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Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes:

 Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes


Thich Nhat Hanh is the father of mindfulness. He teaches that through mindfulness, we can all learn to live happily, and peacefully in the present moment.



Thich Nhat Hanh was born in Vietnam on October 11, 1926 as Nguyen Kuan Bao. He is among the first to bring Buddhism to the western world. He is the founder of six monasteries, and many practice centers in Europe, and the United States of America as well.

He has brought hundreds of mindfulness practice communities known as Sanghas to the west with tens of thousands of students learn, apply, and share his teachings on mindfulness of the present moment.

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Thich Nhat Hanh is the author of many books on Buddhism and mindfulness such as...

Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life,

The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now, and

Your True Home: The Everyday Wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh: 365 days of practical, powerful teachings from the beloved Zen teacher.

Here are the top 40 quotes by Thich Nhat Hanh that will lead us to a life of peace, and mindfulness.

1:
"Our own life has to be our message." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

2:
"Enlightenment is growing all the time. It is not something that happens once, and is then complete." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

3:
"Enlightenment is always there. Small enlightenment will bring great enlightenment. If you breathe in and are aware that you are alive—that you can touch the miracle of being alive—then that is a kind of enlightenmen" ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

4:
"It is not impermanence that makes us suffer, it is wanting things to be permanent when they are not that causes us to suffer." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

5:
"Sitting in meditation is nourishment for your spirit, and nourishment for your body as well." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

6:
"Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

7:
"We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

8:
"The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh



9:
"When another person makes you suffer, it is because they suffer deeply within themselves, and their suffering is spilling over. They do not need punishment, they need your help." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

10:
"The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

11:
"The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don’t wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

12:
"People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

13:
"Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion" ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

14:
"Enlightenment is when a wave realizes that it is the ocean." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

15:
"When we walk like (we are rushing), we print anxiety and sorrow on the earth. We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on the earth. Be aware of the contact between your feet and the earth. Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

16:
"People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

17:
"At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

18:
"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 for us to accept. We practice in this way until we see clearly that our love is not contingent upon the other person being lovable." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh


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19:
"Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

20:
"If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

21:
"Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

22:
"The best way that we can take care of the future is for us to take care of the present moment." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

23:
"No one has ever lived in the past or the future, only the now." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

24:
"Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

25:
"When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

26:
"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" ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

27:
"Life is available only in the present moment." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh



28:
"Our attachment to our views is the greatest impediment to our growth on the spiritual path to enlightenment." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

29:
"We will not just say, “I love her very much,” but instead, “I will do something so that she will suffer less.” The mind of compassion is truly present when it is effective in removing another person’s suffering." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

30:
"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 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 the situation will change”

31:
"While you are walking, smile and be in the here and now, and you will transform that place into paradise." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

32:
"Some people live as though they are already dead. There are people moving around us who are consumed by their past, terrified of their future, and stuck in their anger and jealousy. They are not alive; they are just walking corpses." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

33:
"The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

34:
"Breathing in, there is only the present moment. Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment. " ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

35:
"When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

36:
"We must from time to time, remind ourselves to relax and 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.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

37:
"When we say something really unkind, when we do something in retaliation our anger increases. We make the other person suffer, and they will try hard to say or to do something back to get relief from their suffering. That is how conflict escalates." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

38:
"If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only ourselves, but everyone else will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

39:
"We have more possibilities available to us in each moment than we realize." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

40:
Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. Every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment. Thich Nhat Hanh







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