Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh is a spiritual leader and peace activist originally from Vietnam, where he was born in 1926 and at the age of 15 was initiated as a novice at Tu Hieu temple. Thich Nhat Hanh has greatly contributed to bringing Buddhism to the West and imparting the teaching of mindfulness. In his opinion, through this practice we can learn to live fully and be happy in the present moment, in such a way that we can cultivate and develop peace first within ourselves and therefore with the world. Here we share some of the most inspiring phrases of Thich Nhat Hanh:
1. Many people think that being excited is being happy. But when you are excited in that way you are not calm. True happiness is based on peace.
2. Breathing in calms the body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Living in the present moment, I know that this is the only moment.
3. I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given to me to live.
4. 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 opens.
5. When we are mindful and in deep contact with the present moment, our understanding of what is happening deepens and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace, and love.
6. When another person makes us suffer it is because he also suffers deeply within himself and his suffering spills out. He doesn’t need punishment, he needs help. It’s the message he’s sending.
7. It is very difficult for people to let go of their suffering. Because of the fear of the unknown they prefer to suffer, because this is familiar to them.
8. Being beautiful means being yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.
9. The seed of suffering can be strong, but don’t wait until there is no more suffering to allow yourself to be happy.
10. Letting go gives us freedom and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If we still cling to something in our hearts, be it anger, anxiety, or possessions, we cannot be free.
11. For things to reveal themselves to us we need to be ready to let go of our opinions about them.
12. If you love someone but are rarely available to him or her, that is not true love.
13. You must love in such a way that the other person you love feels free.
14. Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we think that tomorrow will be better, we can bear today’s difficulties.
15. Usually when we hear or read something new, we only compare it with our ideas. If it is the same, we accept it and say that it is correct. If it is not, we say that it is incorrect. In any case, we learned nothing.
With information from The Power of Ideas and Plum Village
Deported photo of Prince Kumar on Pexels