Thich Nhat Hanh Teachings

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Comment by Luna Arjuna on December 17, 2012 at 2:46am

Forgiveness will not be possible until compassion is born in our heart. Even if you want to forgive, you cannot forgive. In order to be compassionate, you have to understand why the other person has done that to you and your people. You have to see that they are victims of their own confusion, their own worldview, their own grieving, their own discrimination, their own lack of understanding and compassion.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Comment by Luna Arjuna on December 17, 2012 at 2:37am

There are days when you feel that it’s not your day, everything goes wrong. And the more effort you make, the situation becomes worse. Of course you have gone through days like that in your life. You fail in everything, you suffer, you get angry, people blame you, you are not happy, you are frustrated. And you tell yourself that you have to make more effort, but the more effort you make, the worse the situation becomes, and then you know that it’s time to stop, it’s time to stop everything, it’s time to go home to yourself and take refuge in yourself. You have to close your windows, the eyes, the ears; you have to close the five windows. You should not be in touch with the outside any more; you have to close the windows of your hermitage. Because there is a hermitage within yourself – that is the island of self that I want you to discover. If you continue to be on the outside, then you continue to suffer, you know. That is why in moments like that, you have to go home to the island of self, and the first thing you do is exactly what I did with my hermitage, to close the five windows. And you know that eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind, are the six windows you close. Don’t look, don’t listen, don’t touch, and don’t think. Stop everything in order to prevent the strong wind from the outside to continue to blow in and to make you miserable, because the eye is a window, the ear is a window, the mind is a window, and if you keep them open, the wind of suffering, the wind of disturbance will continue to come and make the situation worse and worse. Don’t try any more. Stop trying and shut the windows. You shut also the door, and you have to go to the chimney and make a fire. You want to get a feeling of warmth, cosiness, and comfort by practising mindful breathing, going home to yourself. And rearrange everything, your feelings, your perceptions, your emotions, they are all scattered all over, it’s a mess. You have to recognise each feeling, each emotion, and you have to collect them like I collected all the sheets of paper that were scattered a little bit all over. Practise mindfulness and concentration, and tidy up everything within yourself. You are going home, you have gone home to your island of self, and you are transformed into a place that is cosy and pleasant for you to take refuge in. Everyone has a hermitage within, very safe, very cosy, very comfortable, very calm, and they have to go home to that hermitage. If you rely on the outside, you get lost.

That is why you have to go home and rely on something that is reliable, that is the island of self.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Comment by Luna Arjuna on December 17, 2012 at 2:17am

Everything is impermanent.

Nothing has an absolute entity that remains the same.

When we keep that insight in mind, we can see more deeply into the nature of reality, and we will not be locked in the notion that we are only this body, this life span is the only life span we have.

In fact, because nothing can be by itself alone, no one can be by himself or herself alone, everyone has to inter-be with every one else.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh - No Death No Fear

Comment by Luna Arjuna on December 17, 2012 at 2:04am

Do not just look for what you want to see,
that would be futile.
Do not look for anything,
but allow the insight to have a chance to come by itself.
That insight will help liberate you.

– Thich Nhat Hanh

Comment by roddyg on December 13, 2012 at 11:18pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tBeMgW1_UM

Thich Nhat Hanh addresses the Northern Ireland Parliament

Comment by roddyg on December 11, 2012 at 9:28pm

“We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.”   

―    Thich Nhat Hanh

Comment by roddyg on December 11, 2012 at 9:25pm

Hello Sharon. Welcome. :-)

Comment by Freefire Cauldron on December 11, 2012 at 9:00pm

Thank you for adding me.

Comment by roddyg on December 11, 2012 at 7:38pm

Welcome Freefire

Comment by roddyg on December 11, 2012 at 3:43am

Please post your favorite teachings by Thich Nhat Hanh

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