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Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes

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Famous Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes

“Meghiya, practice the contemplations on death, compassion, impermanence, and the full awareness of breathing: “To overcome desire, practice the contemplation on a corpse, looking deeply at the nine stages of the body’s decay from the time the breathing ceases to the time the bones turn to dust. “To overcome anger and hatred, practice the contemplation on compassion. It illuminates the causes of anger and hatred within our own minds and in the minds of those who have precipitated it. “To overcome craving, practice the contemplation on impermanence, illuminating the birth and death of all things. “To overcome confusion and dispersion, practice the contemplation on the full awareness of breathing. “If you regularly practice these four contemplations, you will attain liberation and enlightenment.”

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Author:Thich Nhat Hanh
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“If you feel irritation or depression or despair, recognize their presence and practice this mantra: "Dear one, I am here for you." You should talk to your depression or your anger as you would to a child. You embrace it tenderly with the energy of mindfulness and say, "Dear one, I know you are there, and I am going to take care of you," just as you would with your crying baby.”

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Book:You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment
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“When you plant lettuce, you don’t blame the lettuce if it does not grow well. You look into the reasons why 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 our family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of others, they will grow well, just like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade by means of reason or argument. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument—just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and any difficult situation will improve.”

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Book:At Home in the World: Stories and Essential Teachings from a Monk's Life
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“You have to be clear-minded. In the context of war, we grew deeper in our practice of nonviolence. Nonviolence is not a set of techniques that you can learn with your intellect. Nonviolent action naturally arises from the compassion, lucidity, and understanding you have within.”

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Book:At Home in the World: Stories and Essential Teachings from a Monk's Life
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“Any peace talks should begin with making peace with ourselves. First we need to recognize our anger, embrace it, and make peace with it. You don’t fight your anger, because your anger is you. Your anger is the wounded child in you. Why should you fight your anger? The method is entirely nonviolent: awareness, mindfulness, and tenderly holding your anger within you. Like this, your anger will transform naturally.”

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Book:How to Fight
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“When we feel anger, irritation, or indignation arising in us, we pause. We stop and come back to our breathing straight away. We do not say or do anything when we are inhabited by this kind of energy, so we don’t escalate the conflict. We wait until we’re calm again. Being able to pause is the greatest gift. It gives us the opportunity to bring more love and compassion into the world rather than more anger and suffering.”

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Book:How to Fight
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“Compassion is mindfulness. If you can maintain that awareness, you are protected. Your seeds of irritation and anger will not be watered and you can listen for one hour without being affected by what she says. You don't want to correct her, even if her speech is full of wrong perceptions and accusations—you feel only compassion, "Oh dear, she is the victim of so many wrong perceptions." You don't want to punish or criticize her because you have compassion.”

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Book:Peace Begins Here: Palestinians and Israelis Listening to Each Other
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“Beloved one You are not something that has been created. You did not come into the realm of being from non-being. You are a wonderful manifestation like a pink cloud on the top of a mountain or a mysterious moonlit night. You are a flowing stream. The continuation of so many wonders you are not a separate self. You are yourself but you are also me You cannot take the pink cloud out of my fragrant tea this morning And I cannot drink my tea without drinking my cloud I am in you and you are in me If we take me out of you then you would not be able to manifest as you are manifesting now If we take you out of me I would not be able to manifest as I am manifesting now We cannot manifest without one another We have to wait for each other in order to manifest together.”

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Author:Thich Nhat Hanh
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“When your mind is liberated your heart floods with compassion: compassion for yourself, for having undergone countless sufferings because because you were not yet able to relieve yourself of false views, hatred, ignorance, and anger; and compassion for others because they do not yet see and are still imprisoned by false views, hatred, and ignorance and continue to create suffering for themselves and others.”

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Book:The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
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“We have to find ways to nourish and express our compassion. When we come into contact with the other person, our thoughts and actions should express our mind of compassion, even if that person says and does things that are not easy to accept. We practice in this way until we see clearly that our love is not contingent upon the other person being lovable.”

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Book:Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
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“When we want to understand something, we cannot just stand outside and observe it. We have to enter deeply into it and be one with it in order to really understand. If we want to understand a person, we have to feel his feelings, suffer his sufferings, and enjoy his joy. The word "comprehend" is made up of the Latin roots cum, which means "with," and prehendere, which means "to grasp it or pick it up." There is no other way to understand something.”

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Book:Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
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“If you have experienced hunger, you know that having food is a miracle. If you have suffered from the cold, you know the preciousness of warmth. When you have suffered, you know how to appreciate the elements of paradise that are present. If you dwell only in your suffering, you will miss paradise. Don't ignore your suffering, but don't forget to enjoy the wonders of life, for your sake and for the benefit of many beings.”

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Book:The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation
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“First, we just acknowledge that it is there inside us. If we don’t listen to our own suffering, we won’t understand it, and we won’t have compassion for ourselves. Compassion is the element that helps heal us. Only when we have compassion for ourselves, can we truly listen to another person.”

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Book:Fidelity: How to Create a Loving Relationship That Lasts
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“If the bodhisattvas live during a time of armed conflict, they give rise to the mind of compassion, transforming those who are fighting, and causing them to dwell in a land without contention. If there are great wars, the bodhisattvas make the strength on both sides equal. They manifest their spiritual authority and subdue people so that peace is restored.”

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Book:The Bodhisattva Path: Commentary on the Vimalakirti and Ugrapariprccha Sutras
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