“In 1963, I was sitting with a number of my students on the campus of Columbia University in New York. The morning was beautiful, the sun was shining, and we were talking to each other about the Buddhist practice of removing concepts. Suddenly someone passing by stopped and looking at me for a few seconds, and then he asked, "Are you a Buddhist?" I looked up and said, "No." Did I tell a lie? I hope that my students understood me at that moment. If I had said, "Yes, I am a Buddhist," then he would still be caught in his idea of what a Buddhist is, and that would not help him. So "No" was more helpful than "Yes." That is the language of Zen. When you do say or do something, it is to help undo the knots in people's minds, and not to bind them anymore. That is why the language we use should aim at liberation.”
Quote by Thich Nhat Hanh
Work
Peace Begins Here: Palestinians and Israelis Listening to Each Other
Peace Begins Here: Palestinians and Israelis Listening to Each Other delves into the conversations and initiatives aimed at fostering peace between these two communities. The book highlights the importance of dialogue and listening in the pursuit of reconciliation and coexistence. more
Author
You May Also Like
Source: Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm
“Not to be nothing, but to understand that everything is and is not actually concrete.”
Source: Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey
Source: The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master
“I didn’t fight the world; I silenced the one, For whom it sang!”
Source: On My Way To Infinity: A Seeker's Poetic Pilgrimage
Source: On My Way To Infinity: A Seeker's Poetic Pilgrimage
Source: The Philosophy of Travel