Inspirational Quotes by Thích Nhất Hạnh — Words of Wisdom for Daily Success

“Without suffering, there's no happiness. So we shouldn't discriminate against the mud. We have to learn how to embrace and cradle our own suffering and the suffering of the world, with a lot of tenderness.”

“We are aware that blaming and arguing can never help us and only create a wider gap between us; that only understanding, trust, and love can help us change and grow”

“When restless sexual desire arises, we pay attention to it with enough understanding and enough love that it dissipates and does not grow.”

“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.”

“The person you love has all kinds of seeds in her: joy, suffering, and anger. If you water her anger, then in just five minutes you can bring the anger out in her. If you know how to water the seeds of her compassion, joy, and understanding, then these seeds will blossom. If you recognize the good seeds in her, you are watering her self-confidence and she will become the source of her own happiness as well as yours.”

“this planet belongs to our children. we have borowed this planet from our children. we have caused a lot of damage to the planet.. but who are our children? they are our continuation, they are us. it means we have borrowed from ourselves... not much is left of ourselves... but with the practice we can do otherwise.”

“we trade our physical labor for the things we think are essential to our happiness and security. we have borrowed this planet from our children... mindfulness, going home to the present moment we know there so many wonders of life there are many conditions of happiness that are available.... we don't need to borrow anymore. the planet cannot take it anymore. our children cannot take it anymore. we cannot take it anymore. stop borrowing, because we don't need it.”

“the song of a bird, the warm rays of the sun, a cup of hot tea—are manifestations of the dharmakaya. We, too, are of the same nature as these wonders of the universe. We do not have to walk in space or on water to experience a miracle; the real miracle is to be awake in the present moment. Walking on the green Earth, we realize the wonder of being alive. When we make steps like this, the sun of the dharmakaya will shine.”

“Walking on the Earth”

“Turning on the Water”

“Looking at Your Empty Bowl”

“Before taking care of Thay, take care of yourself. Taking care of yourself is taking care of Thay. Taking care of sisters, those around you, is taking care of Thay. -Thay while recoving from stroke, recounted by Mongolia Grove sister”

“People think it is impossible to establish a system of ethics without referring to good or evil. But clouds float, flowers bloom, and wind blows. What need have they for a distinction between good and evil? There are people who live like clouds, flowers, and wind, who don’t think about morals, yet many people point to their actions and words as religious and ethical models, and they praise them as saints. These saints simply smile. If they revealed that they do not know what is good and what is evil, people would think they were crazy”

“This body is not me.”

“If the bodhisattvas live during a time of armed conflict,”

“What you are looking for is already in you...You already are everything you are seeking.”

“Western civilization places so much emphasis on the idea of hope that we sacrifice the present moment. Hope is for the future. It cannot help us discover joy, peace, or enlightenment in the present moment.”

“Our appointment with life is in the present moment. If we do not have peace and joy right now when will we have peace and joy--tomorrow, or after tomorrow? What is presenting us from being happy right now?”

“Bhikkhus, what is meant by ‘pursuing the past’? To pursue the past means to lose yourself in thoughts about what you looked like in the past, what your feelings were then, what rank and position you held, what happiness or suffering you experienced then. Giving rise to such thoughts entangles you in the past. “Bhikkhus, what is meant by ‘losing yourself in the future’? To lose yourself in the future means to lose yourself in thoughts about the future. You imagine, hope, fear, or worry about the future, wondering what you will look like, what your feelings will be, whether you will have happiness or suffering. Giving rise to such thoughts entangles you in the future.”

“Fifteen years ago, a business manager from the United States came to Plum Village to visit me. His conscience was troubled because he was the head of a firm that designed atomic bombs. I listened as he expressed his concerns. I knew if I advised him to quit his job, another person would only replace him. If he were to quit, he might help himself, but he would not help his company, society, or country. I urged him to remain the director of his firm, to bring mindfulness into his daily work, and to use his position to communicate his concerns and doubts about the production of atomic bombs.”

“Letting go takes a lot of courage sometimes. But once you let go, happiness comes very quickly. You won't have to go around search for it.”

“Birth is okay and death is okay, if we know that they are only concepts in our mind. Reality transcends both birth and death.”

“I have lost my smile,”

“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.”

“If you know how to be happy with the wonders of life that are already there for you to enjoy, you don't need to stress your mind and your body by striving harder and harder, and you don't need to stress this planet by purchasing more and more stuff. The Earth belongs to our children. We have already borrowed too much from it, from them; and the way things have been going, we're not sure we'll be able to give it back to them in decent shape. And who are our children, actually? They are us, because they are our own continuation. So we've been shortchanging our own selves. Much of our modern way of life is permeated by mindless overborrowing. The more we borrow, the more we loser. That's why it's critical that we wake up and see we don't need to do that anymore. What's already available in the here and now is plenty for us to be nourished, to be happy. Only that kind of insight will get us, each one of us, to stop engaging in the compulsive, self-sabotaging behaviors of our species. We need a collective awakening. One Buddha is not enough. All of us have to become Buddhas in order for our planet to have a chance. Fortunately, we have the power to wake up, to touch enlightenment from moment to moment, in our very own ordinary and, yes, busy lives. So let's start right now. Peace is your every breath.”

“Those who are without compassion cannot see what is seen with the eyes of compassion.”

“We have negative mental habits that come up over and over again. One of the most significant negative habits we should be aware of is that of constantly allowing our mind to run off into the future. Perhaps we got this from our parents. Carried away by our worries, we're unable to live fully and happily in the present. Deep down, we believe we can't really be happy just yet—that we still have a few more boxes to be checked off before we can really enjoy life. We speculate, dream, strategize, and plan for these "conditions of happiness" we want to have in the future; and we continually chase after that future, even while we sleep. We may have fears about the future because we don't know how it's going to turn out, and these worries and anxieties keep us from enjoying being here now.”

“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 seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.”

“Smile, breathe, and go slowly.”

“There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.”

“May our hearts garden of awakening bloom with hundreds of flowers.”

“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You do not need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”

“The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

“By living deeply in the present moment we can understand the past better and we can prepare for a better future.”

“The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart.”

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.”

“If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything.”

“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”