Nhat Hanh Quotes

Shallow understanding accompanies poor compassion; great understanding goes with great compassion.

I realize that many elements of the Buddhist teaching can be found in Christianity, Judaism, Islam. I think if Buddhism can help, it is the concrete methods of practice.

If you realize that the other person is a human being too, and you have exactly the same kind of spiritual path, and then the two can become good practitioners. This appears to be practical for both.

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.

The present moment is the substance with which the future is made. Therefore, the best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment. What else can you do?

Most of us experience a life full of wonderful moments and difficult moments. But for many of us, even when we are most joyful, there is fear behind our joy.

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.

No one is more worthy of your kindness and compassion than you are.

Hatred and fear blind us. We no longer see each other. We see only the faces of monsters, and that gives us the courage to destroy each other.

When we hug, our hearts connect and we know that we are not separate beings. Hugging with mindfulness and concentration can bring reconciliation, healing, understanding, and much happiness.

What we most need to do is to hear within us the sound of the Earth crying.

No single tradition monopolizes the truth. We must glean the best values of all traditions and work together to remove the tensions between traditions in order to give peace a chance.

If you find yourself in some difficulty, step aside, and allow Buddha to take your place. The Buddha is in you.

Words and thoughts concerning compassionate action that are not put into practice are like beautiful flowers that are colorful but have no fragrance.

Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. All systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.

We try to live every moment like that, dwelling peacefully in the present moment, and respond to events with compassion.

Working for peace in the future is to work for peace in the present moment.

Be mindful 24 hours a day, not just during the one hour you may allot for formal meditation or reading scripture and reciting prayers. Each act must be carried out in mindfulness.

Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.

Breathing in, there is only the present moment. Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

The war is in our souls.

I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath.

Each breath we take, each step we make, each smile we realize, is a positive contribution to peace... a necessary step in the direction of peace for the world.

Breathe in and take one step, and focus all your attention on the sole of your foot. If you have not arrived fully, one hundred percent in the here and the now, don't take the next step.

The most important thing that we can do for the healing of our world is to hear inside ourselves, the sounds of the earth crying.

In Buddhism, we talk of meditation as an act of awakening, to be awake to the fact that the earth is in danger and living species are in danger.

Every moment is a moment of happiness.

You can use your life in a very useful and intelligent way. You can very well transform that negative energy into a positive energy that empowers you and makes life meaningful.

If I succeed in loving you, I will be able to love everyone and all species on Earth... This is the real message of love

When we are present, life is also present.

We have to learn to die in every moment in order to be fully alive.

Mother Earth is very talented.

When the energy of compassion and love touches us, healing establishes itself.

Many of us worry about the situation of the world . . . We need to remain calm, to see clearly. Meditation is a means to be aware, and to try to help.

I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life

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.

If you are motivated by loving kindness and compassion, there are many ways to bring happiness to others right now, starting with kind speech.

You have to do it by yourself. You can not do it alone.

If you are capable of brushing your teeth in mindfulness, then you will be able to enjoy the time when you take a shower, cook your breakfast, sip your tea.

Don't think you have to be solemn to meditate. To meditate, well, you have to smile a lot.

The present moment contains past and future. The secret of transformation, is in the way we handle this very moment.

One hour of compassionate deep listening can bring about transformation and healing.

While drinking, while talking, while writing, while watering our garden, it's always possible to practice living in the here and the now.

How do you want to create peace, if there is no peace inside yourselves?

Anger is the energy that people use in order to act. But when you are angry, you are not lucid, and you might do wrong things. That is why compassion is a better energy.

Peace in every step. The shining red sun is my heart. Each flower smiles with me. How green, how fresh all that grows. How cool the wind blows. Peace is every step. It turns the endless path to joy.

Each time you take a mindful step you are back in the arms of Mother Earth and are reminded of your true sweet home in the here and now.

Freedom from suffering is a great happiness.

Awareness is a mirror reflecting the four elements. Beauty is a heart that generates love and a mind that is open.