Nhat Hanh quotes - page 9

You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment. In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the Earth, which is the highest form of prayer. (Nhat Hanh)
True self is non-self, the awareness that the self is made only of non-self elements. There's no separation between self and other, and everything is interconnected. Once you are aware of that you are no longer caught in the idea that you are a separate entity. View quote
Nhat Hanh
Let us fill our hearts with our own compassion - towards ourselves and towards all living beings. View quote
Nhat Hanh
In order to rally people, governments need enemies... if they do not have a real enemy, they will invent one in order to mobilize us. View quote
Nhat Hanh
To meditate means to go home to yourself. Then you know how to take care of the things that are happening inside you, and you know how to take care of the things that happen around you. View quote
Nhat Hanh
Love is the capacity to take care, to protect, to nourish. View quote
Nhat Hanh
People sacrifice the present for the future. But life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and the now. View quote
Nhat Hanh
Buddhism teaches us not to try to run away from suffering. You have to confront suffering. You have to look deeply into the nature of suffering in order to recognize its cause, the making of the suffering. View quote
Nhat Hanh
When we recognise the virtues, the talent, the beauty of Mother Earth, something is born in us, some kind of connection, love is born. View quote
Nhat Hanh
Breathing in, I am aware of my heart. Breathing out, I smile to my heart and know that my heart still functions normally. I feel grateful for my heart. View quote
Nhat Hanh
If you abandon the present moment, you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply. (Nhat Hanh)
Total relaxation is the secret to enjoying sitting meditation. I sit with my spine upright, but not rigid; and I relax all the muscles in my body. View quote
Nhat Hanh
If you can feel that Mother Earth is in you, and you are Mother Earth, then you are not any longer afraid to die because the earth is not dying. Like a wave appears and disappears and appears again. View quote
Nhat Hanh
You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment. View quote
Nhat Hanh
Mother Earth is very talented. She has produced Buddhas, bodhisattvas, great beings. View quote
Nhat Hanh
We are looking for happiness and running after it in such a way that creates anger, fear and discrimination. So when you attend a retreat, you have a chance to look at the deep roots of this pollution of the collective energy that is unwholesome. View quote
Nhat Hanh
To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is. A pessimistic attitude can never create the calm and serene smile which blossoms on the lips of Bodhisattvas and all those who obtain the way. View quote
Nhat Hanh
Life is filled with suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders, such as the blue sky, the sunshine, and the eyes of a baby. To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders of life. They are within us and all around us, everywhere, anytime. View quote
Nhat Hanh
From time to time, to remind ourselves to relax, to be peaceful, we may wish to set aside some time for a retreat, a day of mindfulness, when we can walk slowly, smile, drink tea with a friend, enjoy being together as if we are the happiest people on Earth. This is not a retreat, it is a treat. View quote
Nhat Hanh
To be beautiful means to be yourself.You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. When you are born a lotus flower, be a beautiful lotus flower, don't try to be a magnolia flower. If you crave acceptance and recognition and try to change yourself to fit what other people want you to be, you will suffer all your life. True happiness and true power lie in understanding yourself, accepting yourself, having confidence in yourself. View quote
Nhat Hanh
Happiness is available. Please help yourself to it. (Nhat Hanh)
Because you are alive, everything is possible. View quote
Nhat Hanh
Our notions about happiness entrap us. We forget that they are just ideas. Our idea of happiness can prevent us from actually being happy. We fail to see the opportunity for joy that is right in front of us when we are caught in a belief that happiness should take a particular form. View quote
Nhat Hanh
To dwell in the here and now does not mean you never think about the past or responsibly plan for the future. The idea is simply not to allow yourself to get lost in regrets about the past or worries about the future. If you are firmly grounded in the present moment, the past can be an object of inquiry, the object of your mindfulness and concentration. You can attain many insights by looking into the past. But you are still grounded in the present moment. View quote
Nhat Hanh
We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves. And we'll also have a lot more joy in living. View quote
Nhat Hanh