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Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes

    “To my mind, the idea that doing dishes is unpleasant can occur only when you aren’t doing them… If I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish the quickly so I can go and have dessert or a cup of tea, I will be equally incapable of enjoying my dessert or my tea when I finally have them… Each thought, each action in the sunlight of awareness becomes sacred. In this light, no boundary exists between the sacred and the profane.”

    Thich Nhat Hanh, via Think Like A Monk (Page 135)

      “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, via Think Like A Monk (Page 29)

      Thich Nhat Hanh Quote on Inner Peace and Understanding The Nature Of Our Inner World

        “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?”

        Thich Nhat Hanh, Savor

        Beyond the Quote (244/365)

        How to achieve inner peace? Eliminate all inner conflict. For what is peace but the absence of war? And who is less at peace than the person who is constantly at war within themselves? As is evidenced from throughout human history and in modern times, eliminating war is no easy feat. There are very real threats that, time and time again, have called for war under the context that the fight was (and is) for the greater good. And while the means for achieving peace in the external world are (and will forever be) up for debate because we all share this world together—achieving inner peace is something that is (and will forever be) up to only you.

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        Thich Nhat Hanh Quote on the Present Moment and Appreciating the Flower When It’s Shown To You

          “We can realize peace right in the present moment with our look, our smile, our words, and our actions.  Peace work is not a means.  Each step we make should be peace.  Each step we make should be joy.  Each step we make should be happiness.  If we are determined, we can do it.  We don’t need the future.  We can smile and relax.  Everything we want is right here in the present moment.”

          Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step

          Beyond the Quote (238/365)

          One day the Buddha held up a flower in front of an audience of 1,250 monks and nuns.  He did not say anything for quite a long time.  The audience was perfectly silent.  Everyone seemed to be thinking hard, trying to see the meaning behind the Buddha’s gesture. Then, suddenly, the Buddha smiled.  

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            “Before we can make deep changes in our lives, we have to look into our diet, our way of consuming.  We have to live in such a way that we stop consuming the things that poison us and intoxicate us.  Then we will have the strength to allow the best in us to arise, and we will no longer be victims of anger, of frustration.”  ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, via Stillness is the Key (Page 34)

            Thich Nhat Hanh Quote on Suffering and Having Compassion For Those Who Are In Pain

              “When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over.  He does not need punishment; he needs help.  That’s the message he is sending.”

              Thich Nhat Hanh

              Beyond the Quote (76/365)

              Below, you will find an exchange between another person and I in regards to the quote above and the caption I put up for it.  It’s a good exchange and there are elements that I think are worth elaborating on and discussing.  Here is the exchange:

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                “It is not impermanence that makes us suffer.  What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent, when they are not.”

                Thich Nhat Hanh | Read Matt’s Blog on this Quote ➜

                No Death, No Fear [Book]

                  No Death, No Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh

                  By: Thich Nhat Hanh

                  From this Book: 29 Quotes

                  Book Overview:  Nominated by Martin Luther King, Jr. for a Nobel Peace Prize, Thich Nhat Hanh is one of today’s leading sources of wisdom, peace, compassion and comfort.  With hard-won wisdom and refreshing insight, Thich Nhat Hanh confronts a subject that has been contemplated by Buddhist monks and nuns for twenty-five-hundred years— and a question that has been pondered by almost anyone who has ever lived: What is death?  In No Death, No Fear, the acclaimed teacher and poet examines our concepts of death, fear, and the very nature of existence. Through Zen parables, guided meditations, and personal stories, he explodes traditional myths of how we live and die. Thich Nhat Hanh shows us a way to live a life unfettered by fear.

                  Buy from Amazon! Listen on Audible!

                  Great on Kindle. Great Experience. Great Value. The Kindle edition of this book comes highly recommended on Amazon.

                  Post(s) Inspired by this Book:

                  1. 15 Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes on Embracing Death and How it Helps Unlock Happiness
                  2.  7 Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes on Life and Death from Nature