Thich Nhat Hanh

I am a continuation like the rain is the continuation of the cloud.

People normally cut reality into compartments, and so are unable to see the interdependence of all phenomena. To see one in all and all in one is to break through the great barrier which narrows one's perception of reality, a barrier which Buddhism calls the attachment to the false view of self.Attachment to the false view of self means belief in the presence of unchanging entities which exist on their own.

Impermanence means that everything changes and that nothing remains the same in any consecutive moments. And although things change every moment, they still cannot be accurately described as the same or as different from what they were a moment ago.

The roots of war are in the way we live our daily lives __he way we develop our industries, build up our society, and consume goods.

While practicing mindfulness, don't be dominated by the distinction between good and evil, thus creating a battle within oneself.

[A]ll the methods in the search for truth should be looked on as means rather than as ends in themselves or as absolute truth.

The energy of mindfulness has the element of friendship and loving kindness in it.

Nourish yourself every day with the wonderful things that life has to offer you. Nourish yourself in the present moment. Walk in the kingdom of God.

The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions.

When you hold the hand of a child, invest one hundred percent of yourself in the act of holding her hand. When you hug your partner, do the same. Forget everything else. Be totally present, totally alive in the act of hugging. This is the opposite of the way we__e been trained to lead our lives and run our businesses. We__e been taught to do many things at once. We answer an e-mail while we talk on the phone; while in a meeting for one project, we work on our notes for another project. Every new technology promises to help us do more things at once. Now we can send e-mail while listening to music, talking on the phone, and taking a picture, all with the same device. With your energy that dispersed, where is your power?

Mindful observation is based on the principle of __on-duality_: our feeling is not separate from us or caused merely by something outside us; our feeling is us, and for the moment we are that feeling. We are neither drowned in nor terrorized by the feeling, nor do we reject it. Our attitude of not clinging to or rejecting our feelings is the attitude of letting go[.]

If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life. It__ so clear. Mindfulness is the energy and practice that helps you go back to the here and now so that you encounter life.

Equanimity means to let go, not to abandon.

Smiling is a kind of mouth yoga. When we smile, it releases the tension in our face. Others notice it, even strangers, and are likely to smile back. By smiling, we initiate a wonderful chain reaction, touching the joy in anyone we encounter. A smile is an ambassador of goodwill.

We wanted peace. We did not care about anyone__ victory or defeat. We just wanted the bombs to stop falling on us.

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__ur own two eyes. All is a miracle.

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.

Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge.