TNThich Nhat Hanh

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Thich Nhat Hanh

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Quotations and sayings

01Undated

Don't chase after your thoughts as a shadow follows its object. Don't run after your thoughts. Find joy and peace in this very moment .

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

02Undated

The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. The most important person is always the person you are with, who is right before you,

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

03Undated

When a feeling or thought arises, your intention should not be to chase it away, even if by continuing to concentrate on the breath the feeling or thought passes naturally from the mind. The intention isn't to chase it away, hate it, worry about it, or be frightened by it. So what exactly should you be doing concerning such thoughts and feelings? Simply acknowledge their presence.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

04Undated

While practicing mindfulness, don't be dominated by the distinction between good and evil, thus creating a battle within oneself.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

05Undated

A person who looks at the table and can see the universe is a person who can see the way.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

06Undated

People normally cut reality into compartments, and so are unable to see the interdependence of all phenomena. To see one in all and all in one is to break through the great barrier which narrows one's perception of reality, a barrier which Buddhism calls the attachment to the false view of self.Attachment to the false view of self means belief in the presence of unchanging entities which exist on their own.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

07Undated

Whatever the tasks, do them slowly and with ease, in mindfulness. 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.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

08Undated

To take hold of your mind, you must practice mindfulness of the mind. You must know how to observe and recognize the presence of every feeling and thought which arises in you.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

09Undated

Now I see that if one doesn't know how to die, one can hardly know how to live - because deathis a part of life.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

10Undated

[A]ll the methods in the search for truth should be looked on as means rather than as ends in themselves or as absolute truth.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

11Undated

The meditation on interdependence is to help one penetrate reality in order to be one with it, not to become caught up in philosophical opinion or meditation methods. The raft is used to cross the river. It isn't to be carried around on your shoulders. The finger which points at the moon isn't the moon itself.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

12Undated

Live the actual moment. Only this actual moment is life.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

13Undated

Equanimity means to let go, not to abandon.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

14Undated

Sitting meditation, walking meditation, and mindful eating are good opportunities for resting. When you feel agitated, if you are able to go to a park or a garden, it is an opportunity for rest. If you walk slowly and remember to take it easy, if you are able to sit and do nothing from time to time, you can rest deeply and enter a state of true ease.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

15Undated

Concentration is not wholesome in itself. A thief needs concentration to break into a house.The object of our concentration is what makes it beneficial or not. If you use meditative concentration to run away from reality, that is not beneficial.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

16Undated

When mindfulness is present, the Buddha and the Holy Spirit are already there,

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

17Undated

Smiling is a kind of mouth yoga. When we smile, it releases the tension in our face. Others notice it, even strangers, and are likely to smile back. By smiling, we initiate a wonderful chain reaction, touching the joy in anyone we encounter. A smile is an ambassador of goodwill.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

18Undated

Our feelings are formations, impermanent and without substance. We learn not to identify with ourselves with our feelings, not to consider them as a self, not to seek refuge in them, not to die because of them.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

19Undated

Worrying does not accomplish anything. Even if you worry twenty times more, it will not change the situation of the world. In fact, your anxiety will only make things worse. Even though things are not as we would like, we can still be content, knowing we are trying our best and will continue to do so. If we don't know how to breathe, smile,and live every moment of our life deeply, we will never be able to help anyone. I am happy in the present moment. I do not ask for anything else. I do not expect any additional happiness or conditions that will bring about more happiness. The most important practice is aimlessness, not running after things, not grasping.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

20Undated

If we think we have twenty-four hours to achieve a certain purpose, today will become a means to attain an end. The moment of chopping wood and carrying water is the moment of happiness. We do not need to wait for these chores to be done to be happy. To have happiness in this moment is the spirit of aimlessness. Otherwise, we will run in circles for the rest of our life. We have everything we need to make the present moment the happiest in our life, even if we have a cold or a headache. We don't have to wait until we get over our cold to be happy. Having a cold is a part of life.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

21Undated

There is no need to put anything in front of us and run after it. We already have everything we are looking for, everything we want to become. Be yourself. Life is precious as it is. All the elements for your happiness are already here. There is no need to run, strive, search, or struggle. Just be. Just being in the moment in this place is the deepest practice of meditation. Most people cannot believe that just walking as though you have nowhere to go is enough. They think that striving and competing are normal and necessary. Try practicing aimlessness for just five minutes,and you will see how happy you are during those five minutes.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

22Undated

Everyone wants to be happy, and there is a strong energy in us pushing us toward what we think will make us happy. But we may suffer a lot because of this. We need the insight that position, revenge, wealth, fame, or possessions are, more often than not, obstacles to our happiness. We need to cultivate the wish to be free of these things so we can enjoy the wonders of life that are always available — the blue sky, the trees, our beautiful children.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

23Undated

Do not lose yourself in the past. Do not lose yourself in the future. Do not get caught in your anger, worries, or fears. Come back to the present moment, and touch life deeply. This is mindfulness.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote

24Undated

The energy of mindfulness has the element of friendship and loving kindness in it.

Thich Nhat Hanh / quote