suffering and nurtured by love, is the most effective way to confront adversity.
Nhat Hanh'Emptiness' means empty of a separate self. It is full of everything, full of life. The word emptiness should not scare us. It is a wonderful word. To be empty does not mean non-existent. Emptiness is the ground of everything. Thanks to emptiness, everything is possible.
Nhat Hanh