Thich Nhat Hanh's Quotes That Help You Find Inner Peace, Love, and Mindfulness

We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness. The wave does not need to die to become water. She is already water. 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. 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. People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar. 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. We often think of peace as the absence of war, that if powerful countries would reduce their weapon arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply into the weapons, we see our own minds, our own prejudices, fears and ignorance. Even if we transport all the bombs to the moon, the roots of war and the roots of bombs are still there, in our hearts and minds, and sooner or later we will make new bombs. To work for peace is to uproot war from ourselves, and from the hearts of men and women. To prepare for war, to give millions of men and women the opportunity to practice killing, day and night in their hearts, is to plant millions of seeds of violence, anger, frustration, and fear that will be passed on for generations to come. 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 earth. Be aware of the contact between your feet and the earth, walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet. Feelings come and go, like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and treated, on an absolutely equal basis. Because both are ourselves. The tangerine I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are me. I plant with all my heart and mind. I clean this teapot, with the kind of attention I would have, were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath. Nothing should be treated more carefully than anything else. In mindfulness, compassion, irritation, mustard green plant, and teapot, are all sacred. 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. Through my love for you, I want to express my love for the whole cosmos, the whole of humanity, and all beings. By living with you, I want to learn, to love everyone, and all species. 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. You must love in such a way, that the person you love feels free. If you love someone, but rarely make yourself available to him or her, that is not true love. My actions are my only true belongings. For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them. Our own life has to be our message. The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms. Suffering is not enough. Life is both dreadful, and wonderful. How can I smile, when I am filled with so much sorrow? It is natural. You need to smile to your sorrow, because you are more than your sorrow. Usually, when we hear, or read something new, we just compare it to our own ideas. If it is the same, we accept it, and say that it's correct. If it is not, we say it's incorrect. In either case, we learn nothing. 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. Sometimes, your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes, your smile can be the source of your joy. Many people think excitement is happiness, but when you are excited, you are not peaceful. True happiness, is based on peace. 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. To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others, you need to accept yourself. Because you are alive, everything is possible. Waking up this morning, I smile. 24 brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment, and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion. Smile, breathe, and go slowly. 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. Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment. I know, this is the only moment. Drink your tea slowly, and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves, slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos. The trees, the clouds, everything. Life is available only in the present moment. Compassion is a verb. 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. I have noticed that people are dealing too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try the other way, to look into the patient, and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand. If you suffer, and, make your loved ones suffer, there is nothing, that can justify your desire. It is my conviction, that there is no way to peace. Peace is the way. It is said that God has created man in his own image. But it may be that humankind has created God in the image of humankind. When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight. If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work. Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible. In true love, you attain freedom.