Quotes by Thích Nhất Hạnh
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Your body is not just yours. It is a gift and a responsibility.

Mindfulness must be engaged. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. Otherwise, what's the use of seeing?

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.

You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life of peace, you inspire hope for a future of peace.

If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything.

There is no enlightenment outside of daily life.

Usually when we hear or read something new, we just compare it to our own ideas. If it is the same, we accept it and say that it is correct. If it is not, we say it is incorrect. In either case, we learn nothing.

I am determined to practice deep listening. I am determined to practice loving speech.

Breathing in, there is only the present moment. Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.

The wave does not need to die to become water. She is already water.

I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given me to live.

You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free.

We still have not yet fully understood electrons and nuclei; for scientists, a speck of dust is very exciting. A particle of dust is a marvel.

Suffering has its beneficial aspects. It can be an excellent teacher.

The most important thing is that we need to be understood. We need someone to be able to listen to us and to understand us. Then we will suffer less.

If you are motivated by loving kindness and compassion, there are many ways to bring happiness to others right now, starting with kind speech.

When you look deeply into your anger, you will see that the person you call your enemy is also suffering. As soon as you see that, the capacity of accepting and having compassion for them is there.

Compassion is a verb.

But if we have the energy of compassion and loving kindness in us, the people around us will be influenced by our way of being and living.

Words and thoughts concerning compassionate action that are not put into practice are like beautiful flowers that are colorful but have no fragrance.

Today is the most important day of our lives.

The true miracle is not walking on water or walking in air, but simply walking on this earth.

Mother Earth is very talented.

If you really know how to live, what better way to start the day than with a smile?

Even if we have time, we don't come home to ourselves. We try to keep ourselves constantly entertained -- watching television, socialising, or using alcohol or drugs -- because we don't want to experience that suffering all over again.

If you love someone but rarely make yourself available to him or her, that is not true love.

Go back and take care of yourself. Your body needs you, your feelings need you, your perceptions need you. Your suffering needs you to acknowledge it. Go home and be there for all these things.

If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love.

The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart.

Sometimes when I am alone in my room in the dark, I practice smiling to myself. I do this to be kind to myself, to take good care of myself, to love myself. I know that if I cannot take care of myself, I cannot take care of anyone else.

Letting go gives us freedom and freedom is the only condition for happiness.

If we can heal our wounded child, we will not only liberate ourselves, but we will also help liberate whoever has hurt or abused us. The abuser may also have been the victimg of abuse.

When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight.

The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.

As long as we think our lives are not good enough (materially), we will not have happiness. As soon as we realize our lives are good enough, happiness immediately appears. That is the practice of contentment.

To meditate with mindful breathing is to bring body and mind back to the present moment so that you do not miss your appointment with life.

Meditation is not an escape from life... but preparation for really being in life.

Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness, we know what to do and what not to do to help.

Real love means loving kindness and compassion, the kind of love that does not have any conditions.

Every step taken in mindfulness brings us one step closer to healing ourselves and the planet.

When the energy of compassion and love touches us, healing establishes itself.

A smile can change the situation of the world.

Go slowly, breathe and smile.

Be angry, it's okay. To be angry, that is very human. And to learn how to smile at your anger and make peace with your anger is very nice.

If you get angry easily, it may be because the seed of anger in you has been watered frequently over many years, and unfortunately you have allowed it or even encouraged it to be watered.

Anger is like a flame blazing up and consuming our self-control, making us think, say, and do things that we will probably regret later.

Many people think excitement is happiness.... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.

My actions are my only true belongings.

The way you speak to others can offer them joy, happiness, self-confidence, hope, trust, and enlightenment. Mindful speaking is a deep practice.

If you are truly present and know how to take care of the present moment as best you can, you are doing your best for the future already.

Even if we cannot be completely non-voilent, by being vegetarian we are going in the direction of non-voilence.

By eating meat we share the responsibility of climate change, the destruction of our forests, and the poisoning of our air and water. The simple act of becoming a vegetarian will make a difference in the health of our planet.

I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life.

Being vegetarian here also means that we do not consume dairy and egg products, because they are products of the meat industry. If we stop consuming, they will stop producing. Only collective awakening can create enough determination for action.

Our capacity to make peace with another person and with the world depends very much on our capacity to make peace with ourselves.

The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.

Next time you have to make a decision, be sure to breathe in and out first.

Don't do any task in order to get it over with. Resolve to do each job in a relaxed way, with all your attention. Enjoy and be one with your work.

People should learn how to just be there, doing nothing.

I am here for you.

Our real enemy is not man; it's not another human being. Our real enemy is our ignorance, discrimination, fear, craving, and violence.

The whole cosmos has come together in order to help the flower manifest herself.

Everyday we do things, we are things that have to do with peace. If we are aware of our life…, our way of looking at things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment, we are alive.

Peace is every step.

Peace in ourselves, peace in the world.

Working for peace in the future is to work for peace in the present moment.

You need to smile to your sorrow because you are more than your sorrow.

Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.

The source of a true smile is an awakened mind.

Smile, breathe and go slowly.

Part of acknowledging suffering is acknowledging we need help. It is much easier to practice compassion if you have the energy and support of the community. The community helps us not lose hope. It's not always easy to resolve our suffering alone.

Every breath and every step can be nourishing and healing.

There is only one kind of success that really matters: the success of transforming ourselves, transforming our afflictions, fear, and anger. This is the kind of success, the kind of power, that will benefits us and others without causing any damage.

Living our life deeply and with happiness, having time to care for our loved ones -- this is another kind of success, another kind of power, and it is much more important.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

Life is available only in the present moment.

Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.

Embrace your suffering tenderly.

Handling our suffering is an art. If we know how to suffer, we suffer much less, and we're no longer afraid of being overwhelmed by the suffering inside.

Today, you can decide to walk in freedom. You can choose to walk differently. You can walk as a free person, enjoying every step.

Anxiety, the illness of our time, comes primarily from our inability to dwell in the present moment.

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.

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

Loving oneself is the foundation for loving another person.

Every one of us has the capacity to love, to forgive, to understand, and to be compassionate.

Our own life has to be our message.

You need to have confidence that you have the capacity to become a Buddha, the capacity of transformation and healing.

To love is, first of all, to accept ourselves as we actually are.

It is possible to live happily in the here and the now. So many conditions of happiness are available -- more than enough for you to be happy right now. You don't have to run into the future in order to get more.

Changing is not just changing the things outside of us. First of all we need the right view that transcends all notions including of being and non-being, creator and creature, mind and spirit. That kind of insight is crucial for transformation and healing.

If you're a politician, you might want to learn the Buddhist way of negotiation. Restoring communication and bringing back reconciliation is clear and concrete in Buddhism.