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Nhat Hanh

Nhat Hanh Quotes

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Famous Nhat Hanh Quotes

“We must look deeply into the nature of our volition to see whether it is pushing us in the direction of liberation from suffering and toward peace and compassion, or in the direction of affliction and misery. What is it that we really want deep in our heart? Is it money, fame, power? Or is it finding inner peace, being able to live life fully and enjoy the present moment?”

WantLooksHeartMomentsMotivationalAbleSufferingEnjoyCompassionFameFindingsMiseryInner PeaceLiberationLive LifePushingPresent MomentAfflictionEnjoy LifeFollow Your HeartListen To Your HeartMoments In TimeListen To YourselfVolitionCherish Every MomentFinding Inner Peace
Author:Nhat Hanh
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“When you suffer, you can look deeply at your situation and find the many blessings that are already surrounding you. It is wonderful to sit with a pen and paper and write down all the conditions for happiness that are already there, already available to you right in this moment.”

WritingLooksMomentsMotivationalSufferingSituationWonderfulConditionsBlessingPaperAvailablePensMany Blessings
Book:Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life
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“Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow because even today I still arrive. Look at me: I arrive in every second to be a bud on a spring branch, to be a tiny bird whose wings are still fragile, learning to sing in my new nest, to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower, to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.”

LooksHeartStillsTodayLearningFlowerTomorrowSpringBirdStonesWingsTinyBranchesHidingFragileLook At MeJewelsNestsBudEvery SecondCaterpillars
Author:Nhat Hanh
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“Our role as gardeners is to choose, plant and tend the best seeds within the garden of our consciousness. Learning to look deeply at our consciousness is our greatest gift and our greatest need, for there lie the seeds of suffering and of love, the very roots of our being, of who we are. Mindfulness...is the guide and the practice by which we learn how to use the seeds of suffering to nourish the seeds of love.”

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Author:Nhat Hanh
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“The organic gardener does not think of throwing away the garbage. She knows that she needs the garbage. She is capable of transforming the garbage into compost, so that the compost can turn into lettuce, cucumber, radishes, and flowers again...With the energy of mindfulness, you can look into the garbage and say: I am not afraid. I am capable of transforming the garbage back into love.”

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Author:Nhat Hanh
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“Mindful consumption is the object of this precept. We are what we consume. If we look deeply into the items that we consume every day, we will come to know our own nature very well. We have to eat, drink, consume, but if we do it unmindfully, we may destroy our bodies and our consciousness, showing ingratitude toward our ancestors, our parents, and future generations.”

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Author:Nhat Hanh
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“Let us look at wealth and poverty. The affluent society and the deprived society inter-are. The wealth of one society is made of the poverty of the other. "This is like this, because that is like that." Wealth is made of non-wealth elements, and poverty is made by non-poverty elements. [...] so we must be careful not to imprison ourselves in concepts. The truth is that everything contains everything else. We cannot just be, we can only inter-be. We are responsible fo everything that happens around us.”

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Author:Nhat Hanh
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“We who have touched war have a duty to bring the truth about war to those who have not had a direct experience of it. We are the light at the tip of the candle. It is really hot, but it has the power of shining and illuminating. If we practice mindfulness, we will know how to look deeply into the nature of war and, with our insight, wake people up so that together we can avoid repeating the same horrors again and again.”

PeopleIfsKnowsLooksWarLightTogetherPracticeKnow HowDutyHorrorMindfulnessDirectHotShiningInsightTouchedCandleAgain And AgainIlluminatingTogether We Can
Author:Nhat Hanh
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“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.”

PeopleIfsLifeLooksMomentsBodyHandsSpiritualParentFamilyAliveGenerationsYogaMy FamilyYour BodyGrievingAncestorPalmsAbout FamilyContinuationParents LoveHappy FamilyInspirational FamilyBuddhist MonkContinuation Of Life
Book:Present Moment Wonderful Moment: Mindfulness Verses for Daily Living: Easyread Large Bold Edition
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“If we are too busy, if we are carried away every day by our projects, our uncertainty, our craving, how can we have the time to stop and look deeply into the situation-our own situation, the situation of our beloved one, the situation of our family and of our community, and the situation of our nation and of the other nations?”

IfsLooksNationsCommunitySituationFamilyProjectsBusyUncertaintyBelovedOur FamilyLoved OnesCravingToo BusyOur CommunityCarried Away
Book:Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World
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“In April, we cannot see sunflowers in France, so we might say the sunflowers do not exist. But the local farmers have already planted thousands of seeds, and when they look at the bare hills, they may be able to see the sunflowers already. The sunflowers are there. They lack only the conditions of sun, heat, rain and July. Just because we cannot see them does not mean that they do not exist.”

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Author:Nhat Hanh
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“When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding.”

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Author:Nhat Hanh
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“It is best if we do not listen to or look at the person whom we consider to be the cause of our anger. Like a fireman, we have to pour water on the blaze first and not waste time looking for the one who set the house on fire. "Breathing in, I know that I am angry. Breathing out, I know that I must put all my energy into caring for my anger." So we avoid thinking about the other person, and we refrain from doing or saying anything as long as our anger persists. If we put all our mind into observing our anger, we will avoid doing any damage that we may regret later.”

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Author:Nhat Hanh
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“Anger is like a storm rising up from the bottom of your consciousness. When you feel it coming, turn your focus to your breath. Breathe 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 they are unhappy and suffering. You can see their wrong perceptions. You'll feel motivated by a desire to say or do something to help the other person suffer less. This means compassionate energy has been born in your heart. And when compassion appears, anger is deleted.”

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Author:Nhat Hanh
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“A look filled with understanding, an accepting smile, a loving word, a meal shared in warmth and awareness are the things which create happiness in the present moment. By nourishing awareness in the present moment, you can avoid causing suffering to yourself and those around you. The way you look at others, your smile, and your small acts of caring can create happiness. True happiness does not depend on wealth or fame.”

WayLooksDoeMomentsSufferingUnderstandingWealthAcceptingAwarenessDependsFameFilledCaringMealsPresent MomentWarmthTrue HappinessYour SmileSmall ActsLoving Words
Book:Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha
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