Thích Nhất Hạnh was a Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author, poet and teacher who passed away on January 22, 2022. Known as the “father of mindfulness”, his teachings are beloved the world over.
“Take my hand. We will walk. We will only walk. We will enjoy our walk without thinking of arriving anywhere.”
“If we’re not calm, we can’t listen deeply and understand. But when our mind is calm, we can see reality more clearly, like still water reflecting the trees, the clouds and the blue sky. Stillness is the foundation of understanding and insight.”
“You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment. In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the Earth, which is the highest form of prayer.”
“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.”
“When we walk like we are rushing, we print anxiety and sorrow on to the earth. We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on the earth. Be aware of the contact between your feet and the earth. Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.”
“Take my hand. We will walk. We will only walk. We will enjoy our walk without thinking of arriving anywhere.”